What do you think?
Rate this book
Unsinkable Cayenne: An Award-Winning Middle Grade Novel-in-Verse About Belonging for Kids
When her unconventional parents finally agree to settle down in one place, twelve-year-old Cayenne’s dreams come true—but the reality of fitting in is much harder than she imagined. Acclaimed author Jessica Vitalis crafts an unforgettable historical novel-in-verse about belonging, family, and social class for fans of Lisa Fipps’s Starfish and Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home.
Cayenne and her family drift from place to place, living in their van. It hasn’t been a bad life—Cayenne and her mother birdwatch in every new location, they have a cozy setup in their van, and they sing and dance and bond over campfires most nights. But they’ve never belonged anywhere.
As Cayenne enters seventh grade, her parents decide to settle down in a small Montana town. Cayenne hopes that this means she will finally belong somewhere and make some friends. But it turns out that staying in one place isn’t easy at all.
As her social studies class studies the Titanic tragedy (the wreckage has just been discovered and her teacher is obsessed), Cayenne sees more and more parallels between the social strata of the infamous ship and her own life. Will she ever squeeze her way into the popular girls’ clique, even though they live in fancy houses on the hill and she lives in a tiny, rundown home with chickens in the front yard? Is it possible that the boy she likes actually likes her back? Can she find a way to make room for herself in this town? Does she really want to? Maybe being “normal” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Unsinkable Cayenne is a character-driven novel-in-verse about family, friendship, first crushes, and fitting in. Set in the mid-1980s, this literary novel is for readers of Megan E. Freeman’s Alone and Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.
Cayenne and her family drift from place to place, living in their van. It hasn’t been a bad life—Cayenne and her mother birdwatch in every new location, they have a cozy setup in their van, and they sing and dance and bond over campfires most nights. But they’ve never belonged anywhere.
As Cayenne enters seventh grade, her parents decide to settle down in a small Montana town. Cayenne hopes that this means she will finally belong somewhere and make some friends. But it turns out that staying in one place isn’t easy at all.
As her social studies class studies the Titanic tragedy (the wreckage has just been discovered and her teacher is obsessed), Cayenne sees more and more parallels between the social strata of the infamous ship and her own life. Will she ever squeeze her way into the popular girls’ clique, even though they live in fancy houses on the hill and she lives in a tiny, rundown home with chickens in the front yard? Is it possible that the boy she likes actually likes her back? Can she find a way to make room for herself in this town? Does she really want to? Maybe being “normal” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Unsinkable Cayenne is a character-driven novel-in-verse about family, friendship, first crushes, and fitting in. Set in the mid-1980s, this literary novel is for readers of Megan E. Freeman’s Alone and Erin Entrada Kelly’s We Dream of Space.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2024
19 people are currently reading
3295 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Vitalis
4 books193 followersJESSICA VITALIS is an award-winning, Columbia MBA-wielding middle grade author with Greenwillow/HarperCollins. Her books have been translated into three languages, received multiple starred reviews, been designated as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections, and appeared on “Best Book” lists for Kirkus and CCBC. Her latest novel, Coyote Queen, won the Reading the West Book Award and the Women Writing the West 2024 WILLA Literary Award in Children’s Fiction and Non-Fiction. It is also a High Plains Book Award and SCBWI Crystal Kite Book Award finalist. A historical novel in verse, Unsinkable Cayenne, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection arriving October 29th, 2024. Jessica has American and Canadian citizenship; she currently lives and writes in Ontario but speaks at schools, conferences, and festivals all over North America. Connect on Instagram at @jessicavauthor and at www.jessicavitalis.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
November 14, 2023
I'm constantly surprised by the fact that Jessica manages to write a new book that's even better than the last one-- and that's saying something because I have LOVED all her books. I'm normally not a fan of novels in verse, but this book is definitely an exception. This is a must read for kids and adults alike!!
August 1, 2024
What a fantastic novel-in-verse set in the mid ‘80s showing the resilience that Cayenne has living with her family in a van. They finally decide to rent a small house, and Cayenne starts 7th grade. She quickly finds out making friends is not that easy. The popular girls make her feel like a loser in the beginning but eventually include her some. There’s a boy that she thinks she likes and maybe he likes her. When dad loses his job, Cayenne’s parents begin to fight more and mom wants to leave. Cayenne thinks that people can make her feel small, but knows it’s okay to stand out in middle school because there will always be people who will make you feel that way. Do Cayenne and her parents stay or move on?
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
March 5, 2025
"The Thing Mom Doesn't Understand
Some people ARE bigger.
Whether we like it or not,
our size
has nothing to do
with the amount of space
our bodies take up.
It has everything to do
with the amount of space
other people tell us
we're allowed to take up."
"After we finish packing the van
I gaze at the house I'd hope would be
a permanent home.
I'd expected it
to change everything.
The only thing that changed
was me.
Before I arrived
I wanted to hide my strange
life behind four walls
built of normal.
This house
this town
this move
taught me
to break down walls
take up - space
claim my place
in a world
where there are always
going to be people
trying to make me
feel small."
" Some walls existed
long before I was born.
Some walls will exist
long after I'm gone."
" Fitting in is overrated.
The key to surviving middle school
is to be okay
standing out."
I've never written a review where I used only quotes from the book, but this book speaks for itself. I fell in love with Cayenne from the minute I started reading this book. Her parents wanted to be free birds, but Cayenne's had other dreams. She wanted stability and what Cayenne would call "normalcy." She wanted a house with a foundation, school lunches, boyfriends, a social life and a schedule. If only she could have that instead of the sticker- plastered van that has been her home-on-wheels with her family.
Then, that day happened. The family moved into a home with a foundation, a home with walls and a solid floor. I can’t say much about what else the house had to offer as it needed work, but it was a start and for now, Cayenne was happy. She could start living her dream and I was happy for her. Middle school was on her horizon and things were looking up, yet we all know what middle school brings, and I was hoping that Cayenne would fit in. Would she find her own crowd? Would she be accepted? How would her parents adapt to living in a house? Cayenne’s hopes and dreams seemed simple and practical yet when there’s so much going on around her, they become involved.
What a great novel! I really loved all the characters and how realistic this book felt. This was also an emotional book for me, the highs and the lows as Cayenne gets to experience one of her dreams. I highly recommend it. 5 stars
Some people ARE bigger.
Whether we like it or not,
our size
has nothing to do
with the amount of space
our bodies take up.
It has everything to do
with the amount of space
other people tell us
we're allowed to take up."
"After we finish packing the van
I gaze at the house I'd hope would be
a permanent home.
I'd expected it
to change everything.
The only thing that changed
was me.
Before I arrived
I wanted to hide my strange
life behind four walls
built of normal.
This house
this town
this move
taught me
to break down walls
take up - space
claim my place
in a world
where there are always
going to be people
trying to make me
feel small."
" Some walls existed
long before I was born.
Some walls will exist
long after I'm gone."
" Fitting in is overrated.
The key to surviving middle school
is to be okay
standing out."
I've never written a review where I used only quotes from the book, but this book speaks for itself. I fell in love with Cayenne from the minute I started reading this book. Her parents wanted to be free birds, but Cayenne's had other dreams. She wanted stability and what Cayenne would call "normalcy." She wanted a house with a foundation, school lunches, boyfriends, a social life and a schedule. If only she could have that instead of the sticker- plastered van that has been her home-on-wheels with her family.
