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The Dad Trap
Instant enemies William and Florence are horrified to find out
their dads are dating each other - and are forced to work together
to split them up! This fun, fizzy, celebratory adventure for readers
aged 9+ is a modern, inclusive twist on The Parent Trap
for readers of Jacqueline Wilson, Elle McNicoll and Benjamin
Dean.
When William and Florence meet on the first day of Year Six, they
instantly dislike each other.
William is impulsive, endlessly chatty and struggles in school.
His home life is safe and predictable - just him and Dad, who adopted
him as a solo parent - and that's how William likes it.
Florence is sullen, cold, and everything seems to come easily to
her. She's moved after her parents' divorce - but she's convinced
she won't be staying long because they'll definitely get
back together...
But then Florence and William find out that their dads have started
seeing each other. Now they must put their differences to one
side. Because only if they work together might they stand a chance
of splitting up their dads... Let the sabotage commence!
"You are an inspiration!" - Mariah Carey on Ian Eagleton
A heartfelt story filled with funny, energetic pranks and antics!
Sensitively explores LGBTQ themes, neurodivergence, adoption,
blended families and the unshakeable love between a father and
his son
Ian Eagleton is the author of the novels Glitter Boy
and The Boy Who Cried Ghost, and his picture book Nen and
the Lonely Fisherman won the Polari Children's and YA Prize
2022
Praise for Glitter
"Poignant, defiantly fabulous story" - Guardian
"A nuanced, heart-warming and character led story of finding joy
and love" - Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark
"An unflinching and ultimately uplifting read about identity,
and finding the strength to be your true self. Brilliant for group
discussion." - Empathy Lab
their dads are dating each other - and are forced to work together
to split them up! This fun, fizzy, celebratory adventure for readers
aged 9+ is a modern, inclusive twist on The Parent Trap
for readers of Jacqueline Wilson, Elle McNicoll and Benjamin
Dean.
When William and Florence meet on the first day of Year Six, they
instantly dislike each other.
William is impulsive, endlessly chatty and struggles in school.
His home life is safe and predictable - just him and Dad, who adopted
him as a solo parent - and that's how William likes it.
Florence is sullen, cold, and everything seems to come easily to
her. She's moved after her parents' divorce - but she's convinced
she won't be staying long because they'll definitely get
back together...
But then Florence and William find out that their dads have started
seeing each other. Now they must put their differences to one
side. Because only if they work together might they stand a chance
of splitting up their dads... Let the sabotage commence!
"You are an inspiration!" - Mariah Carey on Ian Eagleton
A heartfelt story filled with funny, energetic pranks and antics!
Sensitively explores LGBTQ themes, neurodivergence, adoption,
blended families and the unshakeable love between a father and
his son
Ian Eagleton is the author of the novels Glitter Boy
and The Boy Who Cried Ghost, and his picture book Nen and
the Lonely Fisherman won the Polari Children's and YA Prize
2022
Praise for Glitter
"Poignant, defiantly fabulous story" - Guardian
"A nuanced, heart-warming and character led story of finding joy
and love" - Elle McNicoll, author of A Kind of Spark
"An unflinching and ultimately uplifting read about identity,
and finding the strength to be your true self. Brilliant for group
discussion." - Empathy Lab
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2026
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Ian Eagleton
8 books11 followersIan is 35 year olds and is the director of The Reading Realm. He is also a content creator and resource writer for various educational organisations, including The Literacy Shed and Authorfy. Ian has taught in primary schools for 13 years and during this time has been a member of the senior management team, a phase leader, and literacy co-ordinator. Ian has also run staff training and writing workshops for children. He still teaches part time at a local school and especially enjoys sharing picture books, poetry and creative writing activities with the children he teaches.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy
Great autistic and queer representation wish I had this book as a kid. want every child in every school to read this. it's amazing!
January 23, 2026
Thank you to Scholastic and Ian Eagleton for our copy of this book. Here is our honest review.
