Turtle in Paradise

In 1935 11-year-old Turtle is sent to Key West to live with relatives when her mother accepts a job as a live-in housekeeper and her new employer does not tolerate children. A historical novel that highlights life during the depression in Key West, based on Holm's great-grandmother's experiences.

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This is a fun book. I enjoyed reading it. Turtles observations are funny and her personality and how she deals with situations is great to read.

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Subjects/Content Studies/AASL Standards:
Family, Depression Era, Living with Relatives, Key West, Adventure and Discovery.

Turtle is a girl who has to go live with relatives in Key West during the depression. Her mother works as a live-in housekeeper, but her employer won't allow children. While Turtle's mother is a beautiful dreamer, Turtle has seen enough of her mother's dreams shattered, many by men, that she

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considers herself a realist and tough as nails. Turtle has never been to Key West or met her relatives, so it's all quite a shock. Nevertheless, she manages to settle in with her rough-and-tumble boy cousins and their friends. Key West is full of colorful, well-drawn characters who all have crazy nicknames, apparently a true-to-life representation. Turtle is surprised to discover she has a mean grandmother (her mother had told her that she was dead), but Turtle creates a bond with her as one tough girl to another. Several clues in the book point to Slow Poke, a fisherman, as Turtle's father, though Turtle is oblivious. It's also obvious to the reader that he still carries a torch for her mother. There's lots of historical references, like buried pirate treasure and Ernest Hemingway. Turtle and the boys search, and find, pirate treasure but almost lose their lives in the process. The ending is a combination of sad, sweet and hopeful.

This is a quick read with likable characters who have exciting adventures.

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In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida.

Another absolute gem from Holm. Detailed and appealing setting, believable objectives and struggles for family. Treasure hunt and finding father a little too convenient, but otherwise delightful book. Mean old lady is a nice touch, too.

Wonderful, charming book that captures the feelings of childhood and the unique culture of Key West during the Great Depression. Additional historical information and photographs at the end add to the experience.

This was a great book and showed the meaning of independence as well as what it means to rely on someone else. Turtle tags along with the Dipper gang and ends up teaching them a few lessons. They travel the streets together and share many stories. As sad as the ending is you learn that family is

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what matters most not money or worldly possessions.

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This book did a fantastic job recreating what history was like then. She did a good job at panting pictures with her words, helping you vividly imagine the expressions on the Diaper Gang boys' faces or how she tried to ein her grandmother over when she would knock the bowl of food onto the floor.

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There was a lot of emotions to what Turtle wsa going through; how she felt in regards to her mother who was looking for love, when she realized that Too Late might be her father, and the reasonings behind everyone's nicknames. GREAT BOOK!!

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I like the notion that Turtle speaks to the audience as if her life is normal. She is sent to live with her aunt when her mother has a job which will not allow her to have her daughter with her. Turtle refers to the 'thrilling lives' of children like Orphan Annie and Terry Lee. But, she and her

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friends find real treasure, only to get her share stolen from her. She ends up realizing that the real treasure in her life is her mother and a place to call home.

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This story is about a young girl named Turtle who moves to Florida when her mother gets a job as a housekeeper, and it follows Turtle as she explores this new place and home. The book is narrated by Turtle herself, and is very relatable for children who move to a new place, or who are spending time

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with their family members who they don't usually get along with. Holm's story is also funny, showing its readers the importance of making the best of any situation.

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Nicely written, lots of historical detail, well-researched... I'd hand it to fans of books like Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes, The Higher Power of Lucky, etc.

This is a story about Turtle, a young girl who is sent to live with her aunt because the woman her mother keeps house for does not like children. Turtle learns about her roots and her mother's extensive extended family. She even meets her father, although she does not realize that he is her father.

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Turtle goes on an adventure to dig up a buried treasure with her cousins. A big storm arrives and traps them on an island. They do in fact find the buried treasure and become rich. When Turtle's mom and boyfriend learn of this, they come to pick up Turtle. The boyfriend pretends to want them to be a family, but secretly steels the money and runs away.

This is a story of loss and a girl who has to face reality at a young age. I would recommend this book to others because it is an adventure story as well as one about the importance of family. This book reminded me of my family and how no matter what happens in life, your family is always there for you when you need them the most.

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I loved being able to visualize the places with Turtle in Key West. I loved how trusting and yet sarcastic her character was. She has to behave much older than her thirteen years, because her mother has sent her off to her Aunt's. She holds her own with the boys as well as the adults and as much as

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she is always honest, she is just as much clever to make people notice her. Great characterization for an adolescent girl!

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This is a fun and unusual historical fiction novel for young readers.

I had neglected to remember that this was the author of a great book "Our Only May Amelia" and little did I know she is also behind the great Babymouse series which has become a favorite of mine to recommend to early and reluctant

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girl readers. It was probably good that I forgot about all of this when I decided to read this book, because if I knew that I had such high expectations of the author, the pressure for her would have been a little more intense for her to have written something really great. I already had high expectations since it is a Newberry Honor.

As I find the depression era to be an interesting time in history to write about I was interested, despite the somewhat lackluster cover which didn't seem to convey enough information about what the story was about.

The characters had some great humorous moments, as it's funny nowadays to imagine a gang of grade school boys taking decent care of babies for candy--swaddling and walking around the neighborhood in a wagon. Times definitely were different.

Turtle's character has an interesting voice, if at times she can be a little-miss-know-it-all.