Then, that day happened. The family moved into a home with a foundation, a home with walls and a solid floor. I can’t say much about what else the house had to offer as it needed work, but it was a start and for now, Cayenne was happy. She could start living her dream and I was happy for her. Middle school was on her horizon and things were looking up, yet we all know what middle school brings, and I was hoping that Cayenne would fit in. Would she find her own crowd? Would she be accepted? How would her parents adapt to living in a house? Cayenne’s hopes and dreams seemed simple and practical yet when there’s so much going on around her, they become involved.
What a great novel! I really loved all the characters and how realistic this book felt. This was also an emotional book for me, the highs and the lows as Cayenne gets to experience one of her dreams. I highly recommend it. 5 stars
October 29, 2024
This lovely book uses the sinking of the Titanic to make discussions of class accessible to young readers. It does double duty bringing the history to life too. You’ll absolutely love getting to know Cayenne and her zany family 💕
July 15, 2024
Jessica Vitalis (The Wolf’s Curse, The Rabbit’s Gift, Coyote Queen) brings MG readers another semi-autobiographical story, but this time in Novel-in-Verse format. Using NIV means greater emphasis on word selection and therefore, brings a greater intensity to each and every word.
Beginning seventh grade for Cayenne brings a time for the “normal” she has been yearning for. Instead of living in a van, moving around near constantly, not really doing the home school she has supposedly been doing, barely making ends meet, and bathing in creeks, her family of five is actually moving into a house and she will be going to middle school with many possible friends. But how can Cayenne ever be normal if her mother continues to wear hippie clothes, have chickens in the front yard, supply the family with alternative natural substances for deodorant, and only fix vegan meals? And what about her free-wheeling, occasionally pot-smoking dad? Will she ever fit truly in or have a friend who sees past her secondhand clothes and the poor smell that doesn’t ever seem to leave her skin?
Cayenne’s story may not mirror most kids in grades 4-7, but elements such as searching for friends who see the good, “inside” stuff instead of the superficial, striving to be more than how much money is in the bank, hoping for a first boyfriend/girlfriend, and being embarrassed by parents will resound loudly! Unsinkable Cayenne is truly a book that will be a mirror for many readers, a window for others, and hopefully a sliding glass door in some way for all. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. The references to Cayenne’s dad using marijuana is infrequent, does represent the life experience of the author and is a fact of life for many of our middle school kids. His use is not glorified, is called illegal, seems to be an escape tool and is a source of shame for his daughter. (Note: Jessica Vitalis and I had a written conversation about the marijuana being a part of her life story and how it added to the authenticity of Cayenne’s mixed feelings about her family and some of their behaviors.)
Recommended for all libraries of those in grades 4-7.
Thanks for sharing a print arc with my arc-sharing group, Jessica Vitalis and thanks to Edelweiss for the electronic arc, as well.
Beginning seventh grade for Cayenne brings a time for the “normal” she has been yearning for. Instead of living in a van, moving around near constantly, not really doing the home school she has supposedly been doing, barely making ends meet, and bathing in creeks, her family of five is actually moving into a house and she will be going to middle school with many possible friends. But how can Cayenne ever be normal if her mother continues to wear hippie clothes, have chickens in the front yard, supply the family with alternative natural substances for deodorant, and only fix vegan meals? And what about her free-wheeling, occasionally pot-smoking dad? Will she ever fit truly in or have a friend who sees past her secondhand clothes and the poor smell that doesn’t ever seem to leave her skin?
Cayenne’s story may not mirror most kids in grades 4-7, but elements such as searching for friends who see the good, “inside” stuff instead of the superficial, striving to be more than how much money is in the bank, hoping for a first boyfriend/girlfriend, and being embarrassed by parents will resound loudly! Unsinkable Cayenne is truly a book that will be a mirror for many readers, a window for others, and hopefully a sliding glass door in some way for all. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. The references to Cayenne’s dad using marijuana is infrequent, does represent the life experience of the author and is a fact of life for many of our middle school kids. His use is not glorified, is called illegal, seems to be an escape tool and is a source of shame for his daughter. (Note: Jessica Vitalis and I had a written conversation about the marijuana being a part of her life story and how it added to the authenticity of Cayenne’s mixed feelings about her family and some of their behaviors.)
Recommended for all libraries of those in grades 4-7.
Thanks for sharing a print arc with my arc-sharing group, Jessica Vitalis and thanks to Edelweiss for the electronic arc, as well.
July 31, 2024
Unsinkable Cayenne is an incredible story of seizing your right to take up space as yourself. Our protagonist Cayenne and her nomadic parents are vivid, rich characters and the picture of their life is expertly and precisely painted with verse. Though the story is set in 1985, Cayenne's wants will be relatable to contemporary readers of junior fiction: new shoes, pierced ears, and to be a part of the in-crowd who seem never to want for those things. Jessica Vitalis seamlessly likens the rigid class system of the passengers aboard the Titanic with the two sides of a hilly street in a small Montana town. Fans of coming of-age novels such as Are You There, God? It's Me Margaret, Raina Telgemeier's Smile, and Vitalis' middle grade novel Coyote Queen will love this book's earnest return to the debilitating fear of being a middle schooler who stands out. If you like Shane Koyczan's Stickboy or Sonja Solter's When You Know What I Know, you'll find the verse in Unsinkable Cayenne deeply moving and compelling. This is my new favourite novel in verse!
January 20, 2025
5 stars. 1985 - 40 years ago - how can that be historical fiction - I was just out of college?
Random thoughts:
looks like her family is a lot like 1970s hippies in the campground - confirmed later in book, dad Vietnam vet
Free-dumb
Arrive to Montana from warm California, stop running from normal
Loves baby soft
Smell of weird maybe why kids in past didn’t stay with her as friends
Sea of white faces takes time to get used to
MS fit in or stand out, don’t want to stand out for wrong reasons
Pizza Hut personal pan pizza
80s songs and roller skating parties
The more you have the more there is to lose
How is cayenne going to research her titanic person without the internet? I just googled her name
The cheese stands alone
Size has nothing to do with amount of space our bodies take up it has everything to do with the amount of space other people tell us we’re allowed to take up.
No shame in doing what has to be done
Fitting in is overrated. the key to surviving middle school is to be OK standing out.
Random thoughts:
looks like her family is a lot like 1970s hippies in the campground - confirmed later in book, dad Vietnam vet
Free-dumb
Arrive to Montana from warm California, stop running from normal
Loves baby soft
Smell of weird maybe why kids in past didn’t stay with her as friends
Sea of white faces takes time to get used to
MS fit in or stand out, don’t want to stand out for wrong reasons
Pizza Hut personal pan pizza
80s songs and roller skating parties
The more you have the more there is to lose
How is cayenne going to research her titanic person without the internet? I just googled her name
The cheese stands alone
Size has nothing to do with amount of space our bodies take up it has everything to do with the amount of space other people tell us we’re allowed to take up.
No shame in doing what has to be done
Fitting in is overrated. the key to surviving middle school is to be OK standing out.
October 13, 2024
I so fell in love with Cayenne's journey in finding herself. Middle School is messy and much harder when your family moves around constantly. I fell in love with the friendship of Cayenne and Dawn and just wanted to keep reading! Such a lovely gem of a book!
