Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Karl James Mountford

    A sumptuously illustrated gift book with magical interactive surprises Bloomsbury Australia October 2025 ISBN: 9781526691262 Imprint: Bloomsbury Children’s Publishing RRP: $69.99 Is it a Christmas book you might ask? NO, not exactly but remember the Yule Ball !! but of course it would make an insanely exciting Xmas gift for any Potterhead of your acquaintance.…

  • The Ickabog: The bestselling fairytale, now illustrated by Ben Mantle – J. K. Rowling

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers Sep 2025 | 9781510202795 | RRP $22.99 Remember when The Ickabog first came out during the gloom of covid days and all of us HP fans were SO excited! My kiddos were so hyper that I never got my hands on it to read it – though I did admire…

  • Pocket Potters: Little Guides to the Harry Potter Stories by J. K. Rowling.

    Bloomsbury Australia August 2025 RRP: $17.99 Oh my! These are just absolutely adorable! I have been eagerly anticipating their arrival. Each one covers a range of aspects of the given character, with some being common across all three e.g. Magic and Memories and The Last Wizarding Word (notable quotes). Let’s start with Harry! Harry Potter…

  • Christmas at Hogwarts – J. K. Rowling. Illustrated by Ziyi Gao.

    Bloomsbury Australia October 2024 ISBN 9781526677082 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $29.99 Christmas was coming. One morning in mid-December, Hogwarts woke to find itself covered in several feet of snow.’ Harry’s first Christmas at Hogwarts was always bound to be memorable, given his previous dismal experiences. But the sparkle and warmth and magic of a…

  • The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

    Bloomsbury ISBN 9781526646712 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $55.00 This year Harry Potter Book Day was on my birthday – which I personally found very pleasing. I wasn’t in a library to celebrate as I have done previously, but regardless it was a very satisfying thought and I downloaded and saved activities to use with…

  • Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J. K. Rowling. Jim Kay (Illustrator), Neil Packer (Illustrator)

    Bloomsbury Publishing October 2022 ISBN 9781408845684 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $75.00 Readers of this blog will know of my passion for all things Harry and I have often shared the magnificence that comes my way via Bloomsbury Publishing (long may the prosper!). The fact that this is my favourite of all the original books,…

  • Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 25th Anniversary edition – J. K. Rowling

    January 2022 Bloomsbury ISBN 9781408855652 RRP: $16.99 It seems hardly any time at all since I reflected on 20 years of HP and yet, here we are, at the start of a huge year of silver anniversary celebrations for what is, to my mind at least, the most successful fiction series of all time. Many…

  • Harry Potter-ween!!

    So of course the piece de resistance of any batch of books, particularly at Halloween, is new HP ones and these two are absolute corkers!!! Bloomsbury Australia Harry Potter – Magical Creatures: a movie scrapbook Warner Bros September 2021 ISBN 9781526644299 Imprint Bloomsbury Children’s Books RRP: $29.99 Any HP fan would love this and if…

  • Harry Potter Christmas Bliss!

    Well didn’t I feel so special when the lovely Bloomsbury Australia folk sent me these – knowing full well my HP obsession! And they will make the most highly-sought after Christmas gifts for any PotterHead in your circle too!! Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: MinaLima edition By J.K. RowlingIllustrator: MinaLima Published: 20-10-2020 Format: Hardback ISBN:…