What Happens Online

About this book

14-year-old Fred lives a double life. In school he’s a nobody, a ghost: he’s bullied by a group of Year 9s and his self-esteem is at rock bottom. But online, from the sanctuary of his gaming chair, Fred becomes Existor – an anonymous streamer with razor sharp wit and a massive following. 

As his home life begins to unravel and pressure mounts at school, Fred decides to harness Existor’s popularity to make things more bearable. He creates an Existor social media profile, using it to spread rumours around school, boosting himself and destroying his enemies with made-up posts. While he initially enjoys his new popularity, Fred soon becomes entangled in a web of lies and must decide whether status and notoriety are worth more than his integrity. 

Award-winning Nathanael Lessore strikes again with this superb book, perfectly capturing the angst of adolescence in the era of social media. Written in first-person, readers experience the rollercoaster of thoughts that rattle through Fred’s mind: his ridiculously funny observations, his very real fears, and his rare triumphs – all written with unerringly accurate teen lingo and cultural references that will have great appeal. 

Fred’s life is far from perfect, and amongst the humour this book explores serious themes including depression, bullying, and challenging familial relationships. Lessore negotiates these issues expertly, not shying away from them, but confronting them in a realistic, gritty, and ultimately uplifting way, while Fred’s acerbic wit adds a humorous balance to these more serious aspects of the story.