November 19, 2024
BOOK REVIEW: UNSINKABLE CAYENNE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I just finished this delightful semi-autobiographical historical YA novel-in-verse which takes place in a the mid-1980’s in a small town in Montana, where 12-year-old Cayenne’s hippy pot-smoking parents decide to settle down for a bit to give their daughter a bit of stability for the first time in her life. Cayenne spent her first 12 years living in their camper van roaming the country, so she was excited to finally have a room of her own as her Dad found a job and rented a ramshackle old place. Initially, she is excited about attending a real school, but soon realizes how difficult it is to fit in when you go to school reeking of marijuana while dressed in clothes from the last-chance sale rack at Good Will. Her Dad is a disabled Vietnam War vet with major PTSD issues while her mother is a vegan with an aversion to the “establishment!” When her history teacher, who has an obsession with the Titanic, assigns everyone with a passenger to research, Cayenne discovers parallels between her experience at this school and the wide disparities between the upper and lower socio-economic classes on board ship. What does Cayenne learn that can help her navigate the turbulent seas of life at home and at school? I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s use of free verse narration as it affords the author greater license in playing with language via literary devices. I also found that the author’s masterful use of the sub-theme of the Titanic provided an engaging parallel to the main character’s own story. I highly recommend this book to most readers!
I just finished this delightful semi-autobiographical historical YA novel-in-verse which takes place in a the mid-1980’s in a small town in Montana, where 12-year-old Cayenne’s hippy pot-smoking parents decide to settle down for a bit to give their daughter a bit of stability for the first time in her life. Cayenne spent her first 12 years living in their camper van roaming the country, so she was excited to finally have a room of her own as her Dad found a job and rented a ramshackle old place. Initially, she is excited about attending a real school, but soon realizes how difficult it is to fit in when you go to school reeking of marijuana while dressed in clothes from the last-chance sale rack at Good Will. Her Dad is a disabled Vietnam War vet with major PTSD issues while her mother is a vegan with an aversion to the “establishment!” When her history teacher, who has an obsession with the Titanic, assigns everyone with a passenger to research, Cayenne discovers parallels between her experience at this school and the wide disparities between the upper and lower socio-economic classes on board ship. What does Cayenne learn that can help her navigate the turbulent seas of life at home and at school? I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s use of free verse narration as it affords the author greater license in playing with language via literary devices. I also found that the author’s masterful use of the sub-theme of the Titanic provided an engaging parallel to the main character’s own story. I highly recommend this book to most readers!
October 26, 2024
4.5 stars to Vitalis for this engaging verse novel about Cayenne, a new 7th grader who just wants to fit in at school after leaving a nomadic life to settle with her family in a small Montana town in 1985. Cayenne's family is poor and her parents (including her pot-smoking dad) are hippies, but she wants to be like the rich popular kids when she starts a new school. She has a crush on the new boy and tries to navigate friendships, but her family is dealing with a lot with as low as their income is. When her history teacher shares the statistics on the survival rates of the first-, second-, and third-class passengers on the Titanic, Cayenne starts to feel like a third-class passenger floundering in a first-class world. She's a believable middle schooler that readers will identify with and cheer for.
My students love verse novels, and I will probably add this to my shelves, but as a teacher in a Christian school, there may be a couple of concerns for others with a similar population: (1) a minor character at the end is referenced as having two moms, and (2) the author's note places Darwinism over creation theory in trying to settle the chicken vs. the egg debate. The fact that the dad's marijuana habit is illegal is handled appropriately, but the other two minor items keep it off my 5-star list for other teachers in Christian schools.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Vitalis herself for this eARC, given only in exchange for my honest review.
My students love verse novels, and I will probably add this to my shelves, but as a teacher in a Christian school, there may be a couple of concerns for others with a similar population: (1) a minor character at the end is referenced as having two moms, and (2) the author's note places Darwinism over creation theory in trying to settle the chicken vs. the egg debate. The fact that the dad's marijuana habit is illegal is handled appropriately, but the other two minor items keep it off my 5-star list for other teachers in Christian schools.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Vitalis herself for this eARC, given only in exchange for my honest review.
July 18, 2025
4.5 stars...I really really enjoyed this. Its such a wonderful story from a POV that I dont think ive seen much in books. Cayenne's family is always moving and traveling...never lived in a permanent home...shes always been homeschooled...they are vegetarians...they dont eat processed foods...and money is very tight. But at the start of this book that is all about to change and Cayenne is EXCITED...excited to live in a house, excited to go to a school, excited to finally...FINALLY...make some friends. The way this book explores the differences between Cayenne and her peers, her struggle with her "embarrassment" over her family's financial situation and their different lifestyle, her crush on a boy at school, and more...its so well done and relatable. Even when I didn't like the choices Cayenne was making...it felt so authentic and I could understand WHY she was doing those things. Its not a new favorite for me but its one I highly recommend and know I will be reading again.
November 19, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3.5/5 stars.
This is a quick middle grade verse novel set in the 1980s about Cayenne. Her family lives a van/nomadic lifestyle until they settle down for a bit in a town. Cayenne, for the first time in her life, experiences "normal" life and the realities of being poor. This, along with feeling like she's ignored in her life from her parents because of her baby twin siblings, creates the plot for the novel.
While I enjoyed the easy verse, a lot of the plot was meh? Like, I can see the appeal for middle grade, but I also don't know why a whole lot was added in to the plot. Many of the characters felt very flat, including Cayenne herself. There is value in this book to demonstrate social class differences and how it influences schools, but it also was just....meh? for lack of a better term.
This is a quick middle grade verse novel set in the 1980s about Cayenne. Her family lives a van/nomadic lifestyle until they settle down for a bit in a town. Cayenne, for the first time in her life, experiences "normal" life and the realities of being poor. This, along with feeling like she's ignored in her life from her parents because of her baby twin siblings, creates the plot for the novel.
While I enjoyed the easy verse, a lot of the plot was meh? Like, I can see the appeal for middle grade, but I also don't know why a whole lot was added in to the plot. Many of the characters felt very flat, including Cayenne herself. There is value in this book to demonstrate social class differences and how it influences schools, but it also was just....meh? for lack of a better term.
May 31, 2025
Relateable now even if it takes place in the 80s. Middle school is rough to fit in. I relate to it and I am sure middle school and high school kids will as well. A good reminder that we don't all come from normal families, and that is okay.
November 17, 2024
Loved this middle grade novel in verse about trying to fit in. Also loved the mid 80s setting
August 12, 2024
“I don’t understand why the amount of money someone has determines how much they are worth.”
🐔
Twelve-year-old Cayenne has wanted to have a permanent home all her life so when her nomadic hippie parents decide to settle down in a small town in Montana, she’s thrilled. It’s the 80s, but popularity and fitting in are still a big part of #middleschool life, which makes it hard for Cayenne because her family has very little money and their hippie ways make them “weird”. As Cayenne starts learning how to fit in, she’s not sure she likes who she is becoming in order to do so.
🚢
This was such a unique MG historical fiction novel in verse. It brought in elements of family dynamics, the Titanic wreckage being found, as well as classism, being green and healthy, and what it’s like to try and fit in when you’re a tween/teen. Fans of Stargirl and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise will love this book. So many great lessons with this novel that releases October 29 from @jessicavauthor
CW: classism, poverty, homelessness, bullying, drug use, depression, job loss
🐔
Twelve-year-old Cayenne has wanted to have a permanent home all her life so when her nomadic hippie parents decide to settle down in a small town in Montana, she’s thrilled. It’s the 80s, but popularity and fitting in are still a big part of #middleschool life, which makes it hard for Cayenne because her family has very little money and their hippie ways make them “weird”. As Cayenne starts learning how to fit in, she’s not sure she likes who she is becoming in order to do so.
🚢
This was such a unique MG historical fiction novel in verse. It brought in elements of family dynamics, the Titanic wreckage being found, as well as classism, being green and healthy, and what it’s like to try and fit in when you’re a tween/teen. Fans of Stargirl and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise will love this book. So many great lessons with this novel that releases October 29 from @jessicavauthor
CW: classism, poverty, homelessness, bullying, drug use, depression, job loss
November 6, 2024
Unsinkable Cayenne is a beautiful novel written in verse that explores wealth inequality, first crushes, the challenges of making new friends, fitting in, and family. Other books by Jessica Vitalis that I've read and enjoyed include The Wolf's Curse, Coyote-Queen, and The Rabbit's Gift.
