Sadly this isn't a review of a Christmas dinner, although I'm sure a lot of you would be delighted at the prospect of not having to cook one! Horrid Henry's Christmas Lunch, as written by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross, is one of the latest releases from Orion books.


Horrid Henry's Christmas Lunch is a Red Band Early Reader, and ideal for those who are starting to read independently. My 6 year old can just about read this to himself, and the format is perfect for him with wide spacing, easy and repetitive langauge, and plenty of great illustrations.

Today I am delighted to be able to tell you that LEGO have very kindly given me one of the fabulous new LEGO Minecraft sets to give away to one of my readers. The First Night set 21115 is my favourite set and at £39.99, it's the one which I think may well turn out to be the most popular this Christmas.


In complete contrast to The Ender Dragon set 21117 which we reviewed yesterday, The First Night is based on your ideal first night in the Minecraft game. This set includes a great little shelter which is hinged with removeable roof, and contains everything your Steve needs to survive the night and progress into the game.

I reviewed for Fruit Bowl a little while ago and we found their fruity snacks to be lovely, so lovely in fact that they've been a regular feature in our house. Frollipops are their latest release - lollipops made entirely from fruit, with each one counting as 1 of your child's 5-a-day. 

Our latest review from Orion Books Early Readers is The Boy Who Made Things Up, which is written by Margaret Mahy and illustrated by Jenny Williams. This is a Red Band book, suitable for readers who are just becoming confident at reading alone, and it suits our 6 year old perfectly.


This book is really quite different to most of the Early Readers I've reviewed, as it gives a real message to parents who may be reading, and I found it quite poignant. It isn't soppy or sad, it's simply a reminder that children are young for a very short time, and they have gifts to give us if we only have the time to see them.

LEGO Minecraft has arrived with an astounding amount of excitement in our house, and I don't believe for an instant we'll be the only ones. Although the entire range is designed for builders aged around 8+, my two youngest boys still think they're awesome. We had a look at the full range and gave our first impressions the other day, and today we actually got our hands on set 21117 - The Ender Dragon.



This is a large set with 634 pieces. Inside the box there are the instructions, 5 bags numbered 1-4, a bag containing the dragon wings and 3 base plates, and a loose base plate - please excuse the photography, this is Manchester in November, natural light is a rare phenomenon.

Regular readers will remember that I was part of the jury team for the How Do You Play? competition organised by LEGO DUPLO earlier in the year. As a thank you they gave me some Batman LEGO DUPLO to give away, and I kept back one set so that I could give it away this Christmas.


Best suited to children aged 2-5, the Batcave Adventure set 10545 has 59 large pieces which can be put together in a multitude of ways to create your very own batcave.

Tiny Me are a company that we really like. They make incredibly attractive and excellent quality goods for children. Most of their items can be personalised and are fabulous gifts to treasure. We've previously reviewed their Trucks And Diggers Wall Stickers and Amazingly Awesome Activity Book.


The Tiny Me Wooden Name Block Puzzles were launched earlier this year with crowd funding using kickstarter. I must admit that with the events that have taken place here, I hadn't actually seen them properly before I ordered and I wasn't expecting my puzzle to arrive complete with a gorgeous thick felt storage case.

Avea Trotter is one of the new Freaky Fusion Hybrid dolls from Monster High, and as her name suggests, she's a little strange. Part Harpy (monster girl) and part Centaur (horse woman), she's not your average student, even at Monster High. Suitable for children aged around 6+, and one of the top toys this Christmas.


Now I know that it's a bit unusual for two young boys to review a doll, but it's not the first time and Michael is still a firm favourite, and I do have an ulterior motive. This is very different to Michael, and not something my boys have ever had the chance to look at before.

Minecraft is absolutely huge now, and it's been a feature in our house since it was in alpha version, and I remember very well the excitement when it came to the full game release. Ideally suited to LEGO on so many levels, I got hold of one the first LEGO Minecraft Micro World 'The Forest' set 21102  for Christmas 2012 for my partner.


The official UK launch of the new LEGO Minecraft sets took place the other day. Sadly I wasn't there, but I will be reviewing and launching a giveaway for a set or two within the next few days, so keep your eyes open!

There are 6 sets ranging from £19.99 to £89.99 - The Cave, The Farm, The First Night, The Crafting Box  and The Ender Dragon and The Mine.  All of the sets are quite complex with some small fingerwork and therefore have a recommended age range of 8+. Very different to the Micro Worlds and designed for a full size minifigure, these aren't encased in the cube shape, and are more usual LEGO style.