Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Cat Nap – Brian Lies

    Harper Collins Australia January 2026 When an adventurous kitten spies a scurrying mouse, he is off and away on the chase, leaping right into the Metropolitan Museum of Art via a convenient poster on the wall – just like Alice stepping through the Looking Glass. The feline adventure starts with small kitten (based on Brian…

  • You can’t help but notice..

    Sometimes there is a slew of similar looking books, or titles, or even narratives or content. We all know there are trends in fashion, food, music, movies and even books – but it does sometimes seem that at times various authors, even across continents, simultaneously get the same thought. Other times it’s just seems to…

  • Gimme Some Space (Book #2 Marvellous Submarine) – Clayton Zane Comber & Conor McCammon

    Harper Collins Australia Imprint: Angus & Robertson February 2026 ISBN: 9781460766811 RRP: $17.99 Clayton and Conor continue with their new insanely bonkers series, this time blasting off into space in the retro-fitted submarine now doubling as a spaceship. Twins, Billy and Poppy, plus their assorted menagerie (using the term loosely) of helpers determine to track down…

  • The Dust Bowl, 1935: I Survived – Lauren Tarshis

    Scholastic Australia March 2026 ISBN: 9781761728662 RRP: $15.99 My introduction to the work of John Steinbeck was watching the movie adaptation of The Grapes of Wrath aged around 11/12 and thereafter, reading my father’s copy of the book plus all his other Steinbecks, including my all-time favourite book Of Mice and Men, also set in…

  • The Girl and the Ghost #3 Grand Opening – Jacqueline Harvey

    Penguin Australia May 2026 ISBN: 9781761349430 RRP: $16.99 There will be plenty of delighted fans when this one hits the shelves [my advice is to buy multiple copies] as this fabulous series continues. Josephine, often known as Jet, and her family are gearing up for the grand opening of their restored chateau hotel but there is…

  • The Prime Minister Problem – Brenton Cullen

    Riveted Press April 2026 Dist: Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781764256728 RRP: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99 Brenton Cullen’s debut novel is a terrific read for middle-grade. This young man has been a keen writer since childhood and is now making his dream of writing professionally come true. And what a great start this is! It’s…

  • One Day Soon – Cristy Burne

    Fremantle Press May 2026 ISBN: 9781760995614 RRP: $17.99 Preorder now This is another verse novel that has given me cause to reconsider my initial lukewarm thoughts about this genre. In fact, so utterly absorbing is this one, that I binge read it in one evening. I don’t know anyone personally with MND but a friend did…

  • Feathers of Farwood and the Gripps Curse – Jayne McIntyre

    Riveted Press Distributed by Simon & Schuster March 2026 ISBN13: 9781764256704 RRP: $AU22.99 / NZ$ 26.99 I could have actually written this review 3 months ago because I was lucky enough to be able to write teaching notes for this absolutely gorgeous book back in December. I was thrilled when Jayne contacted me and I…

  • Freddie Jones: The Mystery of the Troublesome Trees – Kate Foster

    Walker Books Imprint: Walker Books Australia February 2026 ISBN13:9781760659936 Australia RRP:$17.99 New Zealand RRP:$19.99 Kate Foster has become such a leading light in middle grade novels featuring neuro-diverse characters. In this, she brings her own personal experience, so always there is such authenticity and such wonderful voice. With this new series she hooks into the…

  • Letters from the Upside – Katya Balen

    Bloomsbury Publishing January 2026 ISBN: 9781526663931 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I have eaten up every Katya Balen title that has come my way and they never disappoint. Each new story has its own fresh and original approach and, without fail, her characters are astonishingly vibrant and so completely authentic. Each and everyone pulls…