23165871Title: Boys Don’t Knit (In Public)

Author: T. S. Easton

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: March 2015

Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary

Series or Stand Alone: Series, Book One

 

 

 

Synopsis can be found here.

I bought a copy of this book for review.

 

 

Review:

 

Perhaps I’m partial, being a knitter myself. But this sweet and charming contemporary YA about a boy and his knitting really hit home for me.

Ben Fletcher is on probation and has to take an evening class. In comes knitting. And surprisingly, Ben finds that he enjoys it. But he doesn’t know how to tell people. Not his Dad, who thinks he’s taking pottery class. Not his friends, who got him into trouble in the first place. Not the girl he likes, Megan, whose mother is his knitting teacher and is sworn to secrecy.

But Ben’s secret won’t stay secret for long and he is going to find out how creative knitting is. And it doesn’t matter if he’s a boy who likes to knit.

Ben is fun and sweet, an English boy who has gotten into a world of trouble. His parents are hilarious, his mother and father having some problems of their own. Ben’s mom is very understanding and wonderful, but it’s Ben’s Dad that he has trouble connecting with. I really liked how involved both of his parents were in his life. They were different and there were different challenges, but they didn’t disappear for the book, which I appreciated.

Normal teenage life continues with girl trouble, misunderstandings, and trying to get your mates to not tease you about knitting. Add in the occasional fight with a bully, and high school is just like I remember it. The best part of the book is that it’s told in diary form from Ben. And Ben’s voice is wholly unique, clever and very very humorous. The way Ben describes his days, the eventual competition and his community service is so heartwarming. I loved every minute of this book.

And being a knitter, there’s a special place in my heart when he talks about two girls podcasting, which I do, and how he creates patterns and has to choose between yarns. Sigh. I understand Ben. I understand.

Non-knitters will love this story too for Ben’s sweetness, the light romance, the great humor and the subtle commentary of traditional male and female roles. And how we can break them.

 

I will def. be reading the second book.

I’m so happy I read this one now. It’s just what I needed to make me smile!

 

If you don’t know, I have a knitting podcast with my friend, Thuy. You can find us at Twisted Stitches.