Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Family movie night? There's an app for that

Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.

Get the app
Parents' Guide to

Dork Diaries 12: Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe

By Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Crushes and middle school drama continue in popular series.

Book Rachel Renee Russell Friendship 2017
Dork Diaries 12: Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

shay1673
shay1673 Parent of 8, 9 and 11-year-old
August 29, 2022
age 9+

Too Dramatic

The Book had way to much drama my kids would say if we could return the book since it was so busy please don't waste your money not this book for your child
Janet P.
Janet P. Parent of baby, 3 and 8-year-old
December 29, 2017
age 10+

Bored

Sweets hated Andre and had really no interest in the rest of the book. Rachel Renee Russell needs to come up with something good, we hate Max Crumbly too. Please stop writing this trash and write good books with characters who behave and aren't total teenage snobs.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Nikki is back in TALES FROM A NOT-SO-SECRET CRUSH CATASTROPHE, and her crush life is heating up with Brandon. But MacKenzie is never far behind, with terrible tricks aimed at ruining Nikki's friendship with Brandon. This time she takes her cruel fun to the internet. While Nikki battles internet trolls, a new school exchange student is making things fun and a tad more difficult than Nikki had hoped. On top of all that, she's got a big secret that may ruin her friends' plans for summer. Gosh, will Nikki overcome all of this D-R-A-M-A, or will she fall flat on her dork bottom?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (30 ):

Kids who love the Dork Diaries series will love this installment. Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe has all of the characters, funny angst, cool illustrations, and Nikki-related fun that readers have come to expect from the series. The book does a great job focusing on the friendship aspect of young crushes instead of going ultra intense like many other books in this genre. Book 12 shows continued evolution and maturity on Nikki's part, though MacKenzie seems to have forgotten all of the lessons she learned in the last book. Funny and easy to read, this book will delight fans eager to see where the drama with Brandon leads.

Bonuses: Parents and educators will get an opening to talk about cyberbullying, and the series continues to be great for reluctant readers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the cyberbullying in Dork Diaries 12: Tales from a Not-So-Secret Crush Catastrophe. Have you experienced cyberbullying? What did you do about it, whom did you talk to? Have you seen any news stories about cyberbullying?

  • In the story, Nikki withholds information from her friends in order to not hurt them. What could she have done instead? How do you handle tough situations with friends?

  • Do you think Nikki and Brandon's relationship is typical of middle school? What do they get right in their friendship? What could they do better?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended book lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate