Just So Stories

Random Reviews and Ramblings from Redcliffe

  • Lexie Moon & the Space Day Disaster – Melissa Garside and Lauren Mullinder

    Riveted Press August 2025 Distributed by Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781764007115 RRP: AU$ 12.99 / NZ$ 14.99 I’m quite sure that your young readers, those who are just starting to gobble up chapter books, will have really enjoyed the first Lexie Moon adventure. This is a great series for those kiddos just hitting their straps…

  • Anna’s War – DJ Taylor

    Riveted Press Simon & Schuster July 2025 Aside from, of course, Anne Frank’s diary I knew very little about life for the Dutch during the war. I did glean some from Tulips for Breakfast when I read and reviewed it. But this astonishing debut novel from DJ Taylor has certainly opened my eyes to even…

  • The Haunting of Hindmarsh Hall – Kate Gordon

    Riveted Press Simon & Schuster April 2025 RRP: AU$ 16.99 / NZ$ 18.99 If you have kidlets who are mad for detectives and mystery, and particularly if they’re the ones who love an Enid Blyton ‘find-outer’ adventure, then you are going to need this one. In a small town of indeterminate location, two boys are…

  • Escape from Marigold Manor – Rachel Jackson

    For someone with a mild [understatement] addiction to cozy murder mysteries, this new Rachel Jackson Solve it Your Way was right up my alley. Not that I didn’t also enjoy the first in the series Escape from Cuttlefish Cove, but this one had the perfect setting and characters for my taste. In this new one,…

  • On Gallant Wings – Helen Edwards

    Riveted Press April 2025 Distributed by Simon & Schuster ISBN13: 9781763526051 LIST PRICE: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99 I can completely relate to author Helen Edward’s comment in her notes that she knew little about the Japanese attack on Darwin. I was certainly the same. Growing up in the late 50s/60s, I knew more about…

  • Lexie Moon & the Word Burgling Bungle – Melissa Garside and Lauren Mullinder

    Riveted Press January 2025 ISBN 9781763526037RRP $12.99 This is not just a fun read, especially for readers growing in their confidence to tackle chapter books, but has so much to offer with regard to topics such as AI, robotics, STEM and Mighty Girls not to mention ethics and intellectual property. Lexie Moon is a dedicated…

  • Q & A with Rachel Jackson

    Welcome to Just So Stories, Rachel!! It’s such a pleasure to have you pop in and share with us. Let’s jump right in! Thankyou to you and your readership for having me 😊 It’s always a pleasure to share Escape from Cuttlefish Cove with adventurous readers. First of all, let’s find out a little more…

  • Escape from Cuttlefish Cove- Rachel Jackson

    Riveted Press Dist: Simon & Schuster September 2024 ISBN13: 9780645869392 LIST PRICE: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99 I don’t recall ‘choose your own adventure’ books when I was reading as a child but I certainly remember those my girls enjoyed in the 80s. My Kim’s especial favourites were the Enid Blyton adventure game series. She…

  • The Other Side of the Clouds – Matt Samuel/Tamblyn Teow

    Distributed by Simon & Schuster Riveted Press August 2024 ISBN13: 9780645869354 LIST PRICE: AU$ 26.99 / NZ$ 29.99 Some people seem to have difficulty employing sophisticated picture books. This is a topic which I have touched on previously, and you will find a list I made for a group fairly recently with some suggestions for…

  • Legend of the Lighthouse Moon – Helen Edwards

    Riveted Press Distributed by Simon & Schuster October 2024 ISBN13: 9781763526013 RRP: AU$ 17.99 / NZ$ 19.99 What an enchanting story Helen Edwards has created with its rich blend of history, legend, family and love! Set on Kangaroo Island in the 1970s, Mona McKenna and her little brother, Albert, live an idyllic family life in…