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The Scarlet Sail
Andrea Pierce, spending her summer vacation on Cape Cod, is given a scarlet-sailed Turnabout. But she doesn't know how to manage a sail boat and, being uncertain of herself, she thinks she will never be able to learn. Then Mike, the boy who is to give her lessons, further dampens her spirits by saying that the red sail which she found so cute is actually a safety precaution . . . This is just the beginning of Andrea's conflict with Mike and with herself. But soon, through new-found determination, she takes second place in the boat race and wins the admiration of the people she loves.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1959
64 people want to read
About the author
Betty Cavanna
101 books61 followersAmerican juvenile author (full name: Elizabeth Allen) Betty Cavanna suffered from a crippling disease, infantile paralysis, as a child, which she eventually overcame with treatment and exercise. During her convalescence, attentive adults read to her until she was old enough to read to herself, beginning a long love affair with books.
Cavanna majored in journalism at the New Jersey College for Women in New Brunswick, from where she received the Bachelor of Letters degree in 1929. She also took art classes in New York and Philadelphia. Cavanna's first job was as a reporter for the Bayonne Times. In 1931 she joined the staff of the Westminster Press in Philadelphia and over the next ten years served as advertising manager and art director. She also wrote and sold material to Methodist and Baptist publishing firms. In 1940 she married Edward Talman Headley, with whom she had a son. They moved to Philadelphia. After her husband's death, she married George Russell Harrison, a university dean of science, as well as nonfiction writer, in 1957. He died in 1979.
Cavanna became a full-time writer in 1941. Since then she has written more than seventy books under the name of Betty Cavanna as well as two pseudonyms: Betsy Allen, under which she wrote the "Connie Blair Mystery" series, and Elizabeth Headley, under which she wrote several books, including the Diane stories. As Betty Cavanna she also published the nonfiction "Around the World Today" about young people living in various countries.
Cavanna's juvenile fiction, about the difficulties of adolescenc, appealed to generations of teenage girls. Her characters confronted loneliness, sibling rivalries, divorce, and tense mother-daughter relationships. Her books, although characterized as pleasant, conventional, and stereotyped, have been extremely popular and recommended by critics for their attention to subjects which have reflected girls' interests. Going on Sixteen and Secret Passage were Spring Book Festival honor books in 1946 and 1947.
In the 1970s Cavanna turned to writing mysteries, which she termed "escape fiction," because she said she felt out of sync with the problems of modern teenagers. Two of her books have been runners-up for the Edgar Allan Poe Award: Spice Island Mystery in 1970 and the Ghost of Ballyhooly in 1972.
She died in France (2001).
Cavanna majored in journalism at the New Jersey College for Women in New Brunswick, from where she received the Bachelor of Letters degree in 1929. She also took art classes in New York and Philadelphia. Cavanna's first job was as a reporter for the Bayonne Times. In 1931 she joined the staff of the Westminster Press in Philadelphia and over the next ten years served as advertising manager and art director. She also wrote and sold material to Methodist and Baptist publishing firms. In 1940 she married Edward Talman Headley, with whom she had a son. They moved to Philadelphia. After her husband's death, she married George Russell Harrison, a university dean of science, as well as nonfiction writer, in 1957. He died in 1979.
Cavanna became a full-time writer in 1941. Since then she has written more than seventy books under the name of Betty Cavanna as well as two pseudonyms: Betsy Allen, under which she wrote the "Connie Blair Mystery" series, and Elizabeth Headley, under which she wrote several books, including the Diane stories. As Betty Cavanna she also published the nonfiction "Around the World Today" about young people living in various countries.
Cavanna's juvenile fiction, about the difficulties of adolescenc, appealed to generations of teenage girls. Her characters confronted loneliness, sibling rivalries, divorce, and tense mother-daughter relationships. Her books, although characterized as pleasant, conventional, and stereotyped, have been extremely popular and recommended by critics for their attention to subjects which have reflected girls' interests. Going on Sixteen and Secret Passage were Spring Book Festival honor books in 1946 and 1947.
In the 1970s Cavanna turned to writing mysteries, which she termed "escape fiction," because she said she felt out of sync with the problems of modern teenagers. Two of her books have been runners-up for the Edgar Allan Poe Award: Spice Island Mystery in 1970 and the Ghost of Ballyhooly in 1972.
She died in France (2001).
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 13, 2017
I feel like I just came back from a bend in time.
Andrea ‘Andy’ Pierce just turned 15 and has all the typical anxieties that go with that tender age. To compound the matter, her mother recently remarried and her new stepfather would like her to treat him as her dad. Unfortunately, Andy is still hurting; her father died 4 years ago and Andy is having a difficult time moving on.
Intensifying her fears is their move from Pennsylvania to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and the fact she has to make new friends. She is gifted a turnabout by her new step-parent and he paid a local boy to teach her how to sail. Sixteen-year-old Mike Nickerson and Andy don’t get along at first.
