Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Bluey – The Most Amazing Advent Book Bundle

    Penguin Australia When they say it’s AMAZING, that’s exactly what they mean! Any Bluey fan is going to LOVE this advent calendar with a new little book to reveal each day. And how good will it be to add to the magic of Christmas approaching? From the publisher >>>> Stories include: Daddy Robot, Charades, Yoga Ball,…

  • All About Antarctica: a Fact Book about the Southernmost Continent – Marc Martin

    Penguin Australia October 2025 Slide through to see inside – you need to see how jam-packed this one is! I feel like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen some of Marc Martin’s work. This thought occurred to me just last week as I shifted more old reviews to the new archive and came…

  • B is for Busy: Mum’s Busy Work – Jacinda Ardern. Illustrated by Ruby Jones.

    Penguin Australia September 2025 While not every woman becomes a Prime Minister with a child, every working woman with a child can relate to the constant juggling of home, family and the demands of the job. And many children will also relate to being the offspring of a busy working mum. But as this book…

  • 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…