Nellie in Knots: Talent Show Trouble

Regular price: $12.99
Sale price: $12.99

116 pages • 8.5 in x 5.5 in • Ideal for kids 7-10 years old

Guaranteed for life!

Protective gloss coating

Softcover

Quantity

+ We'll donate a book to kids in need!

Ships in 1-4 days

100% Money-Back Guarantee

Free shipping with 4 books

See where our books have been featured:

The Magic
Our Guarantee
Shipping

The Magic

Hilarious, heartwarming, and secretly packed with tips from a clinical psychologist, Nellie in Knots is the perfect read for anxious kids.

“Readers will cheer for Nellie as she faces her worries head-on, while they learn some great skills for managing anxiety in the process.”—Dr. Torrey A. Creed, PhD; Assistant Professor, Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania; Founder, Penn Collaborative for CBT and Implementation Science

“Nellie in Knots is candid, witty, and relatable, with a nod to evidence based cognitive behavioral strategies to manage anxiety. A great read for all kids!”—Dr. Andrea Mazza, clinical psychologist, and Founder and Co-Director of The Center for Anxiety and OCD in Chicago, Illinois

Nellie has worry thoughts—lots of them. Math class. Parties. Lightning. Catastrophes in the making! But when Ms. Rubinflaker announces a class talent show, it's officially too much. Can Nellie conquer her anxiety, or will it be the biggest disaster of the year?

Anxious kiddos will instantly find a friend in Nellie in Knots, the funny, heartwarming story of Nellie, her talking bird Larry, and her journey to navigate one of today's most common childhood challenges: anxiety.

Told in humorous, first-person narrative and filled with funny doodles and illustrations, the book is both earnest and humorous—a perfect balance to help anxious kids find validation and guidance through their own nervous struggles.

Best of all, author-psychologist Amy Neeren, PhD, weaves in practical tips and practices to help kids take control of worry thoughts of their own.

Our Guarantee

We love our books so much, they come with our Easy-Peasy 100% Money-Backed Guarantee.

We hope you fall in love with our books. But if for any reason you don't, we'll issue you a full refund—no questions asked. Just let us know the problem, and boom, done! Do you have to mail the book back? No need! (Life is too busy already, don't you think?) All we ask is that you donate the unwanted book to someone in need.

Shipping

How fast do orders ship? In-stock books ship within 1-2 business days!

Do you accept returns? If for any reason you don't love the book, let us know and we'll issue you a full refund, no questions asked. And no need to mail the book back! (Life is too busy already, don't you think?) All we ask is that you donate the unwanted book to someone in need.

What about pre-orders? When do those ship? Pre-ordered books ship as soon as we receive the physical books from the printer. To find the estimated shipping date for any pre-order title, just look above the "Pre-Order" button on the book's product page. Estimated shipping dates update based on the latest information we have on when books will arrive from the printer.

How do I track my order? Once your order ships, you'll automatically receive tracking information by email. It's super quick and accurate!

Behind the Book

Amy Neeren, PhD

Dr. Amy Neeren is a clinical psychologist and researcher who lives outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two daughters. This is her first chapter book series. Dr. Neeren has published several papers and short stories in literary magazines. When she is not actively researching for new children’s book ideas, Dr. Neeren can be found doing anything and everything with her two girls.

Annia Leon

Annia Leon is a digital artist who loves books with all her heart! Her illustrations are filled with interesting details that complement the text and give kids something to look at again and again. After graduating from an art college in Greece, Annia began working to become an illustrator of as many children’s books as possible with hopes of spreading a little more happiness for kids everywhere. This book is her debut in the world of children’s literature.

Caity K.

Buying "Nellie in Knots" checked so many boxes in that it supported a terrific author (not to mention person!) and a wonderful new-to-me publishing company, AND it provided a helpful tool for a friend in need. The hat trick of book purchases!

Kathryn H.

THank you for your quick delivery. Book arrived safely with no problems.

Pam H.

I'm not the least by introverted, but my daughter, granddaughter, and a friend's daughter all are. I bought this book to encourage my friend's daughter since she's young enough for it. I'll give it to her for summer reading. I found it to be delightful, well written, and unique in its approach. The illustrations are fun, too!

Jen Fitzpatrick

I read this book with my two daughters (9&6). We looked forward to the story of Nellie every night and fell in love with the character immediately. This book was funny, sweet and engaging. We can’t wait for another book from this author

Jen Fitzpatrick

I read this book with my two daughters. We looked forward to reading about Nellie every night. It was funny and relatable and we fell in love with Nellie from the very beginning of the book. A great read for children and parents. I look forward to more books by this author.

nycmama

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book together. The story of Nellie and her anxiety is utterly relatable as she navigates the world. Whether your child is anxious or not, this is a fun and engaging read!

Collins

The author did a beautiful job on this book!

