Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Karl James Mountford

    A sumptuously illustrated gift book with magical interactive surprises Bloomsbury Australia October 2025 ISBN: 9781526691262 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing RRP: $69.99 Is it a Christmas book you might ask? NO, not exactly but remember the Yule Ball !! but of course it would make an insanely exciting Xmas gift for any Potterhead of your acquaintance.…

  • Picture Book Month Bonus: Rory Sparkes and the Elephant in the Room – Hugh Bonneville

    Bloomsbury Australia October 2025 ISBN 9781526685957 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $17.99 Most people would know that I’m very wary of books by ‘celebrity’ authors but I am always willing to take a punt when a) I know that it is the person themselves that has written it (or that their collaborator/ghost writer is clearly…

  • Halloween Bonus! Q&A with Jack Mackay

    Recently I reviewed the amazingly great Gloam, debut novel of Jack Mackay [honestly, READ it! – it is SO good!] and am thrilled, as well as grateful, for this generous response to my Q&A. Perfect Halloween timing!!! Jack, welcome to Just So Stories! I am so grateful to you for sharing some time with my…

  • Gloam – Jack MacKay

    Bloomsbury September 2025 Imprint: Oneworld ISBN: 9780861549528 RRP: $16.99 Sometimes a debut novel comes along that completely blows you away, and this would be one of those. I’m not a fan of horror, but I don’t mind a bit of creepy – this was actually quite a lot of creepy! and an enormously good read.…

  • 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?…

  • The Haunting of Fortune Farm – Sophie Kirtley

    Bloomsbury Australia January 2025 ISBN 9781526642783 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $16.99 I enjoyed Sophie Kirtley’s debut novel The Wild Way Home tremendously back in 2020 and though I haven’t read the intervening books (one novel, one picture book), I had high expectations of this one. I was not disappointed. This is another MG novel…

  • Ghostlines – Katya Balen

    Bloomsbury Publishing January 2025 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing ISBN 9781526663870 RRP: $16.99 Since the first Katya Balen title that came into my hands in 2019, I have loved this writer’s work. Obviously given her 2022 Carnegie Medal, I’m not the only one. Each time her characters are flawlessly executed, with plots that are fresh and…

  • Christmas at Hogwarts – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Ziyi Gao.

    Bloomsbury Australia October 2024 ISBN 9781526677082 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $29.99 Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow.’ Harry’s first Christmas at Hogwarts was always bound to be memorable, given his previous dismal experiences. But the sparkle and warmth and magic of a…

  • 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…

  • Herd- Stephen Hogtun

    Bloomsbury Australia July 2024 ISBN 9781526610737 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $22.99 Home is where your family is… From start to finish this is just a beautiful book in all respects. With absolutely exquisite illustrations, this exploration of what ‘home’ means will give rise to many bountiful conversations with both Smalls and Not-so-Smalls about the…