Newly-published children's writer, Kate Reid, is looking forward to Christmas rather more than usual this year.

Winchester born and bred, Kate (42) hopes her first effort, Operation Timewarp, will make the perfect stocking-filler for youngsters aged nine and up.

So does the influential Times Educational Supplement, which described her paperback as "an excellent, highly-accessible, light-hearted futuristic caper."

But then Kate does have excellent credentials, having been educated successively at Stanmore Primary School, The Westgate, Peter Symonds' College and Oxford University.

Her first stop after varsity was IBM Hursley, where she wrote computer manuals. Then, after spells working in London and Lisbon, she returned in 1992 to her home city.

A busy mother of two sons, she decided that writing would be an ideal outlet for her creative talents and her debut novel could be the first of many.

It starts off in present-day Winchester and moves to London in the year 2099, when three young people are sent o infiltrate the Buckingham Palace HQ of the tyrannical president.

To review the new book, the Chronicle enlisted the help of Stephanie Hayter (12), of Thornden School, Chandler's Ford. This is what she came up with:

I usually only go for romances and "girlie" books, so I wasn't very keen to do this review. I thought I'd be too young for it and would get bored. But I did try it and I'm glad I did!

Kate Reid recommends this book for nine-year-olds to early teens. However, I think that maybe older or even younger ones could join in this adventure as well.

It is fantasy/adventure and really is extremely exciting, as the style of writing is so dramatic. Throughout the book, I was hanging onto the edge of my seat!

In the book, three ordinary children are persuaded to go forward a century in time. Their mission is to overthrow Britain's evil president, with help from a couple of wise politicians and inventors.

The children travel there in a time machine which is a transformed hovercar. When the threesome agree to the mission, they don't realise how dangerous it will be...

There are many high-tech inventions which they enjoy. Hover boards are skate boards which fly and they shoot along, ever so fast! In the children's apartment, slides which play music lead from their rooms to the swimming pool.

I would definitely recommend this book to almost anyone! The best thing about it is the number of amazing gadgets.

My favourite was the "reppy" - a machine to create any type of food or drink of your choice and more! I really hope that someone will hurry up and invent one in real life!

Operation Timewarp is published by Orion at £4.99, so go out and buy it, because any child would be dead pleased with it!