Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Vale Kerry Greenwood

    Like many others, I am devastated to learn of Kerry Greenwood’s death. What a tremendous loss to the Australian literary landscape and how we will all miss the continuing hijinks of Phryne and Corinne. RIP Kerry, thank you for all your wit, intelligence, creativity, body of work and always good humour.

  • Brightest Wild – Tania Crampton-Larking

    Hachette Australia January 2025 9780734420657 | RRP $16.99 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books This is a ‘bright’ start to a writing career for Tania Crampton-Larking, with a whole lot going on in this novel: loss/grief, moving/changes, mixed heritage families, family/changes to family, bullying, climate change, First Nations culture to mention a few. Alex and her mum move from…

  • Getting Dusty: Uncle Xbox #2- Jared Thomas

    Magabala Books February 2025 Hachette Australia 9781922777546 | RRP $17.99 Just over a decade ago I reviewed Dr Jared Thomas’ YA novel Calypso Summer, which was quite the wild ride showing two sides of young urban Indigenous culture, particularly young men. Over the intervening years Jared has continued to go from strength to strength, award to award…

  • The First Sunrise – Nessa Stevens. Paul Seder

    Magabala Books February 2025  9781922777553 | RRP $27.99 Hachette Australia I am always excited by First Nations books and I can’t think of a single one that hasn’t made me feel that way. But every now and then, one comes along that is really out of the box and this is one of those. There are a…

  • Our Dance – Jacinta Daniher & Taylor Hampton. Illustrations by Janelle Burger

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books Apr 30, 2025 | 9780734423429 | RRP $24.99 As one might expect from this pair of collaborators this is cross-cultural learning made fun and exciting. Taylor Hampton, a proud Ngiyampaa/Wiradjuri man and Jacinta Daniher, an early childhood educator created Birrang Cultural Connections, to which I have previously made reference when I reviewed Our…

  • Rain on the Rock – Jodie Toering. Illustrated by Valerie Brumby.

    Hardie Grant January 2025 ISBN:9781760509880 Price:AU$27.99, NZ$30.99 Imprint:Hardie Grant Children’s PublishingPublish Date:Jan 29th, 2025 Rising above the desert plain, Uluṟu stands,ancient feet planted deep within the dry red earth.For much of the year, Uluṟu bakes in the kuḻi.But on rare days when rain-song beats,waterfalls cascade down the rock,creatures stir …and Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa burst…

  • Tubowgule – a Sydney Opera House History – Melissa-Jane Fogarty. Illustrated by Dylan Finney.

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Books March 2025 9780734423351 | RRP $24.99 I’m old enough to have walked on Bennelong Point before the Opera House was built, and then walk around the construction site as the sails rose ever higher [not much WHS in those days, no fencing around the site!] picking up bits of broken white tile.…

  • Young Dark Emu: a Truer History – Bruce Pascoe

    Imprint: Magabala Books Hachette Books February 2025 ISBN: 9781922777508 RRP: $29.99 Eleven years ago this month, I had the great pleasure of reading and reviewing Dark Emu – Blackseeds: Accident or Agriculture? for Magabala and in that review, I commented on how much new information I gleaned from this detailed and knowledge-based account from a…

  • March Wrap-up

    It’s been another busy month for reading, with more books arriving daily! Punctuated by The Kid’s 20th birthday!! some surf and beach, and catch ups with friends.

  • Kicking off April…

    I’m hoping lots of people are already planning for this year’s NAIDOC week – I’ll be sharing as many new resources and ideas as possible over the next couple of months. I’ve already got my new t-shirt! How about you?? Meanwhile stand by for a week of new First Nations titles coming up. These are…