Though the story was written and took place in the 1950s, some things just don't change. And yes, it is squeaky clean by today’s standards. But I empathized with Andy; she was playing an internal tug-of-war that was keenly relatable for teenagers, even for today.
I never visited Massachusetts but I feel myself familiar with the locals now. I understand their wariness with ‘the summer crowd’. I enjoyed learning the art of sailing. I appreciated that Andy touchingly stumbled but managed to acclimate herself to each new situation. It was heart-rending. More than once, I wondered if the author went through a similar childhood.
This is a nice, feel-good middle/high school narrative novelty. There is even the beginning of a teeny tiny itsy bitsy romance. I have never read a story like this before now but I can honestly say I enjoyed tagging along with Andy during the summer of her fifteenth year.
Andrea ‘Andy’ Pierce just turned 15 and has all the typical anxieties that go with that tender age. To compound the matter, her mother recently remarried and her new stepfather would like her to treat him as her dad. Unfortunately, Andy is still hurting; her father died 4 years ago and Andy is having a difficult time moving on.
Intensifying her fears is their move from Pennsylvania to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and the fact she has to make new friends. She is gifted a turnabout by her new step-parent and he paid a local boy to teach her how to sail. Sixteen-year-old Mike Nickerson and Andy don’t get along at first.
Though the story was written and took place in the 1950s, some things just don't change. And yes, it is squeaky clean by today’s standards. But I empathized with Andy; she was playing an internal tug-of-war that was keenly relatable for teenagers, even for today.
I never visited Massachusetts but I feel myself familiar with the locals now. I understand their wariness with ‘the summer crowd’. I enjoyed learning the art of sailing. I appreciated that Andy touchingly stumbled but managed to acclimate herself to each new situation. It was heart-rending. More than once, I wondered if the author went through a similar childhood.
This is a nice, feel-good middle/high school narrative novelty. There is even the beginning of a teeny tiny itsy bitsy romance. I have never read a story like this before now but I can honestly say I enjoyed tagging along with Andy during the summer of her fifteenth year.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2025
Lovely vintage YA summer read!
I adore this cover of this Betty Cavanna book and I had to wait sooo long to find a hardcover copy with dust jacket that I could afford. Luckily, this old library edition became available—I was thrilled to get it!
Young Andrea has been moved from her old house to a new summer home at Cape Cod. Her mother, Joan, has remarried Craig Hudson (a professor of science) and the three of them are spending the summer at the Cape before settling down in Boston.
This story follows Andrea from her very first thoughts of waking up at this summer home and how she is trying to cope with her new family life, location, trying to make new friends and all of the unsettling feelings that come with being a teenager.
Luckily, her mother and step-father's birthday gift of a little sailboat with a bright red sail becomes Andrea's hope for both her living situation and for her life in general. Although, things start off pretty rocky (both literally and figuratively), Andy makes a little bit of progress each day with learning how to sail and also how to fit into her new life.
Although, The Scarlet Sail started out a bit meh (and very underwhelming) for me, I was so happy that it picked up quickly. At the end, I was totally invested in Andy, her family and her new friends. Betty Cavanna has such a wonderful talent at getting into the mind and heart of a teenager that it truly brings me back to my own confusing years at that age.
I definitely enjoyed reading this summery YA book and I would read it again. Please give it a try!
I adore this cover of this Betty Cavanna book and I had to wait sooo long to find a hardcover copy with dust jacket that I could afford. Luckily, this old library edition became available—I was thrilled to get it!
Young Andrea has been moved from her old house to a new summer home at Cape Cod. Her mother, Joan, has remarried Craig Hudson (a professor of science) and the three of them are spending the summer at the Cape before settling down in Boston.
This story follows Andrea from her very first thoughts of waking up at this summer home and how she is trying to cope with her new family life, location, trying to make new friends and all of the unsettling feelings that come with being a teenager.
Luckily, her mother and step-father's birthday gift of a little sailboat with a bright red sail becomes Andrea's hope for both her living situation and for her life in general. Although, things start off pretty rocky (both literally and figuratively), Andy makes a little bit of progress each day with learning how to sail and also how to fit into her new life.
Although, The Scarlet Sail started out a bit meh (and very underwhelming) for me, I was so happy that it picked up quickly. At the end, I was totally invested in Andy, her family and her new friends. Betty Cavanna has such a wonderful talent at getting into the mind and heart of a teenager that it truly brings me back to my own confusing years at that age.
I definitely enjoyed reading this summery YA book and I would read it again. Please give it a try!
February 7, 2013
This is one of my favorite books ever. I read it first at the age of 13 - and identified with Andy a great deal. In the intervening forty years I have re-read it over a dozen times- both to my own daughters and again as a private pleasure - imagine chatting in front of a roaring fire with your best pal for hours- that feeling. I hope soon my granddaughter will enjoy this book, too.
February 19, 2011
I read this book when I was maybe eleven or twelve. Loved it! All these years later I still remember the story so it really made an impression on me. Not sophisticated but wonderful for a pre-teen way back then.
