Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Backyard Birdies – Andy Geppert

    Hachette JUL 28, 2021 | 9780734420695 | RRP $19.99 Imprint: Lothian Books Well, you know, I’m a secret bird geek. I love spotting them. I take part in the annual backyard bird survey every year and, even going way way back to my first year of teaching, had my class keeping tally of the birds they saw in the…

  • Mr Men: Mr. Tickle 50th Anniversary Edition – Roger Hargreaves

    Penguin Australia March 2021 Imprint: Mr Men ISBN; 9781761042157 RRP: $16.99 In 1971 Roger Hargreaves wrote the first of what was to become one of the most well-known and iconic book series for children, after his small son asked him what a tickle would look like. No doubt in the beginning, particularly having found it difficult to…

  • Salih – Inda Ahmad Zahri. Anne Ryan

    Ford St Publishing March 2021 ISBN: 9781925804645 RRP: $16.99 The global issue of the plight of refugees, and in particular, child refugees is the focus of this sensitively written and beautifully illustrated book. Even your youngest readers will be able to comprehend the circumstance of those who must flee their homes, with only what they…

  • Eliza Vanda’s Button Box – Emily Rodda

    Harper Collins Australia May 2021 ISBN: 9781460759608 ISBN 10: 1460759605 Imprint: HarperCollins AU List Price: 22.99 AUD Buttons three, attend to me! Take me where I want to be! Emily Rodda returns with her own special brand of sparkling magic inthis delightful new fantasy adventure. Milly Dynes has been a bit down in the dumps of late. She still…

  • Night Ride into Danger – Jackie French

    Harper Collins Australia May 2021 ISBN: 9781460758939 ISBN 10: 1460758935 Imprint: HarperCollins AU RRP: $16.99 Again Jackie has crafted a narrative that combines fact and fiction to take readers back in time to colonial Australia where it was commonplace to meet diverse characters and perhaps even more commonplace not to know everything there is to know about those…

  • Story Doctors – Boori Monty Pryor. Illustrated by Rita Sinclair.

    Allen & Unwin July 2021 ISBN:9781760526559 Publishers; A & U Children’s Imprint: A & U Children RRP: $24.99 Described as both a story and a history this is, to my mind, a richly empowering epic poem which resonates with such heartfelt emotion that it cannot fail to move the reader with its carefully chosen words…

  • Ernest the Elephant – Anthony Browne

    Walker Books Australia May 2021 ISBN: 9781406395099Imprint: Walker Australian RRP: $27.99New Zealand RRP: $29.99 Anthony Browne never fails to deliver does he? In this vibrant new picture book from the master a little elephant makes quite a big mistake when he wanders away from his herd and into the tempting jungle, mostly because he was feeling just a little…

  • Echo in the Memory – Cameron Nunn

    Walker Books June 2021 ISBN: 9781760653118Imprint: Walker Books Australia Australian RRP: $16.99New Zealand RRP: $19.99 Beautifully timed for NAIDOC Week this new YA novel, which explores the convergence of two periods of Australian history with the common thread being the one family name, will both shock and illuminate many readers regarding some of the darkest moments in our history…

  • Cardboard Cowboys – Brian Conaghan

    Bloomsbury May 2021 ISBN: 9781526628602 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing RRP: $12.99 12 year old Lenny is deeply unhappy. For many kids, their first year in high school is full of wonder and adventure with new experiences and friendships, but for Lenny it represents misery and isolation, as he relentlessly bullied and fat-shamed by other kids…

  • A Weekend with Oscar – Robyn Bavati

    Walker Books July 2021 ISBN: 9781760653040Imprint: Walker Books Australia Australian RRP: $16.99New Zealand RRP: $19.99 I had already ordered this for our library collection based on the publisher’s promo so receiving it as a review copy was especially welcome and I am not disappointed. This is a beautiful funny and poignant coming-of-age story that will enchant your lower secondary…