Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe


  • Attack of the Giant Baby – David Lucas. Illustrated by Bruce Ingman

    Bloomsbury Australia August 2022 ISBN 9781408899878 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $14.99 This was absolutely great fun to share with a lovely little class of Preppies who sat completely engrossed until about 2/3 of the way when the penny started to drop. The look of delight on their little faces as they realised what was…

  • Battle Mum – Zoë Foster Blake. Illustrated by Adele K. Thomas

    Penguin Australia 1 November 2022 Look, I’ve gotta be honest – anything with Karate Kid moves or ninja references and I’m in! In my experience, the same applies for kids. Ok, so maybe not all of them are actually across the Karate Kid (clearly because their education has been neglected) but definitely ninjas! For anyone…

  • Which Way to Anywhere – Cressida Cowell

    Hachette Australia September 2022 ISBN 9781444969047 | RRP $22.99 Well, if there’s anything more exciting in MG fiction than a new Cressida Cowell title, it’s a new Cressida Cowell series and this one is going to skyrocket I can assure you. K2 O’Hero (yes, he is named after the mountain) would appear, to all intents and purposes,…

  • A Little Spark – Barry Jonsberg

    Allen & Unwin August 2022 Imprint:A & U Children ISBN:9781760526924 RRP: $16.99 But, as can happen, life throws a curveball. Sam is offered a tantalising and life-changing work opportunity in the UK and Cate’s mum is determined they will all go. Cate is resistant to the whole idea, not least because she knows she will…

  • Pages & Co #3: Tilly and the Map of Stories – Anna James

    Harper Collins Australia October 2020 ISBN: 9780008229948 ISBN 10: 0008229945 Imprint: HarperCollins – GB List Price: 19.99 AUD This series is so utterly charming and original that it has been such pleasure to read and review each of them. Tilly and Oskar continue their adventures with the ongoing quest to thwart the horrible Underwoods who have usurped the British…

  • Ellie’s Dragon – Bob Graham

    Walker Books July 2020 ISBN: 9781406387629Imprint: WalkerAustralian RRP: $27.99 Bob Graham, one of our best-loved Australian book characters, once again brings his own brand of magic to this bittersweet story of childhoodand imaginary friends and the inevitable growing-up, or out of, both. Ellie finds the sweetest little dragon in a box of eggs from the supermarket and immediately…

  • Here in the Real World – Sara Pennypacker

    Harper Collins Australia February 2020 ISBN: 9780008371692 ISBN 10: 0008371695 Imprint: HarperCollins – GB List Price: 14.99 AUD At present we (as a collective global community) are having a great deal of reflection and discussion of what it means to be a hero and for many young readers their perception and definition of this might be relatively narrow. This…

  • The Night of the Hiding Moon – Emma Allen & Sher Rill Ng

    National Library of Australia March 2020 ISBN:   9780642279583 RRP: $24.99 ‘Late one night, Felix heard a thousand giants march across the sky and the round, silver moon went into hiding.’ Many children are fearful of storms – especially when they are ferocious. The Kid was one of these and would quite literally turn white and…

  • The Astronaut’s Cat – Tohby Riddle

    Allen & Unwin March 2020 ISBN 9781760524944 RRP: $24.99 Tohby Riddle comments that he could not have predicted just how apt  his new book would be given our current circumstances but it really is going to be a perfect story to share and discuss with your readers. Given how many cats have come and gone…

  • Story Time Stars: Favourite Characters from Australian Picture Books – Stephanie Owen Reeder

    NLA September 2019 ISBN:   9780642279408 RRP: $24.99   During the week the Story Time: Australian Children’s Literature exhibition was officially opened at the National Library of Australia. Judging by the photos posted by many friends it was a superb occasion with the glitterati of our children’s literary creators and supporters in attendance. To commemorate this special…