"Vinny learns to take his own advice."
February 2026 Book of the Month
A publication perfectly timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week and from an author who absolutely excels in portraying characters who have, or are facing, challenging problems, in an entirely empathetic and sensitive way.
Vinny is just such a relatable and authentic character. Like very many 12-year-olds he is struggling to understand life and how he fits in. A self-confessed geek with a wonderful addiction to an app that gives him a daily new word which he then tries to use three times each day.
He is aware of his difference, but it used to be OK because he had his best mates and fellow Dungeon and Dragons game playing geeks, but now they have discovered girls and are shunning him.
More importantly, he worries that his family is falling apart and ironically, his mum is a professional Agony Aunt, which means she is too busy to notice his anxiety.
Vinny finds distraction from his worries by replying to unanswered posts on an old blog of his mum’s. Amazingly, his frank and funny responses seem to help those seeking advice. This not only builds his self-esteem, but it shows him how other people, even adults, have their own problems, which can generally be solved by talking about them. But, although he appears to be helping others, his own problems are intensifying.
In the end it is mum’s furious discovery of his additions to the blog that is the catalyst for the whole family to finally start communicating. His parents admit they are separating and, while this will never be ideal, they can all move forward together. We leave Vinny in a much better place.
This is such a compassionate and nuanced portrayal of family breakdown and friendship issues, with an emphasis throughout on the importance of talking about things and that there are no quick fix or happy-ever-after solutions that this is bound to help many young readers better understand themselves and their situations. Another brilliantly satisfying read!
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An emotional rollercoaster, this book will tug at everyone’s heart strings. I challenge anyone not to get emotional when reading this. I can’t help but feel sorry for Vinny and want to be there for him as his friend.
An emotional rollercoaster, this book will tug at everyone’s heart strings. I challenge anyone not to get emotional when reading this.
Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody, follows Vinnie who has lots of problems. Unable to turn to his mum or friends for help, he decides to answer some of his mums unanswered posts on her old blog. This makes him feel better for a while but soon reality smacks him in the face and things begin to get worse. Poor Vinnie is out of his depth and needs his mums help. Will she be there for him?
I really enjoyed this book because I could relate to some of the troubles the main character went through. I had experienced similar situations so I knew how the character was feeling in the moment.... Read Full Review
The story had a great pace and at the end of each chapter I wanted to find out what would happen next. For young readers who like illustrations, this book is perfect because it has some brilliant images.
This book tells the story of a 12 year old boy who gives advice to unanswered questions on his mum’s blog. The story had a great pace and at the end of each chapter I wanted to find out what would happen next. For young readers who like illustrations, this book is perfect because it has some brilliant images. I think some people will like the length of the book considering it is quite short (I read it in a couple of days). The character of the book (Vinny) is a very believable character and some readers will identify with how he feels different to other 12 year olds.... Read Full Review
Really good book, I enjoyed all of it .
I really liked this book, having not long turned 12 it made it even more enjoyable to read. I like how it talks about the problems Vinny is going through and how he is gonna get help, seeing as he has no one to talk to. I also really enjoyed how the story has a part were he is no longer friends with his best friends as it shows how quickly things can change.... Read Full Review
Vinny needs support from his agony-aunt mum, but she's too busy helping other people to notice in this empathetic tale about family and mental health by bestseller Helen Rutter.
Vinny's got problems - lots of them. His family's falling apart, and his best mates have dumped him for some really annoying girls.
He should be able to turn to his mum for help - she's an online life coach who answers other people's problems for a living. But she's too busy to see that Vinny is really struggling.
Unable to solve his own issues, Vinny starts replying to unanswered posts on an old blog of his mum's. At first the solutions seem easy, and he can be as hilariously honest as any 12-year-old boy would be, but what will happen when Vinny realises he's out of his depth?
Particularly suitable for readers aged 9+ with a reading age of 8.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-10 years old
Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody features in the following genres: Featured Books for 9+ readers, Books of the Month, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Recommendations, Star Books, Stories about Family and Friends, Funny, Romance / Relationship Stories, School Stories, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 9+, Dyslexia Friendly Books for Interest age 11+, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational
Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody is available in Paperback
Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody was written by Helen Rutter and published by Barrington Stoke an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody has 80 pages
£7.19
