Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • 2025 June Wrap-up

    Yep, there are still a couple of days left but I’m mid-way through one and that will on the July list so calling it now.

  • Ebb & Flo series – Laura & Philip Bunting

    Hardie Grant Australia Ebb & Flo: Short Cut June 2025 ISBN:9781761214790 Price:AU$11.99, NZ$13.99 These are the first I’ve seen in this series but I’m sure they won’t be the last. And how good is it to see another set of titles for those emergent, newly independent readers that is FUN as well as providing some…

  • Maggie the Dragon : Chase your Dreams! – Tony Armstrong. Illustrated by Emma Sjaan Beukers.

    Hachette Australia May 2025 ISBN: 9780734422187 | RRP $24.99 Of course, this one is included in this week’s Reconciliation Week titles because, let’s face it, Tony Armstrong has become one of the most recognisable First Nations faces in the country over the past few years. George the Wizard, Tony’s first picture book was pretty commercial but I…

  • January 2025 – check!

  • Thunderhead – Sophie Beer

    Allen & Unwin October 20249781761180958 RRP: $19.99 I do know I’m repeating myself but truly, 2024 has been a bumper year for Australian MG novels – they just keep on coming. This is another one that I ate up in two swift sessions. Thunderhead is not your usual protagonist. They are definitely in the unusual…

  • November is Picture Book Month!

    November is Picture Book Month, a tribute to the enduring importance of the picture book form. Dianne de Las Casas (author & storyteller) and her team co-founded the month-long celebration to champion the power and beauty of picture books. There are many people trying to keep the event active, following the loss of its founder. Certainly, I will continue…

  • The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital – Joanna Nell

    Hachette September 2021 ISBN: 9780733642906 RRP: $32.99 Hilary, Joy and Chloe could not, on first impressions, be any more different to each other and yet, as their friendship develops, they discover that each is trying desperately to hide a secret from the wider world. Hilary has been the manager of St Jude’s cafeteria for years.…