By Sally Nicholls (author)
"This compelling, thought-provoking novella unpacks the complexities of digital “sharenting” and family dynamics in an eminently accessible style."
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Interest Age Teen Reading Age 8 - September 2026 Book of the Month
Pitched for 13+-year-old readers with a reading age of eight, Sally Nicholls’ Dangerous Influence dissects the dangers of digital “sharenting” with insight, empathy and an accessible lightness of touch.
As a result of their mum being a major parent influencer (her vlog and social media channels boast millions of followers), Anna, thirteen, and her sister Josie, fifteen, have lived almost their whole lives online. But, while their mum’s success as a “sharenter” has gifted the sisters beautiful bedrooms and expensive holidays, it’s also come at a cost.
Feeling like she lives in her sister’s shadow, Anna has always hated appearing in her mum’s videos: “Can’t people see that someone who films their kids and puts them on the internet has to be a terrible mum?” Mocked by her peers for the personal things her mum shares online, it doesn’t take much encouragement from a cool new girl at school for Anna to refuse to appear in any more content. At the same time, Josie admits she’s being stalked by a male follower on her own channel, which brings matters to a complex head.
Raising important ethical questions around the agency of children and young people, and showing the pivotal moment teenagers realise “parents are just humans and they make mistakes like everyone else”, Dangerous Influence is also notable for the way it presents the mum’s personal context: “People who think I’m nothing because I’m a single mum. Because I used to be on benefits. Because I’m a woman. Because I dare to say out loud that parenting’s hard”.
With a beautifully unexpected ending that reveals how it’s possible to find new paths and fix fractured relationships, it really is extraordinary how much Nicholls weaves into such a fast- paced, perfectly-plotted, accessible story. As such, Dangerous Influence comes highly recommended for all teenagers and, given its nuanced exploration of a remarkable range of discussion-sparking topics, it’s also a great book for the classroom.
Acclaimed author Sally Nicholls delivers a gripping and thought-provoking portrayal of the complex dynamics of influencer culture and the dangers of 'sharenting'.
Read the full description
Ever since she was little, Anna and her sister Josie have been the main feature of her mum's vlogs and social media posts, which have documented every moment of their lives, from family dinners to temper tantrums. While Josie seems to enjoy the attention, Anna has always felt uncomfortable with her entire life being laid bare online.
But then it becomes clear that Josie is being stalked by one of her followers, and both girls decide that enough is enough. They refuse to allow their mum to film them any more, but will she finally take them seriously when her entire livelihood depends on Anna and Josie being content for her followers?
Sensitively explores the consequences of social-media intrusion on the life of a teenage daughter of a mummy influencer, told with Sally’s trademark empathy and perfectly tailored for ages 11+. Fostering important conversations about ‘sharenting’, online safety, mental health and the impact of social media on young people growing up in the digital age.
Letter from the author:
“Many children have an active social media presence from infancy, thanks to parental influencers. I started off wanting to write about how embarrassing that would be ... but I quickly realised the reality for most influencer children is much darker than that. I love working with Barrington Stoke and I love that they’re willing to publish stories about complex topics like this in an accessible format.” - Sally Nicholls
'Thought-provoking portrayal of the complex dynamics of influencer culture and the dangers of “sharenting” … Carnegie-shortlisted Nicholls manages to tackle this timely, thorny issue as well as difficult family relationships without being patronising or offering easy answers' - The Bookseller
'I’ve often thought about the impact on children of being posted on their parents’ Insta accounts and Sally took that one step further into influencer territory and addressed some really huge and relevant concerns – all through a brilliant and powerful story” Author Sophie McKenzie
Sally Nicholls is a highly acclaimed writer for children, best known for her sensitive portrayal of difficult subjects for a younger age group. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages and her YA novel about the suffrage movement, Things a Bright Girl Can Do was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Sally grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, and after school, travelled the world, working for a period at a Red Cross hospital in Japan. Sally's first novel, Ways to Live Forever , won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and she has been shortlisted for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Costa Children's Book Award, and the Carnegie Medal, twice.
She lives in Liverpool with her husband and two sons.
Photo credit Joe Ratzer
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Acclaimed author Sally Nicholls delivers a gripping and thought-provoking portrayal of the complex dynamics of influencer culture and the dangers of 'sharenting'. Ever since she was little, Anna and her sister Josie have been the main feature of her mum's vlogs and social media posts, which have documented every moment of their lives, from family dinners to temper tantrums.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Dangerous Influence and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
Dangerous Influence features in the following genres: Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Computers and the Digital World, Science, PSHE: Family Issues, PSHE: Self-Awareness, Self-Esteem and Wellbeing, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Dyslexia Friendly Books for Teens, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Emotions, moods, feelings and behaviours, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Dangerous Influence was written by Sally Nicholls and published by Barrington Stoke an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Dangerous Influence has 120 pages
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
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