Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • A Great Piratical Rumbustification

    Ok yes, we do know that pirates have been romanticised over the years and we also know that there are pirates in the modern world, including the ones in office politically but there is absolutely no denying that fictional pirates still hold a real fascination for readers both young and old. As it happens, three…

  • Dangerous Days: Frances Bloom #2 – Katrina Nannestad. Illustrated by Marina Zlatanova.

    Harper Collins Australia April 2026 ISBN: 9781460718612 ISBN 10: 1460718615 Imprint: ABC Books AU List Price: 17.99 AUD Madcap Frances Bloom is back in her second adventure to delight your younger readers with some more nonsense and 8-year-old anarchy. Only a week or so after the dreadful Ms Thistle has been carted off to the Harsh Island for Unwanted…

  • Mim and the Frazzled Fruit Farmer: The Travelling Bookshop #7 – Katrina Nannestad. Illustrated by Cheryl Orsini

    Harper Collins Australia February 202 No doubt there will be many young readers who will be sad to know that this is the final chapter in this entertaining series but, dare I say, knowing Katrina’s fertile imagination and creativity there is sure to be something new in the offing. Mim, Zeddy and Nat plus the…

  • Is This a Plum? – Dan & Finn Ojari

    Penguin Australia The first word that springs to mind with this debut book is charming, followed quickly by hilarious! Father and son team but not in the usual sense [thinking of examples like Anthony and Joe Browne] because this father mostly works in theatrical creativity (Aardman Animations) and this son is only 8 years old!…

  • Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveller – Amelia Tait

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Starboard May 5, 2026 | 9781444931983 | RRP $16.99 Well yes, it is another ‘diary’ of a tween title but at least this one really does have a point of difference. Lily Tripp, aged almost 13, has developed an unfortunate ability. Several times now she has spontaneously time-travelled on New Year’s Eve. She’s been in ancient…

  • You can’t help but notice..

    Sometimes there is a slew of similar looking books, or titles, or even narratives or content. We all know there are trends in fashion, food, music, movies and even books – but it does sometimes seem that at times various authors, even across continents, simultaneously get the same thought. Other times it’s just seems to…

  • Gimme Some Space (Book #2 Marvellous Submarine) – Clayton Zane Comber & Conor McCammon

    Harper Collins Australia Imprint: Angus & Robertson February 2026 ISBN: 9781460766811 RRP: $17.99 Clayton and Conor continue with their new insanely bonkers series, this time blasting off into space in the retro-fitted submarine now doubling as a spaceship. Twins, Billy and Poppy, plus their assorted menagerie (using the term loosely) of helpers determine to track down…

  • 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…

  • The Girl and the Ghost #3 Grand Opening – Jacqueline Harvey

    Penguin Australia May 2026 ISBN: 9781761349430 RRP: $16.99 There will be plenty of delighted fans when this one hits the shelves [my advice is to buy multiple copies] as this fabulous series continues. Josephine, often known as Jet, and her family are gearing up for the grand opening of their restored chateau hotel but there is…

  • Wanted: The Cutest Baby in the World – Davina Bell. Sarah Zweck.

    Thames & Hudson January 2026 ISBN: 9781760765323 RRP: $24.99 As adults I think there are many of us who can relate to this investigation into the arch-criminal and dastardly doer of deeds that is the World’s Cutest Baby. Whether it’s finding our walls liberally decorated with abstract art done in the crayon medium, or indeed…