Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Happy Book Week 2026!

    If I’m completely honest I will say there’s not much that I miss about my work of 30 years – except when it comes to the special events, the displays and – of course! – the dressing up! But I love seeing what others are doing so here are a few ‘bookish’ books I’ve saved…

  • Us in the Bright Lights – Zanni L. Arnot

    Hachette Australia 9780734424501|July 2026|RRP $19.99 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books I confess that I can be a bit of a sucker for a good rom-com and this new YA romance from Zanni ticked all the right boxes for me because it was not only a sweet romance but had serious moments as well as some vicarious…

  • Find Me in the Forest – Jess McGeachin

    Hachette Australia July 2026 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books ISBN: 9780734423849 RRP $29.99 If you thought Jess’ Find Me on the Coast was beautiful, just wait till you see this one! Of course, The Kid and I love both the coast and the forests – we live beside the sea but spend time bushwalking through forest…

  • One Word – Melissa-Jane Fogarty

    : a girl’s quest to learn her grandfather’s hidden first language. Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books July 2026 ISBN: 9780734423337 RRP: $26.99 This brilliantly simple but deeply meaningful new book from Melissa-Jane Fogarty as both author and illustrator, underlines one of the multiplicity of injustices and losses suffered by our Australian First Nations peoples,…

  • Eighty-Nine Questions for After – Ashleigh Barton

    Hachette Australia July 2026 ISBN: 9780733654596 RRP: $16.99 I first knew Ashleigh’s work as a picture book creator, one who could create wonderful texts that not only engaged young readers but gave them portals into the larger world. Then along came her middle-grade novel How to Sail to Somewhere which so skilfully demonstrated that her…

  • Spare Kisses – Pip Harry. Illustrated by Yiscah Marcatili.

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books 9780734423511|Mar 31, 2026|RRP $24.99 I know there are grandparents in the unfortunate position of not seeing their grandies often, or indeed at all. And admittedly, now half of mine are adult and live at a distance that’s the case for me as well most of the time. But I…

  • Shakespeare in the Orchard – Danielle Binks

    Hachette Australia Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books Jul 7, 2026 | 9780734421920 | RRP $17.99 It took me a while to get into this one as the first chapters seemed to move slowly but once it got going, I was thoroughly engaged with this fictionalised slice of history, hitherto unknown to me. That is to say, naturally I knew about…

  • The Peach King – Inga Simpson. Illustrated by Tannya Harricks.

    Hachette Australia September 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books 9780734418517 | RRP $24.99 This is a striking book by all standards. Whether we were personally involved with the tragic infernos of 2019/2020 Black Summer, or not, it was still a disaster that concerned us all. I was on high alert at my cousin’s place in the Blue Mountains…

  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fast and Slow Animals – Sami Bayly

    Hachette Australia September 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books 9780734421418 | RRP $32.99 I could just say – Sami Bayly – and not need to write another word really. I know it. You know it. The kiddos certainly know it. This woman’s ability to create fascinating and fabulous books that tap into children’s innate love of animals and…

  • Find Me on the Coast – Jess McGeachin

    Hachette Australia July 2025 Imprint: Lothian Children’s Books | 9780734423634 | RRP $29.99 ‘Let’s walk down a winding path to where the sand meets the sea’ We certainly love our proximity to the ocean, whether here at home – a five minute walk away or when we take a little trip up the coast, an hour’s drive away.…