Having this set in 1985 brought back so many memories, it had all the vibes of this time period with references to the clothing, perms, pooling together your change to buy a new pair of shoes, and even secretly piercing your own ears. The crush on Beau was really sweet and I loved that Cayenne finally found a supportive circle of friends. The classroom discussions about the Titanic were interesting and really highlighted the stark differences in class systems or how where the passengers stayed on the ship correlated to differences in the number of fatalities that were reported. Cayenne's story will resonate with kids whose families are struggling financially and those kids who want to fit in at school. Readers will appreciate that the author utilized her own life experiences when writing the book and I sincerely hope for more books about Cayenne, as her story deeply moved me.
*A huge thank you to Jessica Vitalis and her publisher for the E-ARC of Unsinkable Cayenne, in exchange for an honest review. *
Having this set in 1985 brought back so many memories, it had all the vibes of this time period with references to the clothing, perms, pooling together your change to buy a new pair of shoes, and even secretly piercing your own ears. The crush on Beau was really sweet and I loved that Cayenne finally found a supportive circle of friends. The classroom discussions about the Titanic were interesting and really highlighted the stark differences in class systems or how where the passengers stayed on the ship correlated to differences in the number of fatalities that were reported. Cayenne's story will resonate with kids whose families are struggling financially and those kids who want to fit in at school. Readers will appreciate that the author utilized her own life experiences when writing the book and I sincerely hope for more books about Cayenne, as her story deeply moved me.
*A huge thank you to Jessica Vitalis and her publisher for the E-ARC of Unsinkable Cayenne, in exchange for an honest review. *
Read
August 17, 2024SLJ review title - watch for my review in that publication
July 14, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
It's 1985, and Cayenne's family has been living in a 1969 camper van, traveling the US. Her father is a Vietnam vet who is on disability, and her mother is a free spirit who doesn't want to be tied down to a conventional lifestyle. However, since the birth of Cayenne's twin siblings, Bear and Sossity, it's been more difficult to maintain this nomadic way of life, and Cayenne's father has gotten a job in a sawmill in Montana. The family is renting a house, and Cayenne is very excited to be able to stay in one place and go to school. The house is rather run down, and she's a little concerned about fitting in to her new school, but there are some hopeful signs. The family finds a dog, George, and Cayenne sees a cute boy in the neighborhood. He turns out to be new to the school as well. Cayenne starts to play the flute, and would like desperately to be as popular and untroubled as the other flute players, who look down their noses at her worn and unstylish clothing. She does befriend the bookish Dawn, whose father is a doctor and whose mother is a nurse. This secure family situation allows her to match her outfits to the books she is reading. She's nice, but Cayenne can tell that Dawn is a bit of an outcast, and worries about aligning herself with her. She's happy to befriend Tiff, one of the flute players, even when Tiff criticizes her shoes. Beau is rumored to be interested in her, but Cayenne finds herself tongue tied in his presence, and thinks that she is being taunted when his friends give her Beau's phone number and tell her to call. Her teacher is very excited about the fact that the wreckage of the Titanic has been found, and many of their school projects revolve around this historic event. Cayenne is still concerned that her mother is going to alienate her new friends; she's raising chickens in the yard, and was very cold to Tiff's mother when the woman brought over cookies, since she is not about to embrace something as conventional as the PTA. Even though things are financially difficult, especially after her father is laid off from the sawmill, Cayenne is hopeful that things will work out and her family will be able to stay put. The class projects on the Titanic show the socioeconomic disparity in the number of deaths, and Cayenne sees the parallels in her own life, and wonders why having more money should translate into a person being more valued. While there is some kindness from her friends' families when Cayenne's parents are really strapped, it's not enough to keep them in their home. Luckily, when they hit the road again, they run into another family with a similar outlook, and Cayenne is able to understand that while their lifestyle might not be the most "normal" one, it still has some positive aspects to it.
Strengths: There are LOTS of good historical details about fashions, news, and prevailing thoughts in 1985; from Swatches and Benetton to the ubiquity of perms, this hits all of the highlights. I also appreciated that the dates worked for the parents being hippies, especially since there have been relatively few middle grade books with fathers who fought in Vietnam. Cayenne has a good idea of what it takes to fit in during middle school, and she makes realistic attempts to be cool by piercing her own ears and using a cash windfall to buy new sneakers. Dawn was a great character, as was Tiff, and I was glad that Cayenne did have a few good friends and wasn't completely alone. The crush on Beau was very sweet, and I loved that he invited her on an outing with his parents! The information about the Titanic, and the different death rates for different social classes, was quite interesting, and this gets bonus points for mentioning the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown. (If you're even in Denver, you can still visit her house!) Comparisons with Fipps' And Then... Boom are apt, due to the verse format as well as the questionable parenting, and this is a great addition to other books about families who are struggling to make ends meet, including Supplee's The Sweetness All Around, Walker's Why Can't I Be You, and Ogle's Free Lunch.
Weaknesses: A parent smoking marijuana openly in 1985 would have been VERY concerning. Modern readers will have a vague idea that marijuana is now legal under certain circumstances, but I was a little surprised that the father's (then) illegal use wasn't explained more.
What I really think: This is set a few years earlier than Toalsen's The First Magnificent Summer but definitely has some similarities. The comparison that popped into my mind (maybe because of the similarities in the names) was this: if Gemeinhart's The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise ended and sequed into Eulberg's The Best Worst Summer (because of the 1980s cultural details) but was written in verse, you'd have Unsinkable Cayenne! This also made me think of all of the parents in Jacqueline Wilson's novels.
It's 1985, and Cayenne's family has been living in a 1969 camper van, traveling the US. Her father is a Vietnam vet who is on disability, and her mother is a free spirit who doesn't want to be tied down to a conventional lifestyle. However, since the birth of Cayenne's twin siblings, Bear and Sossity, it's been more difficult to maintain this nomadic way of life, and Cayenne's father has gotten a job in a sawmill in Montana. The family is renting a house, and Cayenne is very excited to be able to stay in one place and go to school. The house is rather run down, and she's a little concerned about fitting in to her new school, but there are some hopeful signs. The family finds a dog, George, and Cayenne sees a cute boy in the neighborhood. He turns out to be new to the school as well. Cayenne starts to play the flute, and would like desperately to be as popular and untroubled as the other flute players, who look down their noses at her worn and unstylish clothing. She does befriend the bookish Dawn, whose father is a doctor and whose mother is a nurse. This secure family situation allows her to match her outfits to the books she is reading. She's nice, but Cayenne can tell that Dawn is a bit of an outcast, and worries about aligning herself with her. She's happy to befriend Tiff, one of the flute players, even when Tiff criticizes her shoes. Beau is rumored to be interested in her, but Cayenne finds herself tongue tied in his presence, and thinks that she is being taunted when his friends give her Beau's phone number and tell her to call. Her teacher is very excited about the fact that the wreckage of the Titanic has been found, and many of their school projects revolve around this historic event. Cayenne is still concerned that her mother is going to alienate her new friends; she's raising chickens in the yard, and was very cold to Tiff's mother when the woman brought over cookies, since she is not about to embrace something as conventional as the PTA. Even though things are financially difficult, especially after her father is laid off from the sawmill, Cayenne is hopeful that things will work out and her family will be able to stay put. The class projects on the Titanic show the socioeconomic disparity in the number of deaths, and Cayenne sees the parallels in her own life, and wonders why having more money should translate into a person being more valued. While there is some kindness from her friends' families when Cayenne's parents are really strapped, it's not enough to keep them in their home. Luckily, when they hit the road again, they run into another family with a similar outlook, and Cayenne is able to understand that while their lifestyle might not be the most "normal" one, it still has some positive aspects to it.