Want to Read
August 10, 2008I have not reread this book for many years but I am at the Cape this weekend, looking at many sailboats so it is not surprising that The Scarlet Sail keeps crossing my mind. Plus, my sister is also named Andrea.
October 15, 2009
Very cute, young-adult story about learning how to sail and falling for a Cape Cod local.
July 20, 2015
I have read this book over and over and would read it and any others of Betty Cavana's books!!
November 8, 2024
I've read in Italian, titled 'La vela scarlatta'.
Here is my review in Italian.
Anche ne 'La vela scarlatta' l’autrice non delude e costruisce con arguzia e delicatezza la difficile estate di una ragazza che ha perso tutti i suoi punti fermi e deve ricostruirsi, grazie anche agli insegnamenti che uno sport duro come la vela in solitario può elargire.
Ancora una volta, infatti, noto in questo romanzo quanto lo sport fosse importante negli Usa anche negli Anni Cinquanta pure per le donne, che lo praticavano moltissimo sia negli istituti scolastici sia fuori.
Lo sport è visto come un percorso di formazione personale, dove l’importante non è eccellere ma scoprire i propri limiti, accettarli, comprenderli e magari migliorarli. Ma l’obiettivo non è vincere ma conoscere se stessi.
Un messaggio profondo ed intenso che dovrebbe essere riconsiderato ai giorni nostri in Italia, dove lo sport sembra essere dimenticato e ci sono centinaia, migliaia di società che sono state lasciate alla deriva.
Complessivamente si tratta di formazione dolce e delicato, consigliato alle adolescenti e a tutti coloro che hanno un cuore romantico.
Location da urlo.
Personaggi, anche quelli secondari, approfonditi e vividi.
Here is my review in Italian.
Anche ne 'La vela scarlatta' l’autrice non delude e costruisce con arguzia e delicatezza la difficile estate di una ragazza che ha perso tutti i suoi punti fermi e deve ricostruirsi, grazie anche agli insegnamenti che uno sport duro come la vela in solitario può elargire.
Ancora una volta, infatti, noto in questo romanzo quanto lo sport fosse importante negli Usa anche negli Anni Cinquanta pure per le donne, che lo praticavano moltissimo sia negli istituti scolastici sia fuori.
Lo sport è visto come un percorso di formazione personale, dove l’importante non è eccellere ma scoprire i propri limiti, accettarli, comprenderli e magari migliorarli. Ma l’obiettivo non è vincere ma conoscere se stessi.
Un messaggio profondo ed intenso che dovrebbe essere riconsiderato ai giorni nostri in Italia, dove lo sport sembra essere dimenticato e ci sono centinaia, migliaia di società che sono state lasciate alla deriva.
Complessivamente si tratta di formazione dolce e delicato, consigliato alle adolescenti e a tutti coloro che hanno un cuore romantico.
Location da urlo.
Personaggi, anche quelli secondari, approfonditi e vividi.
October 20, 2022
This is probably my favorite Cavanna book of the ones I've read. The romance ones, that is. I liked all of the mystery books by Cavanna best of all her books. "The Scarlet Sail" had a likeable character, greatly fleshed out supporting characters, and a good locale. (Cape Cod) Andrea's one big problem is what to call her new stepdad. He wants to be her dad but she is standoffish. Slowly he wins his way into her heart. Andrea is also smarter than Cavanna's usual characters and sees beneath the veneer of the popular girl and recognizes her for what she is. This is the same way that she becomes friends with the local boy who teaches her to sail, not for free, but as a job and paid by her stepdad. After summer is over- beyond this book- Andrea and her parents are moving to Boston where new adventures will await her. I wish that the reader could be part of them.
August 9, 2019
I read this book first around 1976. I've thought of it many times, remembering bits and pieces. I've wanted to reread this book from my preteens and finally found it on eBay. What fun! It so clearly describes the pain (and joy) of being a teen girl. Sweet memories!
November 21, 2022
The sense of setting is strong in this one, making me wish I could vacation along the Atlantic with my own boat at my disposal. As usual, the main character learns some helpful things about herself and others as she adjusts to a new stepdad, new surroundings, and a new life.
June 1, 2025
I read this book when I was 12 and it stuck with me. I was happy to find a copy of it recently, and just finished reading it again. I loved it just as much as I did the first time.
June 13, 2023
Even thought this book is from the 50s, I could see how teenagers don’t change much from decade to decade! The parents seemed like modern parents to me and the whole situation was very realistic about the growing pains of an older child having to adopt/accept a step parent. I didn’t know what to expect from this since it is so old, but I was pleasantly surprised how the story focused on her growth as a person, developing independence, maturity and developing friendships. There wasn’t any romantic interest for her in the story right away which was refreshing. She had a different focus, to feel accomplished and proud of sailing a boat. I would definitely recommend this book to a young reader as a way to connect with the young women of the past.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews