Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Bedtime Stories – R. A. Spratt

    Penguin Australia August 2023 It is a well-known fact in my circle, that R. A. Spratt habitually makes me snort-laugh. So I really had to prepare myself (and The Kid) for random outbursts of bizarre guffawing as I enjoyed my way through this gargantuan offering. There is something to please everyone here. Although, for me,…

  • The Daring Tale of Gloria the Great – Jacqueline Harvey. Illustrated by Kate Isobel Scott.

    Penguin Australia August 2023 I say it often, I miss my chookies (and there have been quite a few at numerous times over the years). Chooks have such personalities, and some of mine definitely did. Just such a hen is Gloria – indomitable, resilient and tenacious. She is her own chicken in every sense. In…

  • When Grandma Burnt her Bra – Samantha Tidy and Aśka

    Exisle Publishing/EK Books September 2023 ISBN: 9781922539465 $24.99 The 60s revolution was certainly an eye-opener for many, and some of us are old enough to remember it (to which my groaning knees will attest!). That being so, this was terrifically good fun to read as a feisty Grandma, still with a finely-tuned social conscience, recounts her…

  • The Balloon Blow Up- Andy Geppert

    Hachette July 2023  ISBN 9780734420718 | Imprint; Lothian Books | RRP $19.99 Andy Geppert’s books are always just a gorgeous read – the witty humour and the beautifully gentle illustrations combine to make something sensational every time. And this one is no exception and, really, starts with the most basic premise but turns into something quite extraordinary.…

  • Spellhound: a Dragons of Hallow #1 – Lian Tanner

    Allen & Unwin April 2023 ISBN:9781761180057 Publisher:A&U Children’s Imprint:A & U Children RRP: $17.99 I’m so remorseful that I didn’t get to this one sooner (one of the books that was shunted into a box during the great house move) because it is just wonderful! I love this intro from the publisher…A fascinating tale filled…

  • Feathered Philosophy…

    It was quite a curious thing that on Friday, I chose two books from my review shelf to share with a Year 1 class I was taking, and they both complemented each other so perfectly. One I chose because I knew how well it is always received, the other because the title made me giggle.…

  • Katrina Nannestad: new dresses for old favourites

    Harper Collins Australia July 2023 Olive of Groves (Olive of Groves #1) Olive of Groves and the Great Slurp of Time(Olive of Groves #2) Olive of Groves and the Right Royal Romp (Olive of Groves #3) Here comes one of the most popular series I’ve had in my primary libraries, all dressed up in delectable…

  • A Very Dinosaur Birthday – Adam Wallace. Illustrated by Christopher Nielsen.

    Harper Collins Australia July 2023 We know most kids are wild about dinosaurs. Certainly The Kid, and her mother before her were besotted with them as littles, but right up to loving every gritty, Velociraptor moment of the Jurassic Park franchise. And who wouldn’t want to have a shebang dino birthday party?? (in actual fact,…

  • 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,…

  • Hamlet is Not OK – R. A. Spratt

    Penguin Australia July 2023 No one will be surprised to hear that after reading a couple of chapters before I went to sleep last night, I gobbled the rest up in one sitting today – and loved every single word! It’s not Friday Barnes, nor Nanny Piggins but Spratt’s sass and sarcasm, her unerring sense…