Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • The Boab Tree – Helen Milroy

    Fremantle Press October 2024 ISBN: 9781760994631 RRP: $24.99 Once again Helen Milroy brings together many threads into a modern fable that echoes traditional Dreaming stories. When it is time for baby Boab to drop down to earth and begin his own life and family, his plummet is interrupted by a passing eagle, who swoops by directly…

  • Father of the Lost Boys for Younger Readers: The Mecak Ajang Alaak Story – Yuot A. Alaak

    Fremantle Press June 2024 ISBN: 9781760993900 RRP: $17.99 When I was commissioned to write the teaching notes for this, I confess I only knew a smidgin about the Sudanese ‘lost boys’, and, in fact, the whole Sudan situation – despite the fact that we have many Sudanese immigrants here in SE Qld. Their story was certainly…

  • Courage be my Friend: the Vivian Bullwinkel Story – Jenny Davis

    Fremantle Press April 2024 ISBN: 9781760993726 RRP: $17.99 It would be completely unAustralian to not know the name of Vivian Bullwinkel and to know of her significant role in our history. But I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t know very much beyond the general details. This is a fictionalised account of Vivian’s extraordinary courage…

  • Djinang Bonar: Seeing Seasons – Ebony Froome. Illustrated by Leanne Zilm.

    Fremantle Press July 2024 ISBN: 9781760994211 RRP: $24.99 This is absolutely beautiful! The illustrations for this gorgeous bilingual book will knock your socks off. We are beginning to see and use many First Nations seasonal calendars e.g. from CSIRO as more and more are researched and developed. This one outlines the signs of the changing seasons…

  • Jack’s Island – Norman Jorgensen

    Fremantle Press January 2024 ISBN: 9781760992958 RRP: $17.99 Since its initial publication in 2008, Norman Jorgensen’s award-winning historical novel has proven not only an enduring popular choice for many class novel studies, but as a first-rate adventure constantly in circulation among readers from around Year 5 to Year 8. Based on stories from his own father,…