I have a 12 year old too.  Last year was really difficult with the friend issue, but this year has been somewhat better.  One thing we realized is that she is very hormonal and that seems to make her more prone to crying and being sad at times.  I also got her this book called "How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls", by the daughter of Dale Carnegie.  It is old but has a lot of helpful tips that she has used.  The best tip was to just smile a lot and to just say "hi".  Also, letting her know that she does not have to have a ton of friends or a best friend has helped.  Maybe she will have more at other times in her life, but this is just how it is right now and there is nothing wrong with her. I think I would tell her to just focus on the things that make her happy like art and reading right now and that she is OK and not to worry about not having friends.  They will come in time.  In fact, I think the less a kid worries about it the easier it is.  Above all, I think girls this age just need to know that they are not alone and that lots of them are going through things like this.  Good luck to you, hope this helped.