Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe



  • Cheese! – Felice Arena. Illustrated by Beatrice Cerocchi.

    Affirm Press September 2024 AUD RRP $22.99 ISBN 9781922992833 Did someone say cheese? Yes, please! Some Brie? Mais oui! Ooh la la, how fancy! Don’t forget the smelly ones: There are quite a few! Stilton, Limburger and Stinking Bishop, too. First da pasta, now da cheese! Of course! one can’t have the one without the Read more

  • The 113th Assistant Librarian – Stuart Wilson

    Penguin Australia When you get an ARC all wrapped up pretty just like a birthday present, you can be pretty sure it’s going to be an exciting surprise inside and so it was. I mean to say, how could they possibly go wrong sending me something called this with a stern warning about the magic Read more

  • Jy Goes for Gold (Kimberley Kickers, #1) – Carl Merrison/Hakea Hustler. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell

    Harper Collins Australia September 2024 It was a strange bit of serendipity when two days after posting my Q&A with Carl Merrison, in which he mentioned this new series, I was asked to write teaching notes for this first one [despite the fact that “you are a NRL girl” haha!]. It’s not like I know Read more

  • Flora: Australia’s Most Curious Plants – Tania McCartney

    National Library of Australia October 2024 9781922507716 /AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99 Try some Flora puzzles! Watch a Waratah bloom via Tania’s skills I have watched the development of this stunning companion to Fauna for months now and have eagerly anticipated its arrival. And how very beautiful it is – of course! With the meticulous attention to detail we Read more

  • Happy Millionth Birthday – R. W. R. McDonald – Alexandra Colombo

    Larrikin House July 2024 Distributed by Simon & Schuster There probably isn’t a child alive who hasn’t enjoyed their birthday celebrations so much, that they have wished it could be their birthday every day. But what if….? And that’s exactly what happens in this humorous look at ‘too much of a good thing’. As Jack Read more

  • Yarn Quest series – Brooke Scobie. Illustrated by Jade Goodwin

    Penguin July 2024 RRP: $12.99 Yarn Quest 1: The Search for the Story Realm ISBN: 9781761345227 So This is an exciting new series that has evolved from a highly-successful First Nations led children’s podcast, incorporating stories written by the Awesome Black team. Author Brooke Scobie is, herself, a queer, auDHD, First Nations author, and this has Read more