Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • Wednesday: A Novelisation of Season One

    Penguin Australia August 2025 ISBN: 9780241760741 Imprint: Ladybird RRP: $19.99 If you happen to be one of the handful of people in the civilized world who hasn’t watched Wednesday (1 & 2), you will definitely want to read this ahead of your kids. That way, at least you’ll be up to speed and be able to converse intelligently…

  • Dropbear – Philip Bunting

    Walker Books AustraliaOctober 2025 ISBN13:9781760657796 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 You know it’s true. We’ve all done it. We’ve all talked about the vicious dropbears of Australia – particularly, of course, to our more gullible overseas friends. *Grin* Apparently, it’s not just humans that spread these wild rumours. In this bush outing from the talented…

  • Halloween 2025!

    Halloween is our favourite – we’d much rather go spooky than go festive for Xmas! And I truly love to create a Dia de Los Muertes vibe 💀. Get set for a week of reviews of some new titles and here are some ideas for your own dose of scary! Halloween Kids’ Events in Brisbane…

  • The World of Maxime – Lucile de Pesloüan. Illustrations by Jacques Goldstyn, translated by Helen Mixter

    New South Books Greystone Books June 2025 ISBN: 9781778400544 RRP: AUD$29.99, NZD$34.99 To complete this trio of feline titles today, comes this charming book which I would describe as an extended picture book – or perhaps an illustrated novella. No need to be pedantic. It’s an illustrated story with elements of graphix/comics and pitched squarely…

  • Why You Should Read Children’s Books, Even Though You are So Old and Wise – Katherine Rundell

    Bloomsbury First published 2019 ISBN 9781526610072 Imprint Bloomsbury Publishing RRP: $16.99‘Rundell’s pen is gold-tipped’ – Sunday Times As much as I love Katherine Rundell’s writing, I was completely unaware of this little gem, until I saw this new edition in Quick Brown Fox a couple of weeks ago and HAD to have it – of course!…

  • The Book of Dust : Phillip Pullman – a recap

    While I await #3 in this extraordinary trilogy, I have been revisiting the first two on audio. The brilliant Michael Sheen is the narrator and absolutely perfect. So I thought it would be timely to re-post my reviews of the first two. Are you excited as I am for #3??? I CANNOT WAIT to get…

  • The Long Shoe – Bob Mortimer

    Simon & Schuster Australia Publisher: Gallery UK October 2025 ISBN13: 9781398548053 I have always loved Bob Mortimer on WILTY, which I admit is the only place I’ve seen his comedy. I didn’t realise he was also a writer until I spotted this one in a publicity email and immediately was keen to read it. I…

  • Spud and Snowball and the Fancy Fish – Judith Rossell

    Harper Collins Australia September 2025 ISBN: 9780733343865 ISBN 10: 0733343864 Imprint: ABC Books AU RRP: $15.99 Continuing the impromptu ‘cat’ theme is this deliciously funny new title from Judith Rossell, which will be perfect for your newly independent readers. These are two cats that are the very epitome of their species. They are self-indulgent, wilful, cheeky, devious, greedy…

  • Catty Corner: #1 and #2 – Julie Murphy

    I’ve been a fan of Julie Murphy’s writing since I first read Dumplin’ [wow! ten years old now!] when she gave fat girls back the power (by the way, the movie was pretty good too, if you’ve not seen it yet!). This is a new series for younger readers to MG, and again, puts the…

  • Giants – Jem Cresswell

    New South October 2025 9781761170461 AUD$49.99, NZD$59.99 The humpback whale season in Queensland is now heading towards its close for another year. Many of us have seen these marvellous creatures, with their young in tow, just off the beaches up and down the coast. My two surfers have seen them up quite close in fact.…