Book Review: Turtle in Paradise

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L. 2010. TURTLE IN PARADISE. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books. ISBN: 9780375836886

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This story takes place in the 1930s in Key West, Florida. Turtle is Paradise is about a little girl named “Turtle”. She was brought up in a single parent home where her mother worked as a maid. When her mother starts a new job and isn’t allowed to bring Turtle with her, she decides to send her to her hometown of Key West to live with her sister. When Turtle first arrives in Key West, she feels out of place and doesn’t know how to react to her “new” family. 

During her stay, she learns all of the in and outs of Key West and even gets to learn more about her family. She meets some friends and runs around with her cousins “the diaper gang”, even though they don’t allow girls in their gang. Towards the end of the summer, Turtle finds an interesting map in her grandmother’s old piano that is supposed to lead them to Black Caesar’s treasure. Will they find the treasure? Guess you’ll have to read to find out!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Holm does a great job writing this story that takes place in Key West in 1935. She provides an accurate description of the way things were for a single mother and her child and the problems that they face. All of the topics covered and even characters that Turtle meets directly fit in with what was going on in the 1930s. For example, Turtle consistently talks about her hatred Shirley Temple and how she looks up to Little Orphan Annie who were both very famous child stars at the time. During the story, the storm that Turtle and the “Diaper Gang” get stuck in is based on a true life hurricane which ended up devastating the upper keys in 1935. Holm does a great job including historical references throughout the story, while also making it a fun read aloud.

Turtle is a very strong character who is a lot of fun and easy to love. One of my favorite quotes was when she was able to weasel some free ice cream from the ice cream and her cousins were all very jealous and asked if they could have some. Since they wouldn’t let her into the “diaper gang”, Turtles response was “Sorry, can’t share with you. After all, I’m not in the diaper gang”. Throughout the story you continue to see how witty and smart Turtle is and there are many laugh out loud moments.

My favorite part of the story was the author’s note at the end. In Holm’s author note, she discusses where the characters came from and how gave a detailed description of what life was like during the Great Depression. She includes a lot of actual photographs of Key West, Shirley Temple and even family pictures of the people that she based her characters off of. I felt that this was a great way to challenge readers to learn more about this era and show them the relevance between the story and real life.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Texas Bluebonnet  List

2011 Newberry Honor Book

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: In 1935, jobs are hard to come by, and Turtle's mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can't stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West to live with relatives. Turtle discovers a startlingly different way of life amid boisterous cousins, Nana Philly, and buried treasure. This richly detailed novel was inspired by Holm's great-grandmother's stories. Readers who enjoy melodic, humorous tales of the past won't want to miss it.

BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: Eleven-year-old Turtle is not one to suffer fools gladly. And she runs into a lot of fools, especially the no-goods her starry-eyed mother meets. So it's a tough little Turtle who arrives in Key West in June of 1935. She's been sent to Florida to stay with relatives because her mother's latest housekeeping job doesn't allow children. Unfortunately, Mama has neglected to tell Aunt Minnie she's coming, and Turtle gets the stink eye from cousins with monikers like Buddy and Beans. As Turtle soon learns, everything is different in Key West, from the fruit hanging on trees to the scorpions in nightgowns to the ways kids earn money. She can't be part of her cousins' Diaper Gang (no girls allowed), which takes care of fussy babies, but when she finds a treasure map, she hopes she'll be on Easy Street like Little Orphan Annie. Holm uses family stories as the basis for this tale, part romp, part steely-eyed look at the Depression era. Reminiscent of Addie in the movie Paper Moon, Turtle is just the right mixture of knowingness and hope; the plot is a hilarious blend of family dramas seasoned with a dollop of adventure. The many references to 1930s entertainments (Terry and the Pirates, Shirley Temple) will mostly go over kids' heads, but they'll get how much comics and movies meant to a population desperate for smiles. An author's note (with photos) shows Holm's family close-up.

5. CONNECTIONS (This is a great book for grades 4 and up)

For more information about the history of Key West, check out the following websites:

·         Historical Preservation Society of the Upper Keys: www.keyhistory.org

·         Key West Art and Historical Society: www.kwahs.com

·         The Shadow’s Sanctum: www.shadowsanctum.com

To visit some of Turtle’s favorite spots, check out this walking map:

http://www.helpreaderslovereading.com/2011/03/turtle-in-paradise-by-jennifer-l-holm.html

 For more books by Jennifer Holm, check out:

Holm, Jennifer. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. ISBN: 9780375836893

Holm, Jennifer. OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA. ISBN: 9780064408561