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Unsinkable Cayenne
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 the 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 fit in and make some friends. But it turns out that staying in one place isn’t easy.
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 rich 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 the 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 fit in and make some friends. But it turns out that staying in one place isn’t easy.
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 rich 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, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2024
About the author
Jessica Vitalis
5 books181 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 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.
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!
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!
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.
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. *
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.
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.
October 16, 2024
This middle grade historical novel-in-verse follows 12-year-old Cayenne as she navigates a new town with her unconventional parents and a true desire to finally stay put and fit in. Growing up is hard. Growing up with parents who love the earth and living on their own terms in their van is even harder. So when they finally decide to settle down in Montana and have a go at a more traditional life, Cayenne is begin. But fitting in is harder than it looks. From new shoes and pierced ears to playing the flute and raising chickens, Cayenne is learning about herself as she tries to fit in with others and wonders if it’s really all that cracked up after all. This lyrical novel tells Cayenne’s story alongside her parallel learning about the Titanic and the effect is powerful. I adored this book.
October 19, 2024
UNSINKABLE CAYENNE is a verse novel that makes for a quick, easy read. Cayenne is a sympathetic, likable heroine who is very relatable in her desire to fit in, make friends, and be accepted by her peers (in spite of her embarrassing parents and their impoverished, hippie lifestyle). It's easy to root for her as she goes through her journey of self-acceptance. Yes, her switch from an I-have-to-fit-in-at-any-cost attitude to one of it's-okay-for-me-to-stand-out happens quickly and without her having to face a lot of risk or loss, but it is still satisfying to see her embrace who she is, realizing that her true friends are those who accept her no matter what. While UNSINKABLE CAYENNE doesn't have the depth of other similar novels, it's an appealing read that I enjoyed.
July 26, 2024
The desire to fit in, to have a stable home, and to make true, lasting friendships all lie at the heart of UNSINKABLE CAYENNE, Jessica Vitalis's beautifully told fourth novel and her first novel in verse. Set in the 1980's and against the backdrop of the discovery of the Titanic, the novel deftly explores issues around poverty and the need to feel at home both in society and within oneself. Vitalis's lyrical verse tenderly brings Cayenne's world to life and immerses the reader in a time and place that is both heartwrenching and hopeful.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Greenwillow for the eARC.
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and Greenwillow for the eARC.
July 28, 2024
I have really mixed feelings about this one....in one hand I found the writing beautiful and the friendships in this book to be really sweet (sometimes.) In the other hand the parents in this book were absolutely horrible especially the father and that really wasn't properly addressed. Its mentioned a few times in a very mild way but this man was lazy, didn't care about his family, cared more about pot than finding a job, ignored his wife, and thats just naming a few things. In the end its all swept under the rug and no one really learned anything. Honestly the more I think about this book the more it makes me angry and I hate it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2024
A great middle great novel written in verse. Cayenne and her hippie family have put aside their nomadic lifestyle to live in a smal town in Montana. Navigating middle school is hard enough, but for cayenne who’s lived a very unconventional life, finding friends and ignoring bullies makes it even harder. There is mention of drug use (marajuana) which may bring up questions with young readers so as a parent or teacher, just be aware. I’d recommend this to fans of Dan Gemeinhart Coyote Sunrise.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2024
This is one of the most beautiful novels in verse I've read this year. Cayenne's story is real, visceral, and epitomizes the sacrifices we all make to "fit in." Vitalis is not only adept at her use of word choice and structure, but also offers a clever glimpse into how kids interpret information unfamiliar to them (there's a particularly enjoyable section where Cayenne tries to figure out the acronym of "PTA"). By the end of the story, Cayenne is changed in ways even she didn't expect, and has a better idea of how she can organically integrate with the world around her. This is a guaranteed enjoyable read for all ages, and belongs on any and all library shelves. Highly recommended.
