AS a youngster, one of the Christmas presents I loved best was a book token.

It meant freedom and the sheer luxury of being able to chose virtually any book that I wanted without worrying about having to raid my savings.

Those who agreed with me that book tokens were far from an opt-out and were the most unboring present imaginable, were top of the favourite relatives list.

Surprising then to discover in a survey by booksellers Waterstone's, that children are seen as the toughest group to buy for at Christmas. Teenagers perhaps, but children?

Waterstone's however say that 40% of the people they surveyed said that they struggled to come up with gift ideas for children and teenagers.

The solution, say Waterstone's, was to ask an expert. And thanks to children's book guru Debbie Williams, this major bookseller has come up with an idea that will solve the problem for all those you see wandering the shops with furrowed brows.

If you are stuck for ideas, try Waterstone's new children's gift finder service. They'll take the trauma out of shopping for books for youngsters - and how much more fun is it knowing that if they get it wrong, you'll have someone else to blame. Only kidding!

But on a serious note, books are definitely back on many Christmas lists. Over the last four years, stores say that the spend on children's books is up by 30%.

Get it wrong and it is not just disappointment of the big day, but potentially money wasted. After all, with an astonishing 10,000 children's books published every year, getting the right one can be tricky.

We asked Debbie to some up with her top tips on how to chose the best present ever and here is what she had to say.

Step 1: Know Your Child do they have a passion for princesses, are they potty about pirates or hung-up on Harry? Knowing their interests and tastes before you start shopping will help you to head for the right place to start looking.

Step 2: Understand Their Personality are they a serious story lover or are they fascinated with facts? Knowing this can help you choose between fact or fiction.

Step 3: Find Out Their Favourite Authors. If they like Darren Shan and G P Taylor, they are fantasists and will love Across the Wall by Garth Nix, whereas if they are a fairy fan they will go potty for Paige the Pantomime Fairy, by Daisy Meadows.

Step 4: Decide whether you want a keepsake present, such as a beautiful pop-up book or a set of children's classics, or a quick read to fire up their imagination.

Step 5: If you are still stuck, ask a Waterstone's children's gift finder who can help to unearth some Christmas gems.

WIN our competition and you can collect Waterstone's vouchers worth £100 plus the help of a gift-finder session to really take the stress out of your shopping trip.

All we want you to do is tell us the name of the expert Waterstone's asked to come up with a solution to people's Christmas shopping headaches.

Put the expert's name on a postcard or the back of a sealed envelope, add your full name and address and send it to: Waterstone's Competition, Features Department, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, PO Box A26, Queen Street South, Huddersfield, HD1 2TD. Entries close one week today.