Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Round the Twist – Paul Jennings

    Penguin Australia February 2022 ISBN: 9780140342130 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $14.99 I was saying to someone just yesterday that, in our pursuit to promote new books, we sometimes forget that back catalogue titles also demand to be shared as each new crop of readers comes along. I am acquainted with so many young adults (that is, anyone younger than…

  • Sticky McStickStick: the Friend who Helped me Walk Again – Michael Rosen

    Walker Books February 2022 ISBN: 9781529502404Imprint: Walker Australian RRP: $27.99New Zealand RRP: $29.99 When I first read about Michael Rosen’s near-death Covid episode, I found it incredibly moving as this man is one of my most admired creators of children’s literature. Then I read, and shared, his article thanking Sticky McStickStick, and knew for certain that this was a…

  • Friday Barnes #10: Undercover – R. A. Spratt

    Penguin Australia February 2022 ISBN: 9781761043659 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $15.99 Some readers of this blog may recall my review of the ‘re-appearance’ of Friday and her cronies. My kiddos at school lost their minds when it hit the shelves so make sure you stand back again because the rush will be on. Now that Friday et al are…

  • Clarice Bean: Think Like an Elf – Lauren Child

    Harper Collins Australia November 2021 ISBN: 9780008470845 ISBN 10: 0008470847 Imprint: HarperCollins GB List Price: 24.99 AUD I am just sorry this one didn’t arrive in time for me to get it read and reviewed before Christmas because it really is a perfect gift to share with a young reader. In her own inimitable manner, Lauren Child, takes us…

  • Rapperbee: poems to give you a buzz – Harry Laing. Illustrations by Anne Ryan.

    Ford St Publishing ISBN: 9781925804775 RRP: $14.99 Harry’s poems are a delight for both young and old. If you and your kiddos enjoyed his previous books, including MoonFish, this one will equally entertain you. Particularly for rollicking read-alouds or, for performances, (think 2022 assembly pieces!) this collection of funny and quirky verses will become part…

  • Shadowghast – Thomas Taylor

    Walker Books Australia September 2021 ISBN: 9781406386301Imprint: WalkerAustralian RRP: $17.99New Zealand RRP: $19.99 It’s back to Eerie-on-Sea for another cracking and creepy mystery. In this new adventure a seriously spooky magician arrives in town, accompanied by henchmen, and purports to be Herbie’s long-lost aunt. She seems to enthrall the boy but his friend and ally, Violet, is far from…

  • Funny Kid Prank Ninjas [Funny Kid #10] – Matt Stanton

    Harper Collins September 2021 ISBN: 9780733340628 ISBN 10: 0733340628 Imprint: ABC Books AU List Price: 14.99 AUD I freely admit it. I’m not a huge fan of the many comic mega-series. They always seem to me to be very formulaic and same-same BUT I never find that in Matt’s books. Each Funny Kid I have read has provided delicious…

  • There’s a Ghost in this House – Oliver Jeffers

    Harper Collins Australia October 2021 ISBN: 9780008298357 ISBN 10: 0008298351 Imprint: HarperCollins GB List Price: 29.99 AUD Without doubt books for young readers which invite the children to become part of the whole experience of text and illustrations are far and away the most popular in any setting, in my experience – just think, Herve Tullet, Beck & Matt…

  • The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital – Joanna Nell

    Hachette September 2021 ISBN: 9780733642906 RRP: $32.99 Hilary, Joy and Chloe could not, on first impressions, be any more different to each other and yet, as their friendship develops, they discover that each is trying desperately to hide a secret from the wider world. Hilary has been the manager of St Jude’s cafeteria for years.…

  • Being You is Enough series- Josh Langley

    Big Sky Publishing RRP: $14.99 It was such a joy to become connected with the uber-talented Josh Langley online earlier this year and to discover his own magical brand of positivity, particularly as it applies to children. It’s taken a while but this week I received the four books in his amazingly successful series and…