The Dad Trap

At a glance

William is adopted by Ted, an English teacher. William is an eleven year old with ADHD, Y6 at school. He is good at Art, but has a low opinion of himself and struggles at school. At the start of the new year, Florence, a new girl, with her own grudges, sits next to him. They do not get on! Florence is good at everything, leaving William finding it difficult to cope. His dad is his saviour and everything becomes ok when it’s just the two of them. But things get even more hard when Florence’s dad, Ross, turns out to be a lost love of Ted’s from when they were younger. A relationship develops, changing everything for William and especially for Florence, as Ross is still married to her mum so Florence wants them to get back together. William and Florence decide to sabotage their dads’ relationship by working on their differences. This succeeds, but then the two realise that their dads are now unhappy so they hatch a plan to get them back together! All this whilst William is conquering his own fears, finding more mature ways to behave and face life as well as making up with his special friend Jabari.

There are some special family relationships explored in this book away from the conventional model. The wordplay is fun and I found the book to be thought provoking. At times I felt desperate for William as he struggled to cope and be ‘normal’, this book is a good insight into the life struggles associated with ADHD. It’s heart-warming and honest.

Published by Scholastic, 2026 (361 pages)