Hands down this is one of my favourite reads and I'm going to recommend it over and over again to anyone who will listen. I read this with Henry and we both engaged with the story for different reasons. He enjoyed getting to know William and Florence, watching them decide on the trap and the secret agent elements as they executed it. Whilst I saw so many neurodiverse elements that I recognised and empathised with, which on occasions had me choked up. Exploring the family dynamics in the story was a brilliant conversation starter for us about the many different possibilities that there are out there and how to deal with emotions and friendships.
William has started Year 6 after a troubling end to his last school year. He is trying to work on his emotions and do the best he can in his lessons. He likes routine and order. Florence has just started the year after moving schools when her parents have split up. They get off to a rocky start which only gets worse when their dads turn out to be old boyfriends. As they spend more time together and start dating, the children are forced into planning a Dad Trap to stop them getting back together. They can only do this by putting their differences aside and working as a team.
Filled with poignant and heartbreaking moments this book is brilliant for exploring love, friendships, neurodiversity and will bring a smile to your face.
Hands down this is one of my favourite reads and I'm going to recommend it over and over again to anyone who will listen. I read this with Henry and we both engaged with the story for different reasons. He enjoyed getting to know William and Florence, watching them decide on the trap and the secret agent elements as they executed it. Whilst I saw so many neurodiverse elements that I recognised and empathised with, which on occasions had me choked up. Exploring the family dynamics in the story was a brilliant conversation starter for us about the many different possibilities that there are out there and how to deal with emotions and friendships.
William has started Year 6 after a troubling end to his last school year. He is trying to work on his emotions and do the best he can in his lessons. He likes routine and order. Florence has just started the year after moving schools when her parents have split up. They get off to a rocky start which only gets worse when their dads turn out to be old boyfriends. As they spend more time together and start dating, the children are forced into planning a Dad Trap to stop them getting back together. They can only do this by putting their differences aside and working as a team.
Filled with poignant and heartbreaking moments this book is brilliant for exploring love, friendships, neurodiversity and will bring a smile to your face.
February 3, 2026
A heartfelt, delightfully humorous read
I feel, that in every book he's written, Ian Eagleton deposits a little bit of himself and gives us, the reader, a front row seat into his heart and soul, and The Dad Trap is no different.
Eagleton knows how to make the reader 'seen'; there is so much depth and love for the characters and this gives the story heart and soul: you want to spend time immersed in their world. In The Dad Trap, you can't help but see the world through the main protagonist's (William's) eye and Eagleton manages to convey this with his trademark honesty. The Dad Trap is a truly heartfelt read, delightfully humorous, but also one that will bring tears to your eyes.
What I've also loved is that Ian has managed to include an incredible list of book recommendations throughout. Books that William loves and ones that have helped him deal with incidents and that have helped him to navigate the intricacies of life. William is a protagonist that readers will love: he is brave, honest and completely and utterly himself.
The Dad Trap helps the reader understand that life is hard, but it also help us understand that our individuality, our uniqueness, our flaws make us who we are and to use Ian's own words that we are special, we are loved and that we belong.
I feel, that in every book he's written, Ian Eagleton deposits a little bit of himself and gives us, the reader, a front row seat into his heart and soul, and The Dad Trap is no different.
Eagleton knows how to make the reader 'seen'; there is so much depth and love for the characters and this gives the story heart and soul: you want to spend time immersed in their world. In The Dad Trap, you can't help but see the world through the main protagonist's (William's) eye and Eagleton manages to convey this with his trademark honesty. The Dad Trap is a truly heartfelt read, delightfully humorous, but also one that will bring tears to your eyes.
What I've also loved is that Ian has managed to include an incredible list of book recommendations throughout. Books that William loves and ones that have helped him deal with incidents and that have helped him to navigate the intricacies of life. William is a protagonist that readers will love: he is brave, honest and completely and utterly himself.
