Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • One Day A True Story of Courage and Survival in the Holocaust – Michael Rosen

    Walker Books February 2025 ISBN13:9781529515985 Australia RRP:$27.99 New Zealand RRP:$29.99 Michael Rosen has long been one of the UK’s most acclaimed authors of children’s books. His range of genres is astonishing from the comic to the serious. And his most serious are those books that pertain to the Holocaust, a subject with which Michael has… Read more

  • ANZAC Biscuits (a Commemorative Edition) – Phil Cummings. Owen Swan

    SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA March 2026 ISBN: 9781761725302 ISBN-10: 1761725300 Hard to believe it’s 13 years since this lovely book was first published and this is a welcome new edition to replace your original, particularly with this updated and very striking cover [love the touch of gold and the hardcover has the most delightful feel to it, almost like… Read more

  • Bitsa – Andrew Daddo

    Penguin Australia February 2026 Who doesn’t love a heart-warming dog story? And this start of a new series from Andrew Daddo ticks a lot of boxes with both content and accessibility for your newly independent readers. When Jas finds Bitsa, alone and in need of a home, they form an immediate bond. Jasper knows she… Read more

  • Kid – Peter Carnavas

    UQP June 2026 – Pre-order now 9780702269257 RRP: $22.99 Peter Carnavas the Master [and yes, I did promise him I would use that epithet but I would in any case] of the gentle narrative that is packed with winsome subtleties. This one is just a delight from the first page to the last and your… Read more

  • Judy Blume: a Life – Mark Oppenheimer

    Scribe Publications March 2026 ISBN: 9781761380686 RRP: AUD$39.99 It’s a brilliant biography of one of the most notable, enduring, revered and ground-breaking writers, particularly of kid and teen fiction, and, as you might expect, quite a behemoth to cover the almost 90 years of Judy Blume’s life. It took me almost a week of night… Read more

  • Valerie: Australia’s Bravest Sausage Dog – Lucinda Gifford

    Allen & Unwin Imprint: Albert St Books February 2026 ISBN:9781761182594 RRP: $19.99 Valerie the dachshund reunited with owners after Kangaroo Island rescue There can’t be many people who didn’t hear Valerie’s story – not just in Australia … this little weiner became world-famous. Not many pampered pooches could survive in the wild for almost two… Read more

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