Strengths: There are LOTS of good historical details about fashions, news, and prevailing thoughts in 1985; from Swatches and Benetton to the ubiquity of perms, this hits all of the highlights. I also appreciated that the dates worked for the parents being hippies, especially since there have been relatively few middle grade books with fathers who fought in Vietnam. Cayenne has a good idea of what it takes to fit in during middle school, and she makes realistic attempts to be cool by piercing her own ears and using a cash windfall to buy new sneakers. Dawn was a great character, as was Tiff, and I was glad that Cayenne did have a few good friends and wasn't completely alone. The crush on Beau was very sweet, and I loved that he invited her on an outing with his parents! The information about the Titanic, and the different death rates for different social classes, was quite interesting, and this gets bonus points for mentioning the movie The Unsinkable Molly Brown. (If you're even in Denver, you can still visit her house!) Comparisons with Fipps' And Then... Boom are apt, due to the verse format as well as the questionable parenting, and this is a great addition to other books about families who are struggling to make ends meet, including Supplee's The Sweetness All Around, Walker's Why Can't I Be You, and Ogle's Free Lunch.
Weaknesses: A parent smoking marijuana openly in 1985 would have been VERY concerning. Modern readers will have a vague idea that marijuana is now legal under certain circumstances, but I was a little surprised that the father's (then) illegal use wasn't explained more.
What I really think: This is set a few years earlier than Toalsen's The First Magnificent Summer but definitely has some similarities. The comparison that popped into my mind (maybe because of the similarities in the names) was this: if Gemeinhart's The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise ended and sequed into Eulberg's The Best Worst Summer (because of the 1980s cultural details) but was written in verse, you'd have Unsinkable Cayenne! This also made me think of all of the parents in Jacqueline Wilson's novels.
October 18, 2024
Most middle school girls want to be popular, to fit in. One reason may be the way girls bully—by exclusion. In high school there are enough groups—jocks, nerds, techies, music and drama, etc. that most can fit in somewhere but in middle grades, it is most important to not stand out.
It is 1985. Twelve-year-old Cayenne has lived in a sticker-covered van moving from place to place, homeschooled by hippie parents. Her father suffers from PTSD from his service in Vietnam and the family exists on his disabilities checks. But after the twins are born and Cayenne has become too big for the space for her bed, her father decides it is time to get a job and live in a house. Her mother disagrees.
They move into a tiny, rundown house, but Cayenne is happy to just have four walls. She plans to fit in, make friends, and meet cute boys even though her mother makes it harder for her by putting chicken coops in the front yard, dancing and burning sage, and alienating the Welcome Lady.
“There aren’t any friends yet.
But I can finally make some
now that my family has stopped
running away from normal.” (15)
Cayenne finds that this is more difficult than she thinks. She chooses the flute to play in band noting that the “flute girls” are the popular girls. But they ignore her (They are also the mean girls). She does make a friend, Dawn, a girl who sits by herself at lunch and reads, dressing like the characters on the covers of her books. But it seems that Dawn is more tolerated because she is rich. There is another girl, Tiff, who vacillates from the popular girls and to Dawn and Cayenne and back again.
There are things about her former life that Cayenne tells Dawn and things that she doesn’t,
“huddling in a ditch as a tornado swept by
missing holidays (when we lost track of time)
watching life seep from a deer we hit on the road
puking my guts out from a contaminated creek water
refusing to join a mud bath filled with naked strangers…”
There is also a cute boy whom Cayenne likes and who seems to like her, but when her father is laid off from the mill, she realizes that Beau’s father is the efficiency expert who caused the layoffs. But she also learns that because of his dad’s job and their frequent moving, Beau also has trouble fitting in.
Interweaving facts from the Titanic, an obsession of their social studies teacher, and especially the class of the survivors, Cayenne thinks a lot about socioeconomic disparities.
“I don’t understand
I don’t understand why
I don’t understand why the amount of money
someone has determines how much they are worth.” (182)
When her family can’t make rent and loses their house and Cayenne faces another life in the van, she realizes that she can be unsinkable.
“It’s time for me to face the truth.
I’m just me—
a girl who would have traveled third class
on the Titanic.
A girl tired of feeling less than
when she knows she can be so much more.
A girl determined to prove it.” (261)
I read Jessica Vitalis’ new verse novel in one day, learning quite a lot about birds (another parallel drawn throughout), but mostly because I didn’t want to stop reading about this very real little girl who faces challenges that many of our middle grade readers, girls and boys, face—a story will will also help those who don’t currently face those challenges to see her side.
It is 1985. Twelve-year-old Cayenne has lived in a sticker-covered van moving from place to place, homeschooled by hippie parents. Her father suffers from PTSD from his service in Vietnam and the family exists on his disabilities checks. But after the twins are born and Cayenne has become too big for the space for her bed, her father decides it is time to get a job and live in a house. Her mother disagrees.
They move into a tiny, rundown house, but Cayenne is happy to just have four walls. She plans to fit in, make friends, and meet cute boys even though her mother makes it harder for her by putting chicken coops in the front yard, dancing and burning sage, and alienating the Welcome Lady.
“There aren’t any friends yet.
But I can finally make some
now that my family has stopped
running away from normal.” (15)
Cayenne finds that this is more difficult than she thinks. She chooses the flute to play in band noting that the “flute girls” are the popular girls. But they ignore her (They are also the mean girls). She does make a friend, Dawn, a girl who sits by herself at lunch and reads, dressing like the characters on the covers of her books. But it seems that Dawn is more tolerated because she is rich. There is another girl, Tiff, who vacillates from the popular girls and to Dawn and Cayenne and back again.
There are things about her former life that Cayenne tells Dawn and things that she doesn’t,
“huddling in a ditch as a tornado swept by
missing holidays (when we lost track of time)
watching life seep from a deer we hit on the road
puking my guts out from a contaminated creek water
refusing to join a mud bath filled with naked strangers…”
There is also a cute boy whom Cayenne likes and who seems to like her, but when her father is laid off from the mill, she realizes that Beau’s father is the efficiency expert who caused the layoffs. But she also learns that because of his dad’s job and their frequent moving, Beau also has trouble fitting in.
Interweaving facts from the Titanic, an obsession of their social studies teacher, and especially the class of the survivors, Cayenne thinks a lot about socioeconomic disparities.
“I don’t understand
I don’t understand why
I don’t understand why the amount of money
someone has determines how much they are worth.” (182)
When her family can’t make rent and loses their house and Cayenne faces another life in the van, she realizes that she can be unsinkable.
“It’s time for me to face the truth.
I’m just me—
a girl who would have traveled third class
on the Titanic.
A girl tired of feeling less than
when she knows she can be so much more.
A girl determined to prove it.” (261)
I read Jessica Vitalis’ new verse novel in one day, learning quite a lot about birds (another parallel drawn throughout), but mostly because I didn’t want to stop reading about this very real little girl who faces challenges that many of our middle grade readers, girls and boys, face—a story will will also help those who don’t currently face those challenges to see her side.