The Dad Trap helps the reader understand that life is hard, but it also help us understand that our individuality, our uniqueness, our flaws make us who we are and to use Ian's own words that we are special, we are loved and that we belong.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In The Dad Trap, we follow William, who lives with his Dad, and Florence, who's parents have split up, but she's sure they'll get back together. That is until they both discover their Dad's are dating eachother and their lives are turned upside down. So William and Florence manage to put their differences aside in order to break their Dad's up, along with way, getting into some hilarious situations with fun and mayhem galore.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, this was such a heartwarming, heartfelt read, full of chaos, mayhem and an underlying theme of hope and redemption.
I read this with our 9 year old Daughter over about a week or so of bedtime stories and we both really enjoyed the inclusiveness of the relationship between the two Dad's.
We live in a modern, more enlightened society and we're bringing our Daughters up to be completely accepting of those who may be a little different to them, so I really enjoy stories such as this and hope to see more and more in future.
A big 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
Want to know more? Be sure to pick your copy up to find out.
So all in all, this was such a heartwarming, heartfelt read, full of chaos, mayhem and an underlying theme of hope and redemption.
I read this with our 9 year old Daughter over about a week or so of bedtime stories and we both really enjoyed the inclusiveness of the relationship between the two Dad's.
We live in a modern, more enlightened society and we're bringing our Daughters up to be completely accepting of those who may be a little different to them, so I really enjoy stories such as this and hope to see more and more in future.
A big 5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from us.
February 10, 2026
“Who needs friends when you’ve got books, fabulous felt-tips and a cool notepad, right? Much safer this way. Books over besties. Pens over pals.” 📚✏️🖍️
OMG, I loved this book! 😍 There were so many moments when I actually spat out my tea 😂☕ My 11-year-old granddaughter is going to love it!
William is neurodivergent — his brain is wired differently from everyone else’s 🧠✨ — and he knows that. He’s learning how to manage it, although he does like his routines… and woe betide anyone who tries to mess with those! 😅⏰ He’s a bit like me, if I’m honest. 🙋♀️
William and Florence are hilarious 🤣 as they come up with idea after idea to split their dads up! 💡💥 William doesn’t want to share his dad with anyone else, and Florence is convinced that her mum and dad will get back together. 💔➡️❤️
Buy this for your son or daughter (but read it yourself too! 😉) and watch their faces as they read — I bet you anything they won’t be able to stop smiling. 😁📖
Thank you to Scholastic UK for the gifted copy of The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton 🎁📚 which will be gifted to my eldest granddaughter next week. 💕👧
OMG, I loved this book! 😍 There were so many moments when I actually spat out my tea 😂☕ My 11-year-old granddaughter is going to love it!
William is neurodivergent — his brain is wired differently from everyone else’s 🧠✨ — and he knows that. He’s learning how to manage it, although he does like his routines… and woe betide anyone who tries to mess with those! 😅⏰ He’s a bit like me, if I’m honest. 🙋♀️
William and Florence are hilarious 🤣 as they come up with idea after idea to split their dads up! 💡💥 William doesn’t want to share his dad with anyone else, and Florence is convinced that her mum and dad will get back together. 💔➡️❤️
Buy this for your son or daughter (but read it yourself too! 😉) and watch their faces as they read — I bet you anything they won’t be able to stop smiling. 😁📖
Thank you to Scholastic UK for the gifted copy of The Dad Trap by Ian Eagleton 🎁📚 which will be gifted to my eldest granddaughter next week. 💕👧
February 17, 2026
Well, this was just glorious. It made me laugh and it made me cry. William is a gorgeous main character and I see a lot of me in him. I love that this is about family, friendship, quietly being an ally, LGBT joy and believing in yourself. The world needs more stories like this, and I just think Ian Eagleton is the most wonderful of storytellers.
January 3, 2026
Really enjoyed this and will definitely be recommending at school! Good talking points, places for children to spot themselves and also give the reader insight into what others might be experiencing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews