Wednesday, July 21, 2021

#tbt: Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm. 224 p. Yearling/ Random House Children's Books, December, 2011. 9780375836909. (Own.)

#tbt features Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm. In case you missed the Middle Grade Monday post, which synopsized the graphic novel adaptation, let me re-summarize the plot.

Eleven-year-old Turtle heads to Key West, Florida to stay with an aunt she's never met because her single mother just got a live-in housekeeping job with a woman who doesn't like children. It's the Great Depression and jobs are hard to come by, so Turtle's mom packs her off. Only, her letter explaining the situation to Turtle's Aunt Minerva is misdelivered, so Aunt Minnie is caught by surprise and none too please. Neither is her cousin Bean, since he has to give up his room and bunk with his two younger brothers. 

The three boys run a club called The Diaper Gang and it's a "no girls allowed" kind of club. Still, Turtle finds herself fitting in on Key West. 

There's a lot of humor here and many compelling characters. If you like historical fiction, be sure to check out Turtle in Paradise. The cover featured above is not the original. That appears below:


While I really adore the original cover, I really love the paperback cover. 

Turtle in Paradise was named a Newbery Honor and was Ms. Holmes' third Newbery Honor, her first being Our Only May Amelia in 2000 and her second, Penny from Heaven in 2007.

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