Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Pox Romana: the Plague that Shook the Roman World – Colin Elliott

    New South Publishing Princeton University Press 9780691219158 / 1 May 2024  AUD$59.99, NZD$69.99 I have long had a fascination with Ancient Rome and the Romans (completely aside from any Monty Python references!) and this has been an ongoing read for the past month, as I dip in and out of what may very well be not only the…

  • Mawson in Antarctica: to the ends of the Earth – Joanna Grochowicz

    Allen & Unwin July 2024 ISBN:9781761180590 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $19.99 This is another in a fantastic series by this author, polar historian Joanna Grochowicz, and with the news about the recovery of Shackleton’s lost last ship in this past week turning the spotlight once again to those redoubtable adventurers of earlier…

  • The Miraculous Sweetmakers #1: The Frost Fair- Natasha Hastings. Illustrated by Alex T. Smith

    Harper Collins Australia April 2024 I had read about the Frost Fairs in London some time ago, after a mention of these in another book and they really must have been quite a spectacle. An authentic Frost Fair will never happen again – read here to find out why – but there is quite a…

  • One by One They Disappear – Mike Lucas

    Penguin Australia May 2024 Honestly, before you put this on your shelves for your kiddos, you need to read it first. Because once they get their hands on it and the word spreads, you will never get a look in! I was hooked from the very start and this is a whole package; supernatural, folktales,…

  • Eleanor Jones Can[‘t] Keep a Secret – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia I absolutely adored the first Eleanor Jones book and as soon as this one arrived a few days ago, everything else got pushed aside while I binge-read it (which effectively means I’m now book-cheating on 3 different books 😳). I regret nothing! This is every bit as fabulous as the earlier book. It’s…

  • Seed to Sky: life in the Daintree – Pamela Freeman and Liz Anelli

    Walker Books April 2024 ISBN13:9781760653750 Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP:$28.99 Book 3 of Nature Storybooks Series If you haven’t been to the Daintree and FNQ, I’m suggesting right now that you put it on your bucketlist. I have been there three times, the first as a little kid of about 6 after a long train trip…

  • Pearl and Friends #3: The Flower Fairy – Sally Odgers. Adele K. Thomas

    Scholastic Australia March 2024 ISBN 9781761203046 RRP: $9.99 There is absolutely no sign of the Smalls’ fascination with unicorns, magic, and fairies abating – thank goodness!! We have enough trouble in the world without our Littles losing their love of all things sparkly. Sally Odgers has long proven her skill in writing highly engaging and…

  • Emma Memma Little Library

    Penguin Australia Here’s some more delightful Emma Memma joy and this is for your tiniest Smalls. For us, that means little Daisy now a few months old and just adorable! It’s a little slipcase with teeny-sized concept board books just perfect for teeny-sized hands. Includes books– Numbers- Colours- Animals- Auslan and each is just like…

  • Inside Story: a creative writing masterclass – Sue Lawson and Jodi Toering

    Wild Dog Books Distributed by Simon & Schuster April 2024 ISBN13: 9781742036670 RRP: AU$ 24.99 / NZ$ 28.99 If your teaching experiences have been like mine -whether primary or secondary kiddos or both as mine have been – there are always those who really struggle with creative writing. Truth be told, I also do –…

  • How to Move a Zoo: the incredible true story – Kate Simpson and Owen Swan

    Allen & Unwin June 2024 ISBN:9781761180309 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $24.99 I’m a Sydney girl even though I’ve now lived in Queensland, on and off, for almost forty years, so Taronga Park Zoo and Moore Park are familiar names full of memories of a happy childhood. I was taken to Taronga by…