I was curious about the author came up with such a unique but vivid account of the depression era in Key West, Florida. So I was really pleased that she shared that much of her inspiration was listening to family stories about the region. Also interesting is that I believe she used a diary of an ancestor as inspiration for May Amelia.

An all around solid good book, but it didn't totally knock my socks off. May Amelia's story line seemed a bit wider in scope, whereas this storyline almost had the feel of a summer vacation.

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Turtle in Paradise follows a brief episode in Turtle’s life when she must go live with relatives in Key West in the 1930s; at that time, Key West was not the lush, sophisticated escapist paradise it is today, but rather a close-knit community of “Conchs.” Turtle arrives and it surprised to

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learn that nearly everyone is her cousin, and nearly everyone has a strange nickname—Beans, Kermit, Johnny Cakes, and Pudding, to name a few.

Once Turtle unexpectedly meets her grandmother, Nana Philly (Philomena), she comes across what she believes to be a real, live treasure map from Black Caesar, a pirate who frequented the Keys. Once she and her cousins set off to find the treasure, more adventure ensues, and the children find out that while life may not be a game, they are all made of stronger stuff.

Turtle in Paradise is a quick read appropriate for elementary-level students and struggling readers at the middle-school level. While our time with Turtle and her family and friends is too brief to really develop much of any sense of character, it is an enjoyable trip to a time when Key West was unspoiled and wholly authentic.

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This book is based on the time of the Great Depression. Turtle's mother takes on a job as a live in houskeeper. In result of her mother's new job, Turtle was sent to live with her aunt in Key West, Florida. As a child living during the Depression Era, Turtle witness a lot of hardship. Eventhough,

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this was a difficult time, Turtle seemed to make do, with her developing special relationships with her long lost relative, her joinning of the diaper gang along with her cousins, and the adventure of finding lost treasure.

Personal Reaction:
Excellent book! The author did an amazing job describing the setting of Key West, it made me feel as if I was present.

Classroom Extension:
1. I would have the students write a descriptive essay about a place without writting the name of the place they are writting about. Then, share their essay with another student and have them guess what place they are talking about.
2. I would read the description of a place to my class and have them draw a picture of what they think I'm describing.

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I loved this book. It is a good novel that can be enjoyed at any age. I think I would have loved it as a child because it is full of adventure and emotion. Seeing Turtle unravel and come out of her shell is so exciting to read about and touching too.

Love the spunky main character! And I was struck by how the ending wasn't happily ever after, just the way life is. (so cool to have just met the author, too--thanks Jenni for inspiring talk at SCBWI.)

Turtle is a young girl sent to live with her relatives in Key West after her mother gets a job as a housekeeper with a lady who does not allow children in her home. She meets her cousins and aunt, and even grandmother, and has adventures taking care of babies and her grandmother. Then one day, she

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discovers a map to a hidden treasure. She and her cousins sail out in a stolen boat to the Key where the treasure is supposedly buried, and find both the treasure and trouble. Rescued finally by her estranged father, she splits the fortune with her cousins. However, her portion is stolen by her mother's new husband, who has sold them all the dream of a happy life together. But Turtle perseveres, and learns that she is happy just to have a family.

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Turtle is a smart mouthed, intelligent young lady who, through circumstances that are beyond her control, is forced to grow up far too soon. Turtle’s mom is a single mother in a time when that was frowned upon. She is idealistic where Turtle is realistic and sarcastic. When Turtle’s mom is

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forced to accept a job from an employer who doesn’t want children around, she sends Turtle to spend the summer with her sister in Key West, Florida. This book had the full package. It had humor (lots), adventure, mystery, and heart. I absolutely loved this story. 3rd – 5th graders will enjoy the tale of Turtle getting in touch with her roots and bonding with her cousins. Teaching ideas include the Great Depression, Key West, Florida, self-reliance, and the fishing industry.

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Glimpse of Key West before it became a tourist destination. Colorful setting with Hemmingway making an appearance.

In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida.

Turtle in Paradise takes place during the Great Depression. Turtle's mother gets a job for a woman who hates kids, so she sends Turtle to go stay with her aunt in the Florida keys. Turtle's aunt has three boys who are part of the "Diaper Gang." Oddly enough, the boys' club takes care of babies to

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earn candy. Turtle gets a job working for Slow Poke on his boat so she can save money to help her mother buy a house. She meets her grandmother one day and slowly begins to form a relationship with her. She finds a treasure map in her grandmother's piano. After showing her cousins and the rest of the Diaper Gang the map, they plan to go searching for the treasure. They take a boat to one of the keys and search all day for the treasure. Just as they are about to give up, Turtle falls and lands on the stone that marks the treasure spot. They dig and actually find the treasure, but when they go to get back in the boat, they discover it has floated away. The group of kids is trapped on the key for a couple of days in a bad storm. Slow Poke finally comes and rescues them, and they find out that the big storm was a hurricane and they are lucky to be alive. Turtle's mother married her boyfriend Archie and comes to get Turtle. They plan to buy a house in Georgia, but Archie sneaks of with the money to Cuba. Turtle and her mother are crushed until they realize that they have family all around them and they can be happy there. Turtle also realizes at the end of the book that Slow Poke is her real father. The ending insinuates that Slow Poke and Turtle's mother may end up together.

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This was a really fun book to read! As a teacher who encourages students to broaden their minds by reading historical fiction, this book is a great addition to the topic of the Great Depression. It was also great to learn about the culture of Key West Florida. My favorite part of the book is that

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the author uses her family history to inform this novel. The only part of this book that I wasn't a huge fan of was the unrealistic ending.

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