October 22, 2024
It’s the mid-1980s and twelve-year-old Cayenne and her family live in their van and travel wherever they feel like going. They dance around campfires and sing, and aren't held to one area. They have a mostly good life, only when you aren't in one place for very long it's hard to feel like you belong somewhere. Lately money is tight, and things are a little strained now that Cayenne's younger sister is getting bigger. It's a surprise, when at the start of her seventh grade year, Cayenne‘s parents decide to settle down in one town. Her father now has a job, which helps the situation. Cayenne is excited to be able to make friends because she'll be in one place. She's never gone to school, but she's happy to be there, and she really wants to be part of the popular crowd. She's making some friends, and in social studies they are learning about The Titanic, which she finds interesting. Cayenne can relate to the different classes on The Titanic; fitting in isn't as easy as she thought it would be. While her new house seems amazing, it’s nothing like the houses the other kids live in. She has chickens in the front yard and they still don’t have a lot of money. Her dad seems to be working hard, but her mom is not too happy with their new life. Will Cayenne be able to fit in with the girls she wants to hang with? There is a new boy she thinks is cute, but does he like her too? Will her family stick around long enough for her to find out? You'll have to read this book to know what happens!
Told as a novel in verse, Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis is a book unlike any I’ve ever read. Although I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, I don’t recall reading any from the mid 1980s. I was a child growing up then, so it was interesting to go down memory lane with all of the fads and clothing, as well as the music. I could also picture a lot of what was happening very easily because of my life experiences. I tried to think about if a new student like Cayenne moved into my school back in the 80s and how people would have treated her. I hope people would have been nice, and I think overall it was easier for kids then to wear hand me downs and not always have the latest fashions. The author did a great job making Cayenne's experience realistic. My heart went out to her as she struggled to fit in both with her friends and with her family. Her dad had been in Vietnam and smoked a lot of marijuana in his bedroom. This definitely made it challenging for Cayenne when people stopped over, especially friends from school. All she wanted was to have friends and to have her family be happy, but what a challenge everything was for her! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and likes the 1980s or learning about The Titanic. I think anyone in fourth grade or up who has ever worried about fitting in and struggled to find the balance between their school and home life will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
Told as a novel in verse, Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis is a book unlike any I’ve ever read. Although I’ve read a lot of historical fiction, I don’t recall reading any from the mid 1980s. I was a child growing up then, so it was interesting to go down memory lane with all of the fads and clothing, as well as the music. I could also picture a lot of what was happening very easily because of my life experiences. I tried to think about if a new student like Cayenne moved into my school back in the 80s and how people would have treated her. I hope people would have been nice, and I think overall it was easier for kids then to wear hand me downs and not always have the latest fashions. The author did a great job making Cayenne's experience realistic. My heart went out to her as she struggled to fit in both with her friends and with her family. Her dad had been in Vietnam and smoked a lot of marijuana in his bedroom. This definitely made it challenging for Cayenne when people stopped over, especially friends from school. All she wanted was to have friends and to have her family be happy, but what a challenge everything was for her! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and likes the 1980s or learning about The Titanic. I think anyone in fourth grade or up who has ever worried about fitting in and struggled to find the balance between their school and home life will enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
September 6, 2025
It's the 1980s and Cayenne and her hippie parents have been travelling around the US in a camper van. But with the addition of twin babies, space and money are getting tighter. Her dad convinces her mom to set down roots in Montana, where he can get a job at a mill. Cayenne is excited to finally go to regular school and make friends, but is anxious since everything is foreign to her.
Cayenne wants the popular kids to like her, but with her second-hand clothes and patchouli deodorant, she is only able to befriend a nerdy girl who dresses to match the books she's reading, and her friend, who is currently on the outs with the popular crew. She also develops a crush on the other new kid in school, a boy from Atlanta.
It sounds like a typical middle school book about fitting in, but there is a lot going on. Cayenne's family is so poor that they can't afford new shoes when she outgrows them. Her dad fought in Vietnam and has depression and PTSD and self-medicates with pot. Her mom didn't want to move to Montana and now her parents are fighting more often. The mill might be closing down, and they already have so little money. The book doesn't quite strike the right balance at combining the middle school stuff with the hard family stuff. I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to, as the many pot references and discussion of butt pinching and bra snapping make it more for middle schoolers, but the school antics seem aimed to a younger audience?
Cayenne wants the popular kids to like her, but with her second-hand clothes and patchouli deodorant, she is only able to befriend a nerdy girl who dresses to match the books she's reading, and her friend, who is currently on the outs with the popular crew. She also develops a crush on the other new kid in school, a boy from Atlanta.
It sounds like a typical middle school book about fitting in, but there is a lot going on. Cayenne's family is so poor that they can't afford new shoes when she outgrows them. Her dad fought in Vietnam and has depression and PTSD and self-medicates with pot. Her mom didn't want to move to Montana and now her parents are fighting more often. The mill might be closing down, and they already have so little money. The book doesn't quite strike the right balance at combining the middle school stuff with the hard family stuff. I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to, as the many pot references and discussion of butt pinching and bra snapping make it more for middle schoolers, but the school antics seem aimed to a younger audience?
December 7, 2024
A touching story in verse. Even though it takes place in 1986 (after the Titanic was found on the ocean floor and divers explored the wreck), its relevance for today is obvious. Cayenne has to contend with class differences (the haves vs the have-nots, and she's definitely a have-not), trying to make friends when you don't have the right clothes, adjusting to school after being homeschooled all her life by her unconventional hippie parents, who roam around the country in a van. She hopes this move to a real house in Montana will be permanent, if her dad can handle the job at the sawmill, and they can make the rent. Cayenne aspires to be one of "the flute girls" in Band, who seem to have it all. Then there's a cute boy in her class who is also new.
The school project about the Titanic, where the history teacher assigns each of them to research and "be" one of the passengers on the ship in 1912 emphasizes class differences. Of the approximately 1300 passengers, 324 were First Class (62% survived), 284 were second class (42% survived) and 709 were third class (only 26% survived), plus there were about 900 crew members. Only 200 of them survived.
What I want to discuss most of all is the writing. This book is well-deserving of its recent NCTE Notable Verse Novel honor. Such powerful imagery! The author uses metaphors and similes masterfully, along with repeated symbols such as birds and flight and nesting, creating an image system that makes the book stand out. There's also excellent use of repetition, as in the poem on p. 202, A Wish.
If we were a family of birds
we could build a nest
with the world around us.
If we were a family of birds
we could easily make repairs
when things went wrong.
If we were a family of birds
our lives would be filled
with the sweet sound of birdsong.
The school project about the Titanic, where the history teacher assigns each of them to research and "be" one of the passengers on the ship in 1912 emphasizes class differences. Of the approximately 1300 passengers, 324 were First Class (62% survived), 284 were second class (42% survived) and 709 were third class (only 26% survived), plus there were about 900 crew members. Only 200 of them survived.
What I want to discuss most of all is the writing. This book is well-deserving of its recent NCTE Notable Verse Novel honor. Such powerful imagery! The author uses metaphors and similes masterfully, along with repeated symbols such as birds and flight and nesting, creating an image system that makes the book stand out. There's also excellent use of repetition, as in the poem on p. 202, A Wish.
If we were a family of birds
we could build a nest
with the world around us.
If we were a family of birds
we could easily make repairs
when things went wrong.
If we were a family of birds
our lives would be filled
with the sweet sound of birdsong.
November 9, 2024
UNSINKABLE CAYENNE, by Jessica Vitalis, is skillfully written, well-paced, and thoroughly engaging. The story is unique in that it is a historical novel in blank verse.
The wreckage of the Titanic was found September 1, 1985, and Cayenne finds her teacher “obsessed” with the long-sunken luxury liner. Mr. Hartley has devised lessons around the theme across the seventh grade curriculum.
