Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Adventures of Pongo and Stink – Lisa Nicol. Illustrated by Karen Blair.

    Penguin Australia October 2025 ISBN: 9781761355691 Imprint: Penguin RRP: $19.99 I can absolutely guarantee you that your kiddos will be rolling about as happily as pigs in mud when they get their hands on this one – and it would make a super serial read-aloud for your younger readers. Pongo and Stink are fully fed up with living…

  • Family Secrets: The Girl and the Ghost #2 – Jacqueline Harvey.

    Penguin Australia October 2025 ISBN: 9781761349416 RRP: $16.99 Officially, my blog break doesn’t finish until the weekend but how can I resist posting this one immediately, after gobbling it up over two nights! I was very excited to be back in France with Jet, Louis and Gabriel in another adventure. There is an exciting opening event as…

  • The Terrakeet – Jo Van Der Borgh. Illustrated by Jo Beasley.

    Walker Books Australia April 2025 ISBN13:9781760657673 Australia RRP:$25.99 New Zealand RRP:$27.99 In the shade of the gobi trees on the edge of Pincer Sea,live a family of Finlocks as peaceful as can be.They lomf and fish and fish and eat and hope that they will never meet …the Frimbulitic Terrakeet! From narrative-nonfiction to classics to humour…

  • Don’t Trust Fish – Neil Sharpson. Dan Santat.

    Penguin Australia April 2025 ISBN: 9781761351082 Imprint: Penguin RRP: $19.99 What happens when you blend non-fiction with narrative with absurdist humour? In this instance, you get Don’t Trust Fish – which is a book that will make all kiddos and adults alike laugh out loud because of the sheer anarchic ridiculousness of it all. It is SO my…

  • Piranhas Don’t Eat Bananas: 10th Anniversary – Aaron Blabey

    Scholastic Australia September 2025 ISBN: 9781761528903 RRP: $19.99 This has long been one of my favourite read-alouds and, certainly, my favourite Aaron Blabey book. I have such great memories of sharing it the year it came out with The Kid, in that first year she was living with me [and we so often needed to…

  • Kevin in a Stew – Jacqueline Harvey. Illustrated by Kate Isobel Scott.

    Penguin Australia ISBN: 9781761048975 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $19.99 All good things come to those who wait: like the box of books from Penguin that mysteriously arrived by camel train (seemingly) eventually ,or a slow-cooker lamb curry – NO!! sorry, that just slipped out by mistake. Do I look like the kind of person who would eat a poor…

  • Song of a Thousand Seas – Zana Fraillon

    UQP September 2025 9780702266317 RRP: $14.99 I’ve made no secret of my admiration of and fascination with octopuses. Some will have read my review of A Journey Under the Water and also watched My Octopus Teacher, both of which increased my manifold interest in these amazing creatures. You may also have seen references to Octopolis,…

  • Indigenous Literacy Day

    It gives me such enormous pleasure to be able to showcase four new books from ILF to celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day – and if you’ve missed it on your calendar, don’t despair! Just schedule your own event when you can – I know only too well how hard it can be fitting everything into our…

  • Childish – Morris Gleitzman

    Penguin Australia September 2025 ISBN: 9781761343759 Imprint: Penguin RR: $16.99 Last year I talked up Tweet to anybody who would stand still long enough to listen. I still maintain it was one of my Top 5 MG novels for the year, and, certainly, one of Morris’ very best. Then – lo and behold! – along comes Childish…

  • What’s Next Shane? – Maree Coote

    Walker Books Australia Imprint: Melbourne Style Books ISBN13:9780645910605 Australia RRP:$29.99 New Zealand RRP:$34.99 You might remember that just a couple of weeks ago I shared reviews of two different cockatoo books [Sonia definitely remembers! she’s still battling her backyard vandal]. And just like the birds themselves being everywhere, seemingly at one time, along comes another…