Turtle in Paradise
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4.3 • 9 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple
She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls with love.
Includes an Author's Note with photographs and further background on the Great Depression, as well as additional resources and websites.
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews:
"Sweet, funny and superb."
Starred Review, Booklist:
"Just the right mixture of knowingness and hope . . . a hilarious blend of family drama seasoned with a dollop of adventure."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Turtle, the witty 11-year-old narrator of this standout historical novel, is a straight shooter: Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. When her romantic and unrealistic mother, who s always falling in and out of love, gets a housekeeping job that won t allow children, she sends Turtle to her estranged family in Depression-era Key West. Though her mother hails Key West as paradise, Turtle initially think it s a dump ( Truth is, the place looks like a broken chair that s been left out in the sun to rot ). Two-time Newbery Honor author Holm again crafts a winning heroine who, despite her hardened exterior, gradually warms to her eccentric family members, including her unruly cousins and waspish grandmother (who Turtle thought was dead). Infused with period pop culture references, a strong sense of place, and the unique traditions and culture of Key West natives (aka Conchs ), this humorous adventure effectively portrays Turtle as caught between her mother s Hollywood-inspired dreams and the very real family and geography that offer a different kind of paradise. Ages 8 12.
