Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • National Day for War Animals

    A few weeks ago I reviewed the beautiful new picture book Wear a Purple Poppy. I was going to schedule it for today but knew that there would be many who would wish to order in time to share, now that everyone is well and truly back at school. So here are a few more…

  • 11 Ruby Road: 1900 – Charlotte Barkla

    Walker Books Australia March 2024 ISBN13:9781760657949 Australia RRP:$16.99 New Zealand RRP:$18.99 Big shout out to my Queensland colleagues especially for this wonderful new middle-grade historical novel set right in our own South Brisbane. In my experience, novels for this age bracket in this genre and in our own locale are rare, so this one fully…

  • Sense and Second-degree Murder – Tirzah Price

    Harper Collins Australia November 2023 Book #2 Jane Austen Murder Mysteries Now that I’ve read this one, I’d really like to get hold of #1 because this is a really top-notch, fresh take on detective stories. Of course, young ladies in Regency England did not pursue business, nor study chemistry and so on, but a…

  • Picture Book Month Bonus #8: Courageous Kids and their Amazing Adventures – Stephanie Owen Reeder. Illustrations by Liz Duthie.

    NLA Publishing November 2023 ISBN: 9781922507624 RRP: $19.99 Contents: • Brave Bee and the Castaway Kids• Will the Wonderkid and the Elusive Treasure• Amazing Grace and the Sinking Ship• Lennie the Legend and the Remarkable Ride• Marvellous Miss May and the Wondrous Circus• Clever Quong Tart and the New Gold Mountain• Valiant Jane and the…

  • Shearer- Neridah McMullin/Michael Tomkins

    Walker Books Australia September 2023 ISBN13:9781760653163 Imprint:Walker Books Australia Australia RRP:$26.99 New Zealand RRP: $28.99 Again, Neridah McMullin has delighted me by bringing another significant Australian of the past to a new generation. When I was growing up in the Boomer years, we still referred to ‘Jackie Howes’ (singlets) and I definitely knew why they…

  • The Fortune Maker – Catherine Norton

    Harper Collins Australia August 2023 The early 20th century pre-Great War was an interesting time, and there were many fads and fashions which likely strike us these days as being quite bizarre. Certainly there were interests which we could or would consider quite normal such as the growing enthusiasm for motorcars, bicycling, and a fondness…

  • The Key to Rome – Sophie Masson

    Cover and internal illustrations by Lorena Carrington Published by Eagle Books, an imprint of Christmas Press, May 2023 ISBN 9780645378856 RRP: $19.99 There’s nothing quite like a good ancient Roman historical fiction, and this one full of drama,, deceit and death will appeal to many middle grade readers who relish an exciting and suspense-filled adventure.…

  • The Magpie and the Snake – Steve Trotter

    Magpie Publishers October 2021 ISBN: 9780645178401 RRP: $19.99 Special school price: $15.99 I stumbled upon finding out about this book and was so taken by the premise that I messaged Steve and asked if I could review it for him. I am so very glad that I did. While Steve is a whitefulla, he consulted…

  • Ming & Hilde Lead a Revolution (The Girls Who Changed the World #3) – Jackie French

    Harper Collins Australia June 2023 Yesterday, I did a relief day with Preppies. I hadn’t intended to work as I was a bit ache-y, combination of arthritis with the colder weather and possibly, the covid booster but after knocking back four offers, I took the fifth because a) private school I’d never visited b) the…

  • Running with Ivan – Suzanne Leal

    Harper Collins Australia February 2023 Leo is not in a good space. After his mother died, it seemed that his grief would never ease and now, two years later, his father has re-married, and he has a whole new family and home to which to adjust. Julia, his stepmother is just fine, and he really…