Review: Turtle in Paradise

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer. Turtle in Paradise. New York: Random House Children’s Book, 2019.  ISBN 978-0-375-83688-6

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

Turtle in Paradise is a story about a young girl named Turtle who is forced to move in with her aunt when her mother gets a job as a housekeeper for a woman who dislikes kids. What began as an unwanted bump in the road, became an adventure that Turtle will never forget, as she learns about her family, discovers the joys of childhood and community and find a place to call home.  

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This historical fiction novel takes place in 1935, under Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, during the Great Depression, where jobs and money were scarce. As Holm mentions in her author’s note, “Key West was in economic ruin, with the majority of the population on public relief.” Children are walking around barefoot, eating ice cream served in a can out of horse-drawn wagons, using outhouses and the neighbor’s phone and monthly payments on the protagonist’s dream home are $30-45. Young Turtle’s frame of reference are Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Amelia Earhart, showing the time in which she was growing up.  Some of the characters with whom Turtle interacts with in the book are real people whom the characters were based upon, including well-known author Earnest Hemingway, who lived on the island during that time.

The author brings authenticity to the book by including events that happened in real life, like the Labor Day Hurricane, the popular pastime of looking for pirate look, and the sponging industry and turtle kraals, which are now a thing of the past. Furthermore, the nicknaming of community members, the foods they eat and their pastimes all bring a sense of being in the time period. In addition, the author provides a detailed author’s note that include detailed information about her own account, as well as her great-grandmother’s account of places, people and events that play key parts in the story.

Turtle is an extremely smart, headstrong character who sees everything for what it is, making her nickname all the more fitting – hard on the outside, soft on the inside. Through the struggles of leaving her mother, moving in with family members she has never met, and adjusting to a completely different way of life, Turtle never loses her wit and charm and finds that her shell is not as tough as she thought.  

4.     REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2011 John Newbery Medal and Honor Book

From School Library Journal: “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.”

From Booklist: “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."

From Publisher’s Weekly: "This humorous adventure effectively portrays Turtle as caught between her mother's Hollywood-inspired dreams and the very real family . . . that offer a different kind of paradise."

5.     CONNECTIONS

Gather other 2010/2011 Newbery books to read such as:

• Erskine, Kathryn. Mockingbird. ISBN-10 0440229286

• Ryan, Pam. Esperanza Rising. ISBN-10 9780439120425

Gather other Jennifer Holm books to read such as:

• Penny from Heaven. ISBN-10 0375836896

• Our Only May Amelia. ISBN-10 0064408566

• Sunny Side Up. ISBN-10 0545741661

Use in conjunction with an in depth study on the Great Depression