• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

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.

Jessica Vitalis is the author of The Wolf’s Curse, The Rabbit’s Gift, and Coyote Queen. She is a full-time writer with a previous career in business and an MBA from Columbia Business School. An American expat, she now lives in Canada with her husband and two daughters.

Jessica Vitalis' profile page

“An intensely readable novel in free verse, Vitalis’s latest introduces Cayenne, 12, in her 1985 world of trying to fit in after a life lived on the road. . . . Storylines are woven around Cayenne’s complicated feelings regarding her unique family and their financial struggles, and readers will be exposed to thoughtful meditations on whether standing out or fitting in is the best option for middle schoolers.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“A seventh grader with free-spirited parents can’t wait to find a real home and friends of her own. . . . This story centers the valuable perspective of a child growing up in a loving family with alternative norms, and it demonstrates respect for young readers with a bittersweet ending that feels authentic.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This historical novel in verse tackles tough topics without veering into preachy or teachy messaging. The verse makes the story accessible while creating space for emotional resonance. Realistic, flawed characters populate this world. Relatable and highly readable with themes of belonging, family, and social class.” — Booklist