Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Which Way Round the Galaxy – Cressida Cowell

    Hachette Australia SEP 26, 2023 | 9781444973501 | RRP $22.99 IMPRINT: Hodder Children’s Books I’ve absolutely adored Cressida Cowell’s previous series – along with millions of others – but this newest one is just so crackerjack that I really think it is my favourite so far. This is the second instalment in this firecracker fantasy/adventure which centres on the…

  • Nerra Deep Time Traveller: The Broken Rainbow – Tasma Walton & Samantha Campbell

    SCHOLASTIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD October 2023 ISBN: 9781760264567ISBN-10: 1760264563 RRP: $15.99 If you have readers who have been enjoying the Wylah series (and other First Nations contemporary narratives), then this new series is going to be a sure-fire winner. Nerra is a young girl with a strong connection to her culture and Country. She is especially close…

  • Follow the Rainbow – Juliet M. Sampson. Illustrated by Anne Ryan.

    Ford St Publishing August 2023 ISBN: 9781922696335 RRP: $17.99 This new picture book from Juliet and Ford St is a fun and colourful excursion in curiosity for your young readers. It has been inspired by both The Wizard of Oz and Juliet’s own adorable Westie, Bryce. Little Ruby is idly making shapes from the clouds…

  • Pepper Masalah and the Temple of Cats – Rosanne Hawke. Illustrated by Jasmine Berry.

    Wombat Books July 2023 ISBN 9781761111143 Author Hawke, Rosanne; Berry, Jasmine Publisher Wombat Books This is the second in this series, with another due out in November. It is definitely pitched at your newly independent readers, and certainly deals with an interesting plot idea. Zamir (Zam) lives on a farm in Australia with his family…

  • 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.…

  • This Spells Trouble – Paul Collins/Sean McMullen

    Ford St Publishing July 2023 ISBN:9781922696311 RRP: $17.95 This is just a riotous, joyful comic adventure from the very first page, and, I tell you now, your kids from middle school to upper will eat it up with relish! 14 year old Winton is apprenticed to a very dodgy wizard named Faramond – a lazy,…

  • Custodians: Wylah the Koorie Warrior 2 -Jordan Gould and Richard Pritchard

    Allen & Unwin May 2023 ISBN: 9781761180040 Publisher: A&U Children’s RRP: $15.99 Wylah proved herself in her first adventure, and achieved the near-impossible in uniting the five Guardians, now firmly at her side but her mission continues. She must press on through the Valley of the Spirits, with all its risks and dangers in order…

  • The Mud Puddlers – Pamela Rushby

    Walker Books Australia April 2023 ISBN13:9781760655808 Australia RRP:$16.99 New Zealand RRP:$18.99 This ticks all my boxes in one fell swoop and I absolutely loved it. Mudlarking has long been a source of fascination for me and I would truly have loved the opportunity to explore it for myself. Now Pamela Rushby has combined this iconic…

  • Kensy and Max #10: Time’s Up – Jacqueline Harvey

    Penguin Australia Fasten your seatbelts for one last rollercoaster ride with the intrepid twin spies, in their most difficult and worrying adventure/mission yet! When their closest family members begin disappearing – apparently kidnapped – the twins become increasingly isolated and anxious. With no ransom notes or other explanations, the snatching of their relatives seems completely…

  • Neil the Amazing Sea Cucumber – Amelia McInerney & Lucinda Gifford

    Affirm Press April 2023 RRP: $19.99ISBN: 9781922848635 These days The Kid and I have beach days that look like her surfing and me sitting, enjoying the view or reading but in the past, from the time she was toddling, exploring the beaches at low tide was one of our favourite pastimes. We especially loved the…