Lori Sobin

Nellie is funny, quirky and likeable. Dr. Amy Neeran's debut book is relatable to both children and adults, filled with humor and well-written. While my children are older, I purchased this book to donate to my school district's elementary school and another to donate to our local library. Destigmatizing mental health is very important to me and needs to start with our youngest learners. Nellie in Knots will help children identify their anxiety, know that is normal and that it is ok to have big feelings. A great read and highly recommended.

As a parent of a child with anxiety, this is a terrific book to read together. Not only is it a sweet and relatable story, but it gives great techniques and talking points on how to manage "worry thoughts." The story is told with humor and introduces us to adorable and memorable characters. I highly recommend this book!

Lauren C

Nellie in Knots is a smart and funny book with relevance to anyone dealing with anxiety. I loved how coping with anxiety and strategies are woven into the plot line. Nellie is a lovable character who you can't help but root for and relate too. I am excited to read all of the adventures that Nellie and Larry will encounter along the way and how Nellie copes with whatever challenges she may come across.

Jamie Barbosa

I feel so lucky to have gotten to know Nellie, a sweet, silly, smart, but anxious child trying to navigate the normal pressures of childhood, but with extra worries. Her curious and silly personality, coupled with constant self-doubt and worry is something we all can relate too, whether a child or child at heart. While so entertaining, this is such an important story that needs to continue to be told. I feel blessed that my young children can have a role model in Nellie, to understand that they are not alone and can overcome their fears, self-doubts and ultimately prevail. I had so much fun reading this with my daughter Sophia. As an anxious child, and now anxious adult, a story like this would have done me wonders. Worry can be so isolating, so much more so for a child. This story is silly, heartfelt, thought provoking and curious. I look forward to more adventures with Nellie and her Parrot Larry!

Kevin M. Gillespie

Nellie is perfectly relatable for both children and parents. Her experiences allow the reader to feel comfortable discussing the all so important topic of anxiety which can often be ignored or over looked in childhood. The book is perfect for children of all ages and provides practical ways and tools to deal with anxiety. Can't wait to see what Nellie teaches us next !

Kathryn

This debut novel by Dr. Amy Neeren is full of heart and perfect for young readers—especially those dealing with anxiety. I saw so much of my childhood anxiety reflected in Nellie’s experience with her “worry thoughts” throughout this sweet, humorous, and tenderly told book.It would’ve made a world of difference if I had read this story as a kid and recognized that I was not alone and that there were ways—suggested by Nellie’s therapist, Dr. Neederburger—to better manage and interact with my anxiety. Importantly, those suggestions never come across as heavy-handed or moralizing, but rather are woven seamlessly into Nellie’s story arc.The illustrations are delightful, and the prospect of more books to come is such a welcome one. Three cheers for Nellie!

Bibliophile

I loved every smart, fun, quirky, helpful word in this book! I wish I’d had Nellie to look up to as an anxious kid myself. This book is awesome!!

Renee Kemmer

Great book to read out loud with your kids. Makes them feel like they are not alone with their worries. Good suggestions and insight for me too!! Definitely will recommend this book to all my friends and family!!

CarrotCake

Nellie in Knots is such a heartfelt & sweetly humorous story about a girl full of worry thoughts and how she takes on obstacles with the tools from her psychologist, and acceptance from her family & teachers, her best friend Emmie, and especially her adorable talking parrot, Larry.As a mom of an anxious kiddo (and a worrier myself!) I found Nellie’s worries relatable and the tools she uses to control the thoughts helpful. I especially appreciate the emphasis that worries are something to control, not that they’ll magically disappear. And I adore how Nellie approached her bully at the end.I recommend this for both worriers and those with worriers in their lives who want to learn the best way to help them.

Brian Wray

It's not an easy balance to strike between being entertaining and being honest about the trials of living with anxiety, but Nellie in Knots does it! Nellie is relatable to any child who copes with anxiety.The book does a wonderful job of highlighting techniques that can be used to manage anxiety, and the importance of having support in the community.

Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan

I'm a mom to three boys and each one deals with anxiety in their own way. This book is perfect for our family because it reinforces the talks they have with their counselors and shows them new ways to handle their worries. The book is great because it's honest, it's hopeful, and it's funny. I really appreciate the specific details like the worries about lightning and the physical symptoms of anxiety. But despite all that clinical detail the book was easy and engaging to read and I really cared about Nellie. I know my boys did, too. An excellent story for kids who deal with anxiety and for those who want to know how to better support people with anxiety.

Stacey Morse

The main character is smart, funny and so relatable to any kid or adult who struggles with anxiety. With so many children's’ books to pick from, I’m so glad that we chose Nellie in Knots, as it is not only entertaining to my kids but filled with so many practical tips for managing anxiety in children that I have already put to good use. Such a special and absolutely adorable read!

Michael Singer

My fifth grader adores this book! Especially Larry the parrot and how Nellie was able to face her fears with the help of so many funny and amazing supports!

Brenda Bokenyi

With engaging illustrations Nellie in Knots is a timely topic much needed for young children. This is a great title to add to a school or home library.

Nellie in Knots: Talent Show Trouble

What goes into a Bushel & Peck Original?