Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Bluey: The Sign

    Penguin Australia Close enough to include it in my picture books, this is the stand-out episode that many kids will have seen, and now they can read it as well. In the cutest graphic novel format, find out what happens when the For Sale goes up in the front yard of the Heelers’ place. Bluey,…

  • Horror in Pleasantville: Stories from the Archives – Caleb Finn

    Penguin Australia August 2025 I’m guessing there would be some who have NOT heard of Caleb Finn – but that’s very likely not any of your readers or indeed anyone under the age of 25 at least. From his early days on TikTok his popularity has soared as an iconic purveyor of short horror stories…

  • A Box Full of Murders – Janice Hallett

    Penguin Australia June 2025 ISBN: 9780241636183 Imprint: Puffin RRP: $16.99 It was actually quite serendipitous that as friend, Zanni Louise, mentioned she was enjoying a Janice Hallett murder-mystery – an author whose work I didn’t know – I replied by saying, I had just got a review copy of her first kids’ book, also a murder mystery. And…

  • What Have They Done to Liza McClean? – Amy Doak

    Penguin Australia October 2025 No doubt about it, Amy Doak has rocketed into ‘force to be reckoned with’ status since Eleanor Jones first burst onto our YA shelves. After three hugely successful titles in that series, we now have a new aspect of Amy’s talent. Your kiddos who are into the whole Dark Academia vibe…

  • Wednesday: A Novelisation of Season One

    Penguin Australia If you happen to be one of the handful of people in the civilized world who hasn’t watched Wednesday (1 & 2), you will definitely want to read this ahead of your kids. That way, at least you’ll be up to speed and be able to converse intelligently and compare notes. And for…

  • Jo Weston’s Netball Besties – Double or Nothing. Foul Play – Jess Black. Sam Loman.

    Penguin Australia Jess Black has real skill in creating these sporty adventures based on the life and career of various notable players in their field. And all the netballers in your cohort will love these. The first one was released early this year but for whatever reason passed me by, but the next two did…

  • Lost in a Book: The 113th Assistant Librarian #2 – Stuart Wilson

    Penguin Australia September 2025 RRP: $19.99 What super fun it was to re-visit the Blackmoor-upon-Wyvern Public Library, which is in the capable hands of the 113th librarian, Oliver Wormwood, ably assisted by his new friend, Agatha, sometimes girl/more often nine cats. After his initial reluctance at having the librarian’s role thrust upon him, Oliver has…

  • Family Secrets: The Girl and the Ghost #2 – Jacqueline Harvey.

    Penguin Australia October 2025 Officially, my blog break doesn’t finish until the weekend but how can I resist posting this one immediately, after gobbling it up over two nights! I was very excited to be back in France with Jet, Louis and Gabriel in another adventure. There is an exciting opening event as the Mona…

  • Ningaloo

    For those of us who have loved Tim Winton’s Blueback since it was first released in 1997 [can you believe that?? eek!], the Ningaloo reef and the continuing struggle to preserve it has always been an issue of real concern. Even The Kid has taken interest since first seeing the film version of Blueback a…

  • Don’t Trust Fish – Neil Sharpson. Dan Santat.

    Penguin Australia April 2025 What happens when you blend non-fiction with narrative with absurdist humour? In this instance, you get Don’t Trust Fish – which is a book that will make all kiddos and adults alike laugh out loud because of the sheer anarchic ridiculousness of it all. It is SO my kind of book!…