Turtle in Paradise Book Review

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Book Review #13, Turtle in Paradise

1.       Bibliography: Holm, Jennifer L. Turtle in Paradise.  Random House; 2010. ISBN: 9780375836886.

2.       Plot Summary: Turtle is a an eleven year old girl who is suddenly whisked to Key West, Florida, after her mother takes a new job. Turtle lives with her Aunt Minnie, and makes friends with the Diaper Gang, a group of misfit boy babysitters who specialize in “bad babies”. It is the 1930s’, and life is already difficult with money being scarce. She has to adjust to her new life while missing her mother.

3.       Critical Analysis: The story is narrated by Turtle, the protagonist. The opening line gives readers an idea about her spunky personality. “Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it.” At eleven years old, Turtle is already cynical and jaded, due to the circumstances in her life. She often compares her and herself to Little Orphan Annie, the character from the comic strip popular during the time period of the book, the 1930s’. Turtle is a character that children will identify with through their own struggles. She also helps to make learning about this time period interesting, since she is such a fun character. There is no father character in the story. Her mother has to work as a cleaning lady to support her, and the book’s premise happens because she has to take a job where they are separated. This is the Great Depression, so stories like this were not uncommon. People could not turn jobs away during this time period. They had to do what was necessary to survive and provide for their children. There is some hope that her mother’s boyfriend, Archie, will pull through, and make the three of them a family, however, he ends up being a con-artist in his own right. Thankfully, Turtle and her mother find family with those that Turtle has become close to while living in Florida- Aunt Minnie, Beans and the others in the Diaper Gang. She even says that the end, “And if you’re lucky- lucky as an orphan- some of them may end up being your family.” This theme of family is important and strong throughout the entire novel. In the beginning, Turtle does not want to be separated from her mom. She wants her mom to marry Archie. She barely knows her Aunt Minnie. The story progresses with her getting to know her Florida family and enjoying their company, with it ending with her realizing she had a stronger family than she thought, and that it might not look the way she wanted it to originally. She even stated “I don’t understand what’s so wonderful about having a big family.” focusing only on the negative with people fighting or needing money. This becomes what she loves later on.  I originally knew author, Jennifer Holm, from her graphic novel works of the Sunny Side Up and Babymouse series, so this book is different in that it is not a graphic novel, but a work of historical fiction, but incredibly enjoyable. Holm always has a way of making her characters really come alive with her writing style. Turtle’s narration is fun; she doesn’t sugarcoat things. She’s a child who has been rejected and disappointed before. Holm wrote in her author’s note that this book was inspired by her great-grandmother’s story. She also explains the nature of the Depression, including the importance of Hollywood and entertainment as a distraction to what was really happening, which comes through with Turtle’s talks of Orphan Annie and childhood star, Shirley Temple. Specifically, Holm wrote about the impact of the Depression on Key West, where the book is set. The town had officially become bankrupt, and was also disrupted by a major Hurricane. Key West is known today as a place for fun vacations, but it took a long time to actually build up to that. She also included photographs of real life people who inspired the characters and of a similar neighborhood to the one in the book. The book was not only a way to make the great Depression come alive for children, but also a way to share cherished family memories of the author’s family. The plot of the story shows struggles that people really faced during the Great Depression, such as economic distress, which includes everyone having to earn a living, including children (such as the Diaper Gang), and hunger, which Turtle describes in Chapter 4 when Aunt Minnie serves her alligator pear on Cuban bread. Aside from the time period, the setting came alive with the vivid descriptions of Key West. Duval Street is described “like a different Key West. It’s nicer. Kermit tells me they’re trying to get tourists to come down here on vacation. There are all sorts of businesses: Gardner’s Pharmacy; Einhorn’s Grocery; the Plaza Restaurant; the Blue Heaven, which serves ‘refreshments and beer’; a big building called the Cuban Club; and a fancy hotel called the Key West Colonial Hotel.” As I read this, I felt like I had visited a place like this before. 

4.       Review Excerpts:

·         From School Library Journal, “Readers who enjoy melodic, humorous tales of the past won’t want to miss it.”

·         From Kirkus, “Sweet, funny, and superb.”

·         From Booklist, “The plot is a hilarious blend of family dramas seasoned with a dollop of adventure.”

5.       Connections: Use as part of an author study on Jennifer Holm, including the following books:

·         Sunny Side Up. Graphix, 2015. ISBN: 9780545741668.

·         The Lion of Mars. Random House Books for Young Readers, 2021. ISBN: 9780593121818.

·         The Fourteenth Goldfish. Yearling, 2016. ISBN: 9780375871156.

Have children research their own family stories that they would want to write a historical fiction story about.

Teach children about the Great Depression, using the Library of Congress and www.history.com as resources.

Have children design their own travel brochures for Key West, including elements from the book to help advertise.