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FYI – Teaching notes etc
Due to diminishing space on the blog and archiving older reviews onto Substack, I am now also moving many of the Freebies files such as teaching notes, programs etc. You can find them at Just So Stories Archive along with a growing number of reviews from years past. It is a work in progress!! One…
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It’s a Sean E. Avery Special
These two books have been languishing in the PBs’ tubs for way too long. But news of Sean’s recent visit to Canberra [so jelly of all my friends there who got to see him] has guilted me into attending to them pronto. And after all, Sean is a thoroughly nice guy it seems. When I…
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Neeka and the Storm: Wilder Zoo #2 – Tina Strachan
Harper Collins Australia July 2025 I have no doubts whatsoever that many of you will have kids who loved the #1 in this series, Neeka and the Missing Key. Of course, the whole animals aspect is a huge drawcard, but the plot with all its drama, humour and sense of adventure mixed together makes for…
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The Locked Room – Adam Cece
Penguin Australia August 2025 Wowzers! Hold on to your hats, and make sure to get yourself sorted with snacks and drinks for this one because you are not going to want to stop reading it once you’ve started. Let’s say you take a really tricky escape room, mix it up with an ever-evolving game with…
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Normal Women Making History for 900 years – Philippa Gregory
Illustrations by Alexis Snell Red Shed March 2025ISBN: 9780008725075 I am quite familiar with Philippa Gregory’s writing. Those books I have read are marvellous examples of historical fiction with such elegant blending of fact and fiction. But the title of this intrigued me as soon as I saw it. I had, in fact, no idea…
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Powerful like a Dragon – Christopher Cheng. Illustrated by Jacqueline Tam
Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group April 2025 ISBN: 978-1-250-82939-9 | Price: $18.99 US / $24.99 CAN Pan Macmillan Australia ISBN: 9781250829399 Format: Hardback Pub Date: 29/07/2025 Firstly, I want to thank Christopher for asking me if I would like to review this amazing book, about which he and I first had some conversation around this time last year. Secondly,…
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Quoll – Christopher Cheng. Illustrated by Cindy Lane
Walker Books Australia July 2025 ISBN13:9781760655679 Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP:$28.99 You know before you even open the book that it’s going to be magnificent when the Christopher Cheng name is on the cover. And with quolls excitingly in the news in the last few months, this is a very timely and most excellent new…
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Quarks, Sparks and Quantum Mysteries – Lisa Harvey-Smith
A Cosmic Guide to the Building Blocks of our Universe Illustrations by Aidan Ryan Thames & Hudson June 2025 ISBN: 9781760763138 RRP: $26.99 It has to be said – I am the least scientifically-minded person I know. It’s not that I disdain science, or am one of those people from a large country across the world…
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Tomato Sandwich – an encore!
Many of you will already have Tomato Sandwich in your collections [if you don’t – why on earth not? Get thee to the bookshop forthwith!] and will have seen my review of a few months ago. Now it gives me the greatest pleasure to tell you that there are now teaching notes available, to help…
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