Classroom learning is new to Cayenne. The twelve-year-old has been homeschooled by her mother. Home was an old van. Cayenne’s family now lives in a small town in Montana and, for the first time in her life, a real house.
Cayenne is the oldest child in an unquestionably loving but markedly unique family. Her mother unselfconsciously dances barefoot by campfire light, her presence emanating patchouli. Her father is impacted by his service during a war that sizzled and boiled in shadowed jungles and, on the home front, in news reports. He often smells of cannabis. These factors complicate Cayenne’s deeply felt quest to finally fit in.
And the Titanic? While initially Cayenne was only mildly interested during lessons centered on the doomed ship, she begins to see how its voyage, its fate, echo conditions in life:
“1,317 ticketed passengers were on board the Titanic.
324 first class, 62% survived
284 second class, 42% survived
709 third class, 26% survived
“I don’t understand
I don’t understand why
I don’t understand why the amount of money
someone has determines how much they are worth.”
~ ~ ~
While recommended for readers eight through twelve, UNSINKABLE CAYENNE is relatable and would be enjoyed by adult readers also. Highly recommended. Five stars.
The wreckage of the Titanic was found September 1, 1985, and Cayenne finds her teacher “obsessed” with the long-sunken luxury liner. Mr. Hartley has devised lessons around the theme across the seventh grade curriculum.
Classroom learning is new to Cayenne. The twelve-year-old has been homeschooled by her mother. Home was an old van. Cayenne’s family now lives in a small town in Montana and, for the first time in her life, a real house.
Cayenne is the oldest child in an unquestionably loving but markedly unique family. Her mother unselfconsciously dances barefoot by campfire light, her presence emanating patchouli. Her father is impacted by his service during a war that sizzled and boiled in shadowed jungles and, on the home front, in news reports. He often smells of cannabis. These factors complicate Cayenne’s deeply felt quest to finally fit in.
And the Titanic? While initially Cayenne was only mildly interested during lessons centered on the doomed ship, she begins to see how its voyage, its fate, echo conditions in life:
“1,317 ticketed passengers were on board the Titanic.
324 first class, 62% survived
284 second class, 42% survived
709 third class, 26% survived
“I don’t understand
I don’t understand why
I don’t understand why the amount of money
someone has determines how much they are worth.”
~ ~ ~
While recommended for readers eight through twelve, UNSINKABLE CAYENNE is relatable and would be enjoyed by adult readers also. Highly recommended. Five stars.
January 20, 2025
Cayenne's family (mom, dad, 6-month-old twin boy/girl) is nomadic, living in their groovy van and wandering around what seems to be mostly the west of the US. Cayenne's dad uses marijuana to cope with his PTSD from serving in Vietnam, and her mother loves to dance with one naked twin on each hip. Cayenne would give EVERYTHING to be "normal" and is hyperaware of all the ways she is different from others. In 1985, the family decides to try to live in a rented house while Cayenne's dad works at a sawmill in a small town in Montana. Cayenne will start 7th grade at a school. It appears she has never attended school before, but she does not seem to have too difficult adjustment to school itself. She does have a difficult time socially. Interspersed with Social Studies lessons about the Titanic and Band class, Cayenne tries to make friends with Stacey, Tiff, and the other popular "flute girls." She is embarrassed by her family's poverty, hippie ways, and front-yard chickens while missing the times when her mother paid attention to her and her needs. After Cayenne's mom tries selling bread out of the van in town and in the "rich" neighborhood at Halloween, Tiff and Stacey reveal themselves to be less than friends and Dawn, the unusual girl Cayenne usually eats lunch with, brings a basket of clothing and food, Cayenne decides she's had enough of trying to fit in. There is a romantic interest, Beau, with whom Cayenne is painfully embarrassed around for most of the book.
December 2, 2024
First sentence: I don't know what the owners
have against trees
but I wish they'd plant a few
between their squished sites.
Premise/plot: Cayenne has spent most of her life living in a van with her family. Her parents like the free-spirited, nomadic, no roots lifestyle). But life in the van is cramped with five people. (She has twin [younger] siblings.] But her father has recently taken a job in a small Montana town. Cayenne wants to a) fit in, b) fit in, c) fit in. She knows that this will take a LOT of hard work since she'll need to change everything about herself. It will take concealing her unusual past and her family's poverty. Will Cayenne make friends? make the right sort of friends? Can she fit in with the "normal" crowd?
This book is full of struggles, struggles, and more struggles. Yet it isn't without its bright moments of hope and joy.
It is set in the fall of 1985. The recent discovery of the wreck of the Titanic is a hot topic in her history class. Though perhaps it is the teacher who is most thrilled.
This verse novel is sprinkled with PLENTY of eighties details. However I am not convinced that all the eighties details fit in for the fall of 1985. I have no proof either way.
My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. Perhaps it didn't have to be written in verse. However, this coming of age novel has so much heart. I really loved spending time with these characters.
The ending IS not tied in bows. This is probably for the best.
have against trees
but I wish they'd plant a few
between their squished sites.
Premise/plot: Cayenne has spent most of her life living in a van with her family. Her parents like the free-spirited, nomadic, no roots lifestyle). But life in the van is cramped with five people. (She has twin [younger] siblings.] But her father has recently taken a job in a small Montana town. Cayenne wants to a) fit in, b) fit in, c) fit in. She knows that this will take a LOT of hard work since she'll need to change everything about herself. It will take concealing her unusual past and her family's poverty. Will Cayenne make friends? make the right sort of friends? Can she fit in with the "normal" crowd?
This book is full of struggles, struggles, and more struggles. Yet it isn't without its bright moments of hope and joy.
It is set in the fall of 1985. The recent discovery of the wreck of the Titanic is a hot topic in her history class. Though perhaps it is the teacher who is most thrilled.
This verse novel is sprinkled with PLENTY of eighties details. However I am not convinced that all the eighties details fit in for the fall of 1985. I have no proof either way.
My thoughts: I really LOVED this one. Perhaps it didn't have to be written in verse. However, this coming of age novel has so much heart. I really loved spending time with these characters.
The ending IS not tied in bows. This is probably for the best.
December 11, 2024
As far as Cayenne is concerned the best way to navigate middle school is to fit in. But how can she fit in when her childhood has mostly been spent living in a sticker-covered van with her hippie parents, when her mom insists on raising chickens in their new front yard, when she smells like the joints her dad smokes to keep the trauma from his time in Vietnam at bay? Nothing about her life or her family can be considered normal. Set in 1985, this thoughtfully detailed novel-in-verse will ring true for today's readers who understand concerns about friendships, crushes, mean girls, and status. Vitalis sets Cayenne's experiences of otherness and poverty against her social studies project about the Titanic and her observations of the role social class played in the outcomes of that tragedy. Cayenne's family situation is presented with sensitivity. Her parents argue and her dad repeatedly smokes pot, but neither of these are depicted graphically. An author's note at the end of the novel clarifies several points made in the story and the degree to which they are based in fact. Sensitive readers will appreciate Cayenne's keen observations and the verse format may appeal to reluctant readers. Cayenne's story, full of both hardship and love, is a beautiful counter to the images of perfect homes and families readers are inundated with on social media.
Highly recommended for readers in grades 4-8.
Highly recommended for readers in grades 4-8.
January 12, 2025
It hurts my soul to tag this book as historical fiction, as it is set in the mid 1980s when I was in high school and college, so very much in my lifetime. There is always the ongoing debate as to what constitutes "historical" fiction, whether it's based on the author's perspective or the intended audience's perspective. I don't know the author's age, but as loathe as I am to admit it, for the intended audience of 10-14 year-olds the 1980's is definitely history.
