Monday, October 7, 2024

MMGM: Unsinkable Cayenne by Jessica Vitalis

 

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. 


Has anyone else read Unsinkable Cayenne? Or have you read another book by Jessica Vitalis? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy Reading!
~Stephanie 


For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

Monday, September 23, 2024

Views From the Pond: July/August 2024

I am on track to finally get my View From the Pond post up with only two months of pictures (instead of three months). Yay! As summer is wrapping up and we get ready for fall it is nice to look back on the hottest months of the year and all that was going on at the pond. With summer break, I enjoyed not having to leave my house every morning to go to school. Instead I was able to have my morning coffee on the porch (most mornings), and it was a delight. 

We had a hot summer here, but we also had a lot of rain. In August we had a "once in a thousand year" rain storm where it rained over 6 inches in a few hours, and although we were lucky not to have flooding at our house, the pond and brook were FULL! Towns a half an hour away had closer to 13 inches of rain and there was severe flood damage to buildings, homes, roads, and bridges. Cars were trapped in flooding and people needed to be rescued, and houses were washed away. Scary and sad for everyone impacted by the flood damage, and it made the rain we got here seem like nothing.  

I hope you can sit back and relax and enjoy some of the views that brought me peace and happiness this summer. I caught some of the visiting animals- but we did have a black bear that I saw, but barely captured as he left the yard.


July 2024



A little bunny hanging out and enjoying some snacks. 




This guy walked out of the brook and towards the house, 
but he hasn't been out again since (at least not during the day, 
which I know is normal for them when looking for food.)


Love seeing the changing light!



Our heron made lots of visits to our house this summer. 
Loved watching it take flight, but I didn't manage to snap
any photos or videos of the amazing sight. 






Seeing reflections in the water brings me a lot of joy. 



Friends were visiting from Canada, but they 
got to see the heron when they were packing 
up the car. It was exciting for everyone- but the
heron got spooked and flew away. It's large wings 
need lots of space and it flew down the middle of the 
road as it lifted up and up!



Afternoon sunlight on the tree. 





August 2024

If you look closely you can see the magnolia has blooms. 
It likes to bloom on and off from spring until mid fall. Beautiful flowers!



The peeks of blue make me smile. 


A bud from the magnolia getting ready to bloom in all its glory. 


So green!




The August rain storm- the brook was starting to get full!





I have never seen the pond this high since we have lived here (2 years).
Amazing for sure!

The crazy thing is that 2 hours before this video the brook was barely there. 
I had friends over that I had to explain- over there is the brook. Then two hours later
the water was raging! 




Hello Sunbeam!


I am still enamored with the changing light each day!





Hello again, Heron!


The trees in the backyard were sparkling with drops of rain
after a rainstorm. No rainbow- but the drops looked like 
dazzling gems. 

We saw the bear walk by the window and watched it. Barely got a picture. 
We haven't seen him since.






As I type this (September 1st) I know that summer doesn't officially end for a few more weeks, though after working at a school for the last 26 years it always feels like the end of summer when school starts. Already the temperatures are starting to change as we head into September and the light is changing too. I do love fall and I know the pond will put on a show! 

Hope summer was good to you and that fall will be even better!
~S