Knit-Knotters

Stella and the Night Sprites #1

by Sam Hay

Stella discovers that her new glasses are magic, allowing her to see the knit-knotters--night sprites that are flitting around town tyeing knots in children's hair so they need haircuts--and when a conversation with one of them, Trixie, reveals the reason, Stella comes up with a plan to deal with the mischievous fairies.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Chapter Books, Fairies, Fiction, 1st Grade

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 26, 2016

Reviews

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a physical ARC of this book from the publisher at an ALA conference.

[Holly Letson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely fun story. I really liked it, and would like to read any other books that get released from this series in the future as well.

The night sprites were really nice and easy to like, and everyone kept their promises made to one another.

Thank you, Scholastic, for the review copy.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love 🧚‍♂️s so the cover of this book easily caught my eye at my school’s recent book fair. It actually came in a two pack and I was also excited as it’s part of Scholastic’s Branches line: Illustrated early chapter books that grow readers (their words not mine).

A series part of that line I really love is ‘The Owl Diaries’ due to its very colorful and very cutesy interior.

This book unfortunately isn’t overly graphic on the inside and it’s in black & white. Since it’s an early reader the text reads in the style of those ‘I Can Read’ books such as ‘Frog & Toad’.

I’ll continue to follow this series because it is a cute addition to a classroom library.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book a 2 star rating, but my 5 year old would have given it a 4 or 5. 3 is our compromise. I just didn't dig this book. It was silly in an immature way not a funny way, and all these fairies aren't kind nor smart. They're easily outwitted by the human girl each time. So while the human is victorious in her quest for kind fairies... we aren't digging into the root problem. I don't know what that problem is exactly, but I feel like something was missing. Again... my 5 year old liked it.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stella is reluctant to get glasses, but when she tries them on she can suddenly see so much more. She now sees magic including the night sprites who visit homes at night and cause mischief.

Solid easy chapter book. Should appeal to those reading rainbow magic and other sparkly fantasy books.

[Peggy Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read for young readers. Stella goes for new glasses and ends up seeing into the fairy realm. She finds mischief and kindness with the night sprites. Ever wonder why your shoes won't stay tied or why you wake up with knots in your hair?

[Shaunna MacDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for young readers who need encouragement to wear glasses or are new to glasses.
My 3 year old loved this book and now has a twinkle in her eye if she wakes up with knots in her hair “Oh! I think the night sprite visited!” Lol

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for little girls

[Nam · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought this book was way too girly, but it soon became apparent that it was full of mischief. One of the few fairy books that I might actually recommend to an average boy/tomboy.

[Lindsey]

DNF

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lmaoo I just found this book sitting somewhere and I was bored😭😭

[me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this when I was in elementary and I adored it. I found my copies of this and the 2nd book so I decided to re-read them and this story is adorable as always 🥺🥺❤️❤️❤️

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just fine - it's a cute idea that's a little different from friendly fairies. Felt like something was missing though to make it really memorable. Emily thought this book and the next were cute.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this one was a little weird…the kiddo might like it though since we’ve been lamenting over her super knotty hair!

[Anne Mc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute easy read book. Makes getting glasses a little more fun.

[🎲🎧❤️CHanCE💔🎼🎲 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite book but it is ok.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Knit-Knotters is the first title in the new Stella and the Night Sprites series from Scholastic's Branches imprint. Though I didn't see information about the book's reading level in the digital ARC file, it is easily found on the publisher's website. Knit-Knotters is on a second grade reading level, with a Guided Reading level of N and a Lexile rating of 400.

The ARC does not have the final artwork for all pages, but I was able to get a sense of Turine Tran's drawings. They are much better than the illustrations in Stardust Friends and Silver Pony Ranch, which I really did not like, but they are not as appealing as the full-color pictures in the Olive and Beatrix or Owl Diaries books. Stella looks a little older in the pictures than I would have guessed based on the text,

Kids will be drawn to this book based on the cover alone, but I question whether they will like the story. There are too many kinds of magic at work, and it is unclear how they are connected to each other. There is a woman who enchants Stella's glasses, for example, but no explanation for how she is involved with the night sprites. I couldn't tell if this was left intentionally vague to leave room for plot development in future books, or if it was an actual plot hole. It also seems unlikely that kids really wonder how knots get in their hair. Many kids wish they wore glasses, so that part makes sense, but the knit-knotting part of the story seems like an odd choice for a chapter book. I do think, overall, that girls in second and third grade will be drawn to these books, especially if they have already been hooked on fairies in the Rainbow Magic series, but there are also better options in the fantasy genre for this age.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can relate to Stella - a young girl, needing glasses and worried about being teased. I was that girl once. It might not be so bad to get glasses if they turned out to be magic glasses that let you see fairies and sprites. With the help of her magic glasses, Stella finds out that there are mischievous, tiny sprites who tie knots in children's hair when they sleep. She makes friends with them by promising to make them sparkly necklaces if they will leave her hair alone. Thus begins a new series of easy read chapter books. I like the idea behind the books, but so far the sprites are actually mean spirited and not very endearing. Perhaps things will change in the books that follow. Young readers interested in magic and the fairy world might enjoy this series.

[Cosima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stella goes in to get her new glasses but gets more than she bargained for when she encounters a fairy woman who adds a little magic to the glasses. Now Stella can see things others can't, including mischievous magical beings called night sprites who would normally be invisible to her. I thought this story was okay, but kind of dull and all over the place. You can tell it's part of a series because nothing feels resolved. My daughter liked some of the pictures. Overall just "meh".

[Serenity · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

This is a fun little beginning chapter book that should appeal to young readers, especially grade 1-2 girls.

[Shazzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute addition to the fairy pantheon, and other good transitional chapter book series from Scholastic's "Branches" brand.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unmemorable with very little character development.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beginning chapter book for grades 1-3. Perfect for students transitioning to chapter books.