Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • RFDS Adventures #4 & #5 – George Ivanoff

      Fast Flight (RFDS #4) Random House Australia ISBN: 9780857988829 Published: 02/05/2016 Imprint: Random House Australia Children’s RRP $14.99   Young Dillon is pretty much like any other boy of his age. He loves his cricket, his room is always pretty messy and he likes hanging with his best mate Jay. Pretty much the only thing that sets…

  • Mrs Whitlam – Bruce Pascoe

    Magabala Books Author: Bruce Pascoe Published: Jun 2016 ISBN: 9781925360240 Ages: Middle primary, Upper primary, Young Adult   I am very quickly becoming very enamoured of Bruce Pascoe’s writing for young people (not to mention for adults). He is really deft at making his young adult characters believable and contemporary without relying on current vernacular…

  • Ollie’s Odyssey – William Joyce

      Simon & Schuster Australia Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books 304 pages ISBN 9781442473553 April 2016 RRP $27.99   This is a Hans Christian Andersen-style tale of magic and wonder that echoes of the same tenderness as works such as The Velveteen Rabbit. When Billy is just a baby he has a problem with his heart which…

  • Middle School: Going Bush –James Patterson

    ISBN: 9780143781219 Published: 01/03/2016 Imprint: Random House Australia Children’s RRP $15.99 Rafe can’t be more excited. He’s been selected to join a very special Young Artists group along with a very select few youngsters from around the world. They are all to meet up in Australia and take part in an extraordinary all-expenses paid experience investigating ancient Indigenous…

  • Goblin Mafia Wars [City of Monsters #2] – DC Green

    Ford St Publishing April 2016 ISBN 9781925272208 RRP $18.95 You would think that as a royal hume dude your life would be one of complete luxury not to mention stressfree. Think again! PT (Prince Thomas of Monstro City) and his Dead Gang friends are embroiled even deeper in nasty situations and deadly – or is…

  • The Selected Adventures of Bottersnikes and Gumbles

    by S A Wakefield illustrated by Desmond Digby   ISBN: 9781460751923 ISBN 10: 1460751922 Imprint: HarperCollins – AU On Sale: 01/01/2016 Pages: 224 List Price: 14.99 AUD   I think I have lost count of how many times over the years as both a classroom teacher and a teacher-librarian I have shared S. A. Wakefield’s classic stories about the Bottersnikes and Gumbles. I…

  • Seahorse – Bruce Pascoe

    Magabala Books August 2015 ISBN:9781921248931 RRP $16.95 Both boys and girls in middle primary or thereabouts will enjoy this exciting story set on the beach of Seahorse Bay. Camping, fishing, snorkelling and a sunken boat are all the makings of a terrific family adventure. Jack is making real progress with his snorkelling with his dad,…

  • Anyone But Ivy Pocket – Caleb Krisp

      t  Allen & Unwin Australia Category:Children’s fiction ISBN:9781408858646 Publisher:Bloomsbury Imprint:Bloomsbury Child Pub Date:February 2016 RRP $12.99   Caleb Krisp’s author bio from the publisher’s website should give you a pretty clear indication of the type of story to expect in this new series:   Caleb Krisp was raised by militant librarians who fed him…

  • A Lottie Lipton Adventure: The Scroll of Alexandria – Dan Metcalf

    Allen & Unwin Australia Bloomsbury Publishing February 2016-04-02 ISBN 9781472911872 RRP $12.99 If you are looking for a new series to engage newly independent readers, you need look no further! Imagine living in a museum full of rare and wonderful objects. Lottie Lipton, nine years old, lives in the British Museum with her Great Uncle…

  • Royal Flying Doctor Service Series – George Ivanoff

      Oh George! These are just fabulous! How often have we looked for really engaging thoroughly Australian adventure stories that will work for both boys and girls? And with this new series you have totally nailed a gap in the collections of many – well done! The stories are true to life and written in…