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Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody
- Author
- Helen Rutter
- Narrator
- Joe Pitts
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 12 February 2026
- Run Time
- 1 hour 9 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: School stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Humorous stories
What to expect
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.
Critics Review
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"A moving, wise, and beautifully observed novel. This book captures the quiet ache of feeling alone and turns it into something hopeful and human. By answering the questions in his mum’s agony-aunt column, Vinny discovers what we all learn eventually: everyone carries troubles, and sharing them – solved or not – makes them lighter." — Jenny Pearson
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"If you have ever felt unheard, Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody might be just the book for you. Funny, honest and heartwarming, this story follows Vinny, a boy who feels invisible; his mum is a popular online advice guru, yet she overlooks the struggles happening right at home … What makes this story special is how real Vinny feels. He is clever, kind and doing his best, even when life gets messy. You will laugh at his jokes, feel his loneliness and root for him as he finds his voice. This book gently explores imperfect families and how adults can miss what is right in front of them." — Children's Books Ireland
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"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." – LoveReading4Kids
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"In her moving, wise and empathetic tale about family and mental health, Carnegie-shortlisted author and comedian Helen Rutter captures the quiet ache of feeling alone and turns it into something hopeful and human … Advice from a 12-Year-Old Nobody explores the fears and concerns that can grip youngsters and reminds adults that sometimes they miss those important warning signs of a troubled child." — Burnley Express
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"Helen Rutter’s characters are three dimensional and believable, even if the situation with Vinny finding his Mum’s old blog stretches credulity. The message of this book is loud and clear. No problem is too big to talk about with those you love." — Books for Keeps
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Details
- Author
- Helen Rutter
- Narrator
- Joe Pitts
- Duration
- 1 hour 9 minutes
- Release Date
- 12 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9780008801076
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction and true stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: School stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Humorous stories
Synopsis
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.
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