Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Pocket Potters: Little Guides to the Harry Potter Stories by J. K. Rowling.

    Bloomsbury Australia August 2025 RRP: $17.99 Oh my! These are just absolutely adorable! I have been eagerly anticipating their arrival. Each one covers a range of aspects of the given character, with some being common across all three e.g. Magic and Memories and The Last Wizarding Word (notable quotes). Let’s start with Harry! Harry Potter…

  • The Poisoned King: Impossible Creatures #2 – Katherine Rundell

    Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408897454 (p/b) Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $18.99 (P/b) $29.99 (H/b) $15.19 ebook editions I have raved over Impossible Creatures since I first ate it up greedily and, trust me, I am not the only one. Evidence of that is in the fact that it was the Children’s Book of the Year in…

  • We’re going on a Treasure Hunt – Martha Mumford. Laura Hughes.

    lift the flaps and find the treasure! Bloomsbury Australia June 2025 ISBN: 978152627384 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Books Series: The Bunny Adventures RRP: $16.99 We’re going on a treasure hunt. Yo! Ho! Ho!Help us find the golden coins … Arrrrr! Off we go! Well, it’s rabbits so of course I’m in! But seriously, how cute are the Bunnies?…

  • From the films of Harry Potter 100 Objects: the most iconic props from the movies – Jody Revenson

    Bloomsbury Publishing October 2024 ISBN 9781526681546 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $49.99 I jokingly refer to Sonia from Bloomsbury as my ‘dealer’ as she knows well my addiction, so firstly – thanks for this 🤟. It’s another truly magnificent volume for us HP tragics. I already have some colleagues putting it on their orders list…

  • Pirates of Darksea – Catherine Doyle

    Bloomsbury Australia June 2024 ISBN 9781526655103 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I fell in love with Catherine Doyle’s writing with The Stormkeeper trilogy and when the ARC arrived for this – many months ago- I devoured it with just as much enthusiasm – and this review has been scheduled since then!! This is an…

  • Swimming on the Moon – Brian Conaghan

    Bloomsbury May 2023 ISBN 9781526653925 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I had missed release info on this one, but as soon as I found out about it, I especially requested it (thank you Bloomsbury!) because I have been in love with Brian Conaghan’s writing since Cardboard Cowboys (do yourself a favour and read it!).…

  • What You Need to be Warm – Neil Gaiman

    Bloomsbury October 2023 ISBN 9781526660619 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $19.99 This morning (Sunday 10/12/23) The Kid and I went to the city by train to an event, and as we crossed over the Brisbane river and I looked back to the Coronation Drive/Riverside expressway I noticed something. In some places, there are gaps between…

  • The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

    Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526646712 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $55.00 This year Harry Potter Book Day was on my birthday – which I personally found very pleasing. I wasn’t in a library to celebrate as I have done previously, but regardless it was a very satisfying thought and I downloaded and saved activities to use with…

  • Blackbeard’s Treasure – Iszi Lawrence

    Bloomsbury Australia May 2023 ISBN 9781801990967 Imprint Bloomsbury Education RRP: $14.99 It’s been quite a long time since I’ve read a swashbuckling pirate adventure, and this was a good one to break that drought. It is adventure/historic novel based on facts about that period of time when pirates and privateers were roaming the waters, particularly…

  • Where the River Takes Us – Lesley Parr

    Bloomsbury Australia April 2023 ISBN 9781526647771 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I can now confirm for sure that Lesley Parr has become one of my favourite MG authors. This is the third of hers I have read – avidly – and it’s not just the fact that they are set in Wales (home to…