Overview
Scottie's life is changing, and not for the better. She feels like she's losing her best friend, Amanda, and her mom has morphed into the new It girl of Chicago's art world. It feels just like the bottom is about to drop out of her world completely, and then she's thrown a cashmerino lifeline when she discovers KnitWit, her local yarn store. There she and Amanda meet new friends Bella and Tay, and soon all four girls are bound together by their yen for yarn and their hunger for friendship. Soon the stitches and the friendships become so intertwined, it's hard to remember which came first--the girls or the purls.About the Author: Elizabeth Lenhard lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Synopsis
Scottie's life is changing, and not for the better. She feels like she's losing her best friend, Amanda, and her mom has morphed into the new It girl of Chicago's art world. It feels just like the bottom is about to drop out of her world completely, and then she's thrown a cashmerino lifeline when she discovers KnitWit, her local yarn store. There she and Amanda meet new friends Bella and Tay, and soon all four girls are bound together by their yen for yarn and their hunger for friendship. Soon the stitches and the friendships become so intertwined, it's hard to remember which came first--the girls or the purls.
About the Author: Elizabeth Lenhard lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Publishers Weekly
Lenhard's (the W.I.T.C.H. series) novel relays the tale of the self-proclaimed Chicks with Sticks, four diverse, likable teens in Chicago who lose themselves-and in so doing, find themselves-in knitting after they join a class at KnitWit, a yarn shop. Fifteen-year-old Scottie is still grieving the death of her favorite aunt just a month ago. Through the knitting group, she reconnects with her recently estranged best friend, beautiful, popular Amanda, who has hidden her serious learning disability from all peers but Scottie. Another classmate, Tay, sporting spiked hair, tattoos and an eyebrow ring, comes to KnitWit because her guidance counselor "thinks I'm hyper and prescribed yarn in lieu of Ritalin." Home-schooled for years, cheerful Bella is tired of conforming to the expectations of her free-spirited yet smothering parents. Lenhard credibly builds the camaraderie that grows out of this unlikely knitting circle (and includes four projects for young knitters to start their own). But descriptions of the therapeutic effects of both their knitting and friendship at times grow melodramatic (e.g., Bella says, "I can make a sweater with arms long enough for my arms. Maybe, with you guys, I can achieve perfection after all"). Though the group begins to unravel, the plot's predictable pattern reunites the quartet in, unfortunately, a rather banal bind-off. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Lenhard's (the W.I.T.C.H. series) novel relays the tale of the self-proclaimed Chicks with Sticks, four diverse, likable teens in Chicago who lose themselves-and in so doing, find themselves-in knitting after they join a class at KnitWit, a yarn shop. Fifteen-year-old Scottie is still grieving the death of her favorite aunt just a month ago. Through the knitting group, she reconnects with her recently estranged best friend, beautiful, popular Amanda, who has hidden her serious learning disability from all peers but Scottie. Another classmate, Tay, sporting spiked hair, tattoos and an eyebrow ring, comes to KnitWit because her guidance counselor "thinks I'm hyper and prescribed yarn in lieu of Ritalin." Home-schooled for years, cheerful Bella is tired of conforming to the expectations of her free-spirited yet smothering parents. Lenhard credibly builds the camaraderie that grows out of this unlikely knitting circle (and includes four projects for young knitters to start their own). But descriptions of the therapeutic effects of both their knitting and friendship at times grow melodramatic (e.g., Bella says, "I can make a sweater with arms long enough for my arms. Maybe, with you guys, I can achieve perfection after all"). Though the group begins to unravel, the plot's predictable pattern reunites the quartet in, unfortunately, a rather banal bind-off. Ages 12-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Scottie does not think that learning how to knit at her aunt's funeral would end up changing her life. However, Scottie quickly becomes addicted to knitting and soon finds out why women have enjoyed knitting for hundreds of years. Through knitting, Scottie reunites with her old best friend Amanda and becomes friends with two very different girls, Bella and Tay. At first they only hang out at KnitWit, the local knitting store, but they soon start knitting at school, on the train, and even at a baseball game. Eventually, though, fractures in the tight friendships begin to appear. Can the knitting that brought the friends together in the first place help reunite them? The power of knitting takes on an almost magical dimension in this fun, touching story about a girl trying to figure out where she belongs in the world. Lenhard shows a deep understanding of knitting and the human psyche. A must-read for anyone who has ever been addicted to a craft—or would like to be. 2005, Dutton, Ages 12 up.—Amie Rose Rotruck
KLIATT
Okay, this sounds like a weird story—how knitting knits together friendships and unravels tension. (Sorry.) Four girls, with different personalities and interests, discover knitting. And they become obsessive knitters, getting together to do their projects. They aren't the typical craft-loving types, and they aren't girls who would necessarily have found each other to become friends. It all starts when Scottie is sitting Shiva for her beloved aunt, feeling miserable, when an elderly relative introduces her to knitting. She discovers that the knitting eases her misery, helps her to get to sleep, and gives her something to do when she is all stressed out. That's the beginning. The four girls find a mentor at the local yarn shop, KnitWit, which becomes a haven from their (slightly) troubled lives. This is witty and warm-hearted. I'm not sure how it could be introduced to YA readers, but perhaps reading a passage aloud in a book talk might do the trick. The title alone gives a sense of the entertainment value of this story. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Penguin, Dutton, 241p., Ages 12 to 15.—Claire Rosser