July 12, 2024
I was lucky to read Unsinkable Cayenne, a novel in verse that showcases Jessica Vitalis's skill as a wordsmith. Much like a surgeon wielding tools—every word is carefully placed. This historical novel-in-verse is about belonging, family, and social class. Vitalis, an award-winning author, makes all her works a true joy to read. Vitalis's crisp storytelling invites you to spend time in Cayenne’s 1980's world, where fitting in is as challenging as navigating the social ranks on the Titanic. Releasing in October! Highly recommend!
July 12, 2024
Unsinkable Cayenne is set in the 1980s, right after the Titanic was discovered. Historical and factually accurate without being didactic, this books is perfect for the reluctant and avid reader alike. The free verse format is refreshing and fun and allows for a lot of white space for any reluctant reader. But don't think that means the subject matter is slight. This contemporary book covers a lot of emotional ground, from family to friendship to first crushes to fitting in. From the first page on, your middle schooler will be drawn in, empathize and root for likable Cayenne. A great read!
August 9, 2024
Jessica Vitalis is a gifted author at portraying characters in a way that makes you love them no matter what they do. Cayenne spends her life travelling when finally they decide to settle into a home. When dad loses his job, how will that affect poor Cayenne as she tries to fit into a new middle school. My heart broke for her and the mom part of me wanted to give her a life she deserves. She makes mistakes, but thanks to the way this novel in verse is told, Cayenne becomes someone we know inside and out.
August 15, 2024
Jessica Vitalis has written another beautiful, heartfelt story that will stay with readers for a long time. Set in the 1980s, all 12-year-old Cayenne wants to do is is fit in with the other kids in her new town, but she's saddled with both poverty and hippie parents who've dragged her around the U.S. living an itinerant life. As she struggles to make friends, connect with a boy, and figure out how to fit in, she eventually learns that the secret to happiness is being unapologetically herself. I highly recommend this poignant verse novel.
November 5, 2024
This luminous novel-in-verse weaves together so many powerful themes about family, fitting in, and standing out. Set in 1985 with the discovery of the Titanic shipwreck, Vitalis uses the very real on board class system to explore contemporary wealth disparity and what that means when you think the most important thing is to be like everyone else. Cayenne's personal interest in birds is beautifully used as a metaphor throughout, too. All in all, this is a gorgeous read that will resonate on many levels with young readers. Highly recommend!
August 30, 2024
Vitalis has done an incredible job highlighting the emotional journey of main character, Cayenne, and the grit she musters up to find hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. Readers will relate to her want to fit in and ache when disappointment after disappointment arise. The discussions around uncovering the Titanic wreckage allow for a nuanced conversation on class and fairness. A powerful read!
November 6, 2024
They say there is a book for everyone and I’m sure many readers/listeners will be moved by this story of Cayenne and her hippy family, living in poverty while her dad spends his money on weed to treat his PTSD. I’m more of a Harriet the Spy fan. Harriet was clearly a little asshole and she got what she deserved. And The Mixed Up File….those kids were badass. Throw in a little bit of Forever and some Lord of the Flies and this is what made me a reader.
August 18, 2024
A heart-wrenching story that takes readers into places we don't often see in middle grade, where existence is survival on the line between putting food on the table or keeping the heat on during cold Montana winters, while parents wrestle with lost jobs and depression. It's gritty and real and such a powerful read.
October 26, 2024
I have a hard time wrapping my head around 1985 being historical fiction, but it is almost 40 years ago, so yes, it qualifies. No matter the year, this novel in verse will resonant with anyone who desperately wants to fit in and can't. Recommended for grades 5 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
August 4, 2024
An absolutely lovely novel in verse. Adults will love revisiting the '80s, while younger readers will love being immersed in such a different (relatively tech-free) time. Especially appreciated the lyrical writing and the realistic ending. Highly recommend.
October 23, 2024
There was a lot to love about this book. The very real conflict of family life, the friends who you wish you had more time with, and the verse style…all of these I very much enjoyed. I appreciated too how the author handled the pot smoking dad with an honest look at how that affected the family.
Thank you, Net Gallery, for an ARC of this book!
Thank you, Net Gallery, for an ARC of this book!
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