This book was an enjoyable, and a very quick read as it is written in verse. I found the story to be very relateable, not only because of the comforting familiarity of 1980s culture, but because I also know how poverty makes you both invisible, yet painfully conspicuous at the same time for all the wrong reasons - the wrong brand shoes, clothes, the wrong hairstyle. Though my parents were a bit older than Cayenne's and the rest of the hippy generation, like Cayenne's parents they could be selfish and self-centered and didn't always make good decisions or consider their children.
I think middle-grade readers would also be able to relate to Cayenne's struggle to fit in, as that is the reality for everyone in middle school, isn't it? Also, more and more young families today are living nomadic lives similar to Cayenne's family, more people are homeschooling, so likely many kids could relate to Cayenne's desire to settle down, make friends, go to public school, or at least wonder what it would be like.
This book was an enjoyable, and a very quick read as it is written in verse. I found the story to be very relateable, not only because of the comforting familiarity of 1980s culture, but because I also know how poverty makes you both invisible, yet painfully conspicuous at the same time for all the wrong reasons - the wrong brand shoes, clothes, the wrong hairstyle. Though my parents were a bit older than Cayenne's and the rest of the hippy generation, like Cayenne's parents they could be selfish and self-centered and didn't always make good decisions or consider their children.
I think middle-grade readers would also be able to relate to Cayenne's struggle to fit in, as that is the reality for everyone in middle school, isn't it? Also, more and more young families today are living nomadic lives similar to Cayenne's family, more people are homeschooling, so likely many kids could relate to Cayenne's desire to settle down, make friends, go to public school, or at least wonder what it would be like.
February 1, 2025
As far as Cayenne is concerned the best way to navigate middle school is to fit in. But how can she fit in when her childhood has mostly been spent living in a sticker-covered van with her hippie parents, when her mom insists on raising chickens in their new front yard, when she smells like the joints her dad smokes to keep the trauma from his time in Vietnam at bay? Nothing about her life or her family can be considered normal.
Set in 1985, this thoughtfully detailed novel-in-verse will ring true for today's readers who understand concerns about friendships, crushes, mean girls, and status. Vitalis sets Cayenne's experiences of otherness and poverty against her social studies project about the Titanic and her observations of the role social class played in the outcomes of that tragedy. Cayenne's family situation is presented with sensitivity. Her parents argue and her dad repeatedly smokes pot, but neither of these are depicted graphically. An author's note at the end of the novel clarifies several points made in the story and the degree to which they are based in fact.
Sensitive readers will appreciate Cayenne's keen observations and the verse format may appeal to reluctant readers. Cayenne's story, full of both hardship and love, is a beautiful counter to the images of perfect homes and families readers are inundated with on social media.
Highly recommended for readers in grades 4-8.
K.M.
School Librarian
Set in 1985, this thoughtfully detailed novel-in-verse will ring true for today's readers who understand concerns about friendships, crushes, mean girls, and status. Vitalis sets Cayenne's experiences of otherness and poverty against her social studies project about the Titanic and her observations of the role social class played in the outcomes of that tragedy. Cayenne's family situation is presented with sensitivity. Her parents argue and her dad repeatedly smokes pot, but neither of these are depicted graphically. An author's note at the end of the novel clarifies several points made in the story and the degree to which they are based in fact.
Sensitive readers will appreciate Cayenne's keen observations and the verse format may appeal to reluctant readers. Cayenne's story, full of both hardship and love, is a beautiful counter to the images of perfect homes and families readers are inundated with on social media.
Highly recommended for readers in grades 4-8.
K.M.
School Librarian
November 3, 2024
What a really wonderful book that really helps to highlight the way in which poverty affects kids, not just physically, but also with the incredible strain of trying to fit in with peers.
This book is about Cayenne… who is the child of hippies who prefer to live in their van traveling the country. When her dad gets offered a job, they decide selling and she attends school for the first time in her life.
There’s plenty of the typical struggles of middle school kids- fitting in, making friends but there’s also added layers with Cayenne’s struggles with her extreme poverty in the “material world” of the 1980s (and the cruelly material fellow middle school students).
Some incision with the Titanic disaster was inserting, too, as it weaves in the real way “modern day” people “don’t see” the poor, while at the same time we’re can be shocked at the way in which lower class passengers on the Titanic were all but forgotten about until the last minute. I would have loved for Cayenne to more bluntly dwell on this connection. I made it, though and thankfully Cayenne remained “unsinkable” though out her story.
Highly recommend - especially for readers who will see themselves on the page, in the students who have never seen their impoverished peers in such a humanizing light.
This book is about Cayenne… who is the child of hippies who prefer to live in their van traveling the country. When her dad gets offered a job, they decide selling and she attends school for the first time in her life.
There’s plenty of the typical struggles of middle school kids- fitting in, making friends but there’s also added layers with Cayenne’s struggles with her extreme poverty in the “material world” of the 1980s (and the cruelly material fellow middle school students).
Some incision with the Titanic disaster was inserting, too, as it weaves in the real way “modern day” people “don’t see” the poor, while at the same time we’re can be shocked at the way in which lower class passengers on the Titanic were all but forgotten about until the last minute. I would have loved for Cayenne to more bluntly dwell on this connection. I made it, though and thankfully Cayenne remained “unsinkable” though out her story.
Highly recommend - especially for readers who will see themselves on the page, in the students who have never seen their impoverished peers in such a humanizing light.
November 28, 2024
✨Book Review✨
🌶️ Unsinkable Cayenne 🌶️
Synopsis:
This is a historical novel-in-verse about a 12-year-old girl and her family who trade in living in their van and attempt to settle down in a small Montana town.
My thoughts:
🤔Several reputable sources say the tecommendated age for this book,is ages 8-12. I do not agree! In the very first poem in this novel-in-verse, Cayenne tells about her dad smoking a joint in front of her. Marijuana smoking comes up again several times. While marijuana is legal in some states now, it wasn’t legal when this book takes place in the 1980’s. There are also references to Cayenne’s mom not wearing a bra. It also talked about butt-pinching and bra-snapping in middle school. I can’t imagine having conversations with an 8-year-old about a lot of the content of this book.
🤔 Cayenne is resilient and I think readers will like her and how she relates what is going on in her life to the Titanic sinking. I also think readers will enjoy picking up a few things that were popular in the 80’s.
🤔OVERALL: Good historical coming-of-age novel-in-verse for ages 13+.
📢This one released October 29, 2024!
🥰Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and @NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.
🌶️ Unsinkable Cayenne 🌶️
Synopsis:
This is a historical novel-in-verse about a 12-year-old girl and her family who trade in living in their van and attempt to settle down in a small Montana town.
My thoughts:
🤔Several reputable sources say the tecommendated age for this book,is ages 8-12. I do not agree! In the very first poem in this novel-in-verse, Cayenne tells about her dad smoking a joint in front of her. Marijuana smoking comes up again several times. While marijuana is legal in some states now, it wasn’t legal when this book takes place in the 1980’s. There are also references to Cayenne’s mom not wearing a bra. It also talked about butt-pinching and bra-snapping in middle school. I can’t imagine having conversations with an 8-year-old about a lot of the content of this book.
🤔 Cayenne is resilient and I think readers will like her and how she relates what is going on in her life to the Titanic sinking. I also think readers will enjoy picking up a few things that were popular in the 80’s.
🤔OVERALL: Good historical coming-of-age novel-in-verse for ages 13+.
📢This one released October 29, 2024!
🥰Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and @NetGalley for this gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews