Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Astonishingly Good Stories – R. A. Spratt

    Penguin Australia August 2022 Now with a day off at my disposal, due to having no voice left with which to teach, I am trying to catch up with reviews, and really it is dead lucky I had already read this latest volume, because there is no doubt that strenuous laughing of the Spratt-induced kind…

  • The Book of Wondrous Possibilities – Deborah Abela

    Penguin Australia 2 August 2022 ISBN: 9781761044021 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $16.99 From the opening paragraph this brilliant book simply sparkles with magic and adventure – unsurprisingly, for those of us who have followed Deborah Abela’s writing career for years! My first encounter with this joyful creator was when, as the organiser of an extravaganza showcase at Marrickville Library,…

  • Willa and Woof 1: Mimi is Missing – Jacqueline Harvey

    Penguin Random House  5 July 2022 ISBN: 9781761043314 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $12.99 Question: What’s more exciting than a brand spanking new Jacqueline Harvey book? Answer: A brand-new Jacqueline Harvey series!! That’s right folks! In case you’ve missed the excitement of last week’s release AND – can you believe it? – television ads to promote it! – Jacqueline’s…

  • The Chime Seekers – Ross Montgomery

    Walker Books Australia November 2021 ISBN: 9781406391190Imprint: Walker RRP: $18.99 Au , $21.99 NZ Some of us of a certain vintage have enduring memories of Jareth, The Goblin King (aka the divine David Bowie) taking away baby Toby when Sarah becomes so frustrated with her little brother that she wishes him gone. Ross Montgomery has combined that…

  • Beijing Tai Tai – Tania McCartney

    Exisle Publishing 2012 ISBN: 9781921966156 RRP: $14.99 I first met Tania when she came to my Canberra school as our author guest around ten years ago, and she and I just clicked from the first moment we spoke to each other. Since then it has been my honour and pleasure to be her friend. I…

  • 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…