Skip to content

Book Review: Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting

Book Review by Thereza Dos Santos

Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting

At the start of the year, I found myself traveling to Portugal for a funeral instead of a children’s writing conference in NYC. I needed a book that wasn’t too heavy, both literally and figuratively, as I would only have a carry-on, and I was already emotional. So, I grabbed Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting by Canadian writer Jean Mills. Mills has published several books, and after having enjoyed her 2019 YA novel, Larkin on the Shore, I was confident her writing style would carry me through the ten-day trip.

Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting is a contemporary coming-of-age story about a teen girl who is a math wiz and expert knitter, and who must step out of her comfort zone to navigate the complications arising from new friendships and young love.

The story begins in her parent’s yarn shop, String Theory (an excellent name for the mathematically inclined), and hooks the reader from the start when Bliss overhears a conversation from her special spot hidden from others. She worries that the person speaking is the mother of a boy from school, Finn, and his mother is doing something she definitely shouldn’t be.

Bliss is a solid and loyal character, someone you’d want as a friend. Though she is a math wiz, the math content is light, so those who need a break from the subject don’t need to worry. She has two good friends: Anderson, her trustworthy athletic friend who doesn’t fit the mold of jock, and Bethany, her romantically inclined friend. Then there is a pregnant girl, Sydney, coming to town to see out her pregnancy, and Bliss is pulled into helping Sydney get through the school scandal that will inevitably come.

Sydney arrives, and she is athletic and confident, not hiding like a girl shunned. Plot predictability is cast to the wind when she easily joins Bliss’s friend group and even the girl’s volleyball team. Her confidence contrasts nicely with Bliss’s uncertainty. There are the less-than-nice girls that hang around Finn (Bliss’s math wiz counterpart and romantic interest), creating some nice YA tension. Adding to the tension are the antics of Finn’s married mother, who is clearly up to something along the lines of a secret romance. This secret is a stressor to Bliss and keeps the reader turning the page. Bliss becomes more distracted by Finn as they spend more time together – a cute boy who is learning how to knit for charity with the school knitting club. We also come to care for and worry about Finn’s little sister, whom Bliss teaches how to knit.

The act of knitting weaves its way throughout the story, a wonderfully unique element to include in a young adult novel. The yarn shop’s Help Desk, where people come in search of assistance with their knitting snafus, adds a fun and distinctive touch. Coincidentally, a yarn shop also named String Theory opened in Fergus, Ontario, Canada, during the writing of this novel. The terminology is engaging too, like “tinking,” where you knit backwards to correct a mistake (and did you notice that “tink” is “knit” spelled backwards?).

When Bliss is troubled, she clears her head with her needles, an activity she calls the knitting cure, her hobby mirroring her systematic thought processes. Bliss’s approach to overcoming the challenges that arise in her teen life is much like her approach to knitting, which is to not look too far ahead and to take one stitch at a time. Probably good advice for all of us.

Although I do not knit, I have been around it my whole life as my mother is an avid knitter, and let me tell you, it’s an excellent hobby for a 93-year-old with mobility issues. Not only that, I’m pretty sure it helps keep her mind sharp.

Another surprise is the back matter, which contains a knitting guide for the projects featured in the story and an interview with the author, where she discusses Bliss and how knitting applies to life.

Mills perfectly captures the teen voice of a young math wiz. The book, with its smooth writing style and short, tidy chapters, was a perfect read for this particular trip but would have been enjoyable anytime.

Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting will appeal to teens (and adults who like YA) who enjoy a heartfelt read. It introduces the complexities of life in a gentle way with a secret that will keep you turning pages until the end. It will also definitely appeal to knitters.


Thereza Dos Santos
About the Reviewer – Thereza Dos Santos

Thereza Dos Santos has been a part of Toronto’s children’s writing community for many years, focusing on young adult and picture books. Her YA novel BECOMING JULIET was shortlisted in CANSCAIP’S Writing for Children Competition, and the Humber College School for Writers also awarded her a Letter of Distinction.


Did you like this Book Review of Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting? Then you might also like: 

Smallwood Offers Style and Intriguing Content
Shapes of Native Nonfiction
Layered Poetry in heft by Doyali Islam
Sam sax’s Madness Under Examination
Take a Does of Michael Pollan’s Latest Batch, How to Change Your Mind
Through, Not Around: Stories of Infertility and Pregnancy Loss