The first UK publication of 13th Reality: Journal Of Curious Letters by James Dashner, author of The Maze Runner, will be released by Sweet Cherry Publishing next week and we were lucky enough to be given an advance copy to review. This is a book full of intrigue and mystery, as we join Tick Higginbottom and try to work out 'what on Earth is going on?'.


I have to start by saying the package we received was gorgeous - the boys and I loved it and it was just perfect for this book. We knew this was going to be something special. We had a puzzle to solve before we even opened our copy! It really set the scene for reading the book.,,

The Nerf N-Strike Elite SurgeFire is a great manually powered blaster with the option of single shot or slam fire. It has full Nerf power, a rotating 15 dart cartridge and great accuracy. Three of us were excited about opening this one and none of us were disappointed.


There is minimal assembly required because you have to fit the 15 dart rotating drum - which just slots in until it clicks and then can't be removed. The box is cardboard and simple to open, there are no batteries and you can be playing with your blaster in seconds - Christmas morning friendly.


15 of the Elite Darts are included - a good amount for a battle and it's quick to reload, although the design means you can only insert 14 darts without rotating the cartridge.

The SurgeFire has a range of 27m - we haven't tested that, but it seems true and is plenty for a good battle. For such a big and clunky blaster it's incredibly accurate, even over fair distance - we've all had been pleased with that.


Power is by pump-action and you can choose to use the trigger for single shots or just keep pumping the barrel for slam fire. The drum rotates automatically after each shot. It's almost impossible to get any darts stuck inside the barrel, another impressive design feature to prevent frustration.


This is a large blaster, but not massive and it's pretty light because there are no batteries or motors. The pump-action doesn't require a lot of hand and arm strength, so it's a great one for younger Nerf fans aged 8+.

I grew up in Derby and I noticed the other day that Derby Heritage Centre is now, somewhat bizarrely, a ladies hairdressers. This is the same building where I had my first proper all day part time job. It was also my most memorable job and the one I'm fondest of, for reasons entirely unrelated to my actual work.

My mother worked for a press agency in Derby city centre and when I was 14 their Sunday girl left. For £12.50 each Sunday I became a Copy Telephonist, a role that doesn't even exist any more.

It was my job to take the news articles and ring around all of the newspapers, radio and TV stations to see if anyone wanted to run the stories. Sometimes I'd read out the same copy 15 or more times, and often I'd read it to a journalist or editor who would then put me through to one of their copy telephonists, who would type as I dictated.


A single reporter and I would be the only people working, and I opened up in the morning and locked up at the end of the day, although I left the front door downstairs locked. Unless a big story broke the day was fairly monotonous, filled with 2 line local news stories and the odd football fixtures. Occasionally the Photographer would be in his office downstairs editing Wedding photos or something ready for the local papers on Monday, but we rarely even saw or heard him.

None of that is what made the job interesting.

Miss Winter's Demise And Other Crimes Against Poetry is a new release from Matador press. A light-hearted collection of comic verse by Paul Minton, ideal for independent readers aged around 7-8 + and great for more reluctant readers who might be daunted by huge pages full of text.


As you might have guessed these poems are funny and very much what children like to hear and read, they're also often a little bit dark, in that Roald Dahl way, with deaths and disasters befalling some of the more unfortunate characters in the book. Including of course the poor Miss Winter.

Only 1 in 4 people working in core STEM roles in the UK are female and jobs in science, research, engineering and technology will rise at double the rate of other occupations between now and 2023.

EDF Energy's #PrettyCurious campaign aims to inspire girls' interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths), something which I feel passionately about. I've tried to pass on a love for STEM subjects to my children and I'm proud to have raised a female future scientist.


EDF Energy are committed to bringing more young women into STEM careers and have already beaten their target of a 30% female STEM graduate and apprenticeship intake, with an awesome 35% in 2017. They've teamed up with Britmums and asked me to find out my daughter's feelings about STEM subjects and careers, and her reasons for choosing STEM subjects at exam level.

My daughter is 18 and studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level. Maths is her favourite subject. She's interviewing for places at university and hopes to follow a medical career in dentistry. She will be a scientist.

Magnus And The Jewelled Book Of The Universe is the first young fiction novel written by S.L Browne, released by Matador Children's Books last November. It is a book with the message to look after our planet, woven into a tale of mystery and intrigue, dinosaurs and tornadoes and an 8 year old boy named Magnus.


As the book starts Magnus and his elderly guardians move swiftly from mundane life to something completely different. A tornado approaches and a Police Officer visits their house to ensure they evacuate. There is a plan for Magnus and he is not only evacuated, he's removed completely to an entirely new world, an alternate Earth.

Usually you try to protect your drone and avoid any obstacles, Air Wars Battle Drones turns that around. This 2 drone, 2 controller set also has a selection of 'weapons' to attach to each drone before you try to knock your opponent out of the sky.


Packaging is almost all card and very easy to open. Inside the box are two drones, two 2.4GHz  controllers, two USB charge cables and battery charge packs, 10 assorted weapons, a complete set of spare blades for both drones and instructions.

The Jungle Bunch family animated movie was released by 20th Century Fox on DVD on Monday and we were sent a copy to review, along with some snacks and merchandise for the boys so that we could have a bit of a party. It's mainly for families with children aged around 3-7, but my 8 and 9 year olds were happy to watch with me.


Set in the jungle, as the name suggests, this is the story of a group of quite eccentric animals. The main character is a penguin who was raised by a tigress and believes he is The Great Warrior Tiger. She also painted him stripey to fit in.

We all know Dr Beckmann make fantastic cleaning products and they've saved me from many near-disasters over the years! The Dr Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover has won Which? Magazine Best Buy for 4 years running and is brilliant at removing all kinds of stains including food, dirt, crayons and make up, yet so simple and easy to use that you don't need to get changed or break into a sweat.


Usually you want to get the entire surface clean, but Dr Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover is almost 100% spillproof and has a unique curved brush applicator, so it's possible to direct it precisely where you want it. This has allowed Britain’s Got Talent contestant Nathan Wyburn to create a unique piece of Carpet Art.

Pop culture portrait artist Nathan specialises in creating art using unusual materials and was commissioned by Dr Beckmann to create a unique portrait of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in celebration of their engagement and upcoming marriage.

Unbelievably Nathan only used 3 bottles of Carpet Stain Remover in total and here is the finished product! He certainly has some unique skill there...

When we visited Waterside in Sale to watch their Winter show The Bear, we also took time to visit their exhibition space, where they have a Cosgrove Hall Film Exhibition running until February 17th. The exhibit is free to visit and well worth popping in if you are visiting or nearby and have half an hour to spare.


I'm a big fan of Cosgrove Hall and have been lucky enough to work with them a few times over the last couple of years. Based in Greater Manchester, they are the people behind loads of children's TV and movies, and are masters of both illustration and stop-motion animation.


Cosgrove Hall created several of my own childhood favourites, including Chorlton And The Wheelies, Dangermouse, Count Duckula and Jamie & The Magic Torch. Still in the business 40 years on, they have more recently brought us Pip Ahoy!, Bill And Ben, Fetch The Vet, Noddy and Roary The Racing Car among many, many others.