Genre 5: Historical Fiction - Post 1

Bibliographic data:

Holm, Jennifer L. (2010).  Turtle in Paradise.  New York: Random.  ISBN 9780375036883.

Brief plot summary:

It’s 1935, and Turtle’s mom manages to find work as a housekeeper for a lady who doesn’t like kids.  So eleven-year-old Turtle is shipped to Key West, Florida to stay with family she’s never met.  While there she hangs out with the Diaper Gang made up of her cousins Bean, Kermit and Buddy and their friends Ira and Pork Chop.  They babysit in exchange for candy, but they are best known for their diaper rash treatment – a secret formula!  Turtle also meets Nana Philly, the grandmother she never knew existed, and her father.  Through her experiences in the Keys, Turtle learns that family can be better than a Hollywood ending.

Critical analysis:

Holm creates a main character who is clever and genuine.  Like most children, Turtle calls it the way she sees it.  “Shirley Temple is …‘American’s Little Darling.’  I can’t stand her.  Real kids aren’t anything like Shirley Temple.”  Although Turtle is an usual name for a girl, it’s Uncle Vernon who says, “You know, the thing about a turtle is that it looks tough, but it’s got a soft underbelly.”  By the end of the book, we learn that Turtle does “have a soft underbelly.”  Throughout the novel there are many references to traditions and events that are significant to the Keys:  Conch, bollo, cut-up, searching for pirate loot, and the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 – even Earnest Hemingway is mentioned.  Holm weaves these historically accurate things into Turtle’s new life in the Keys while explaining them to the reader.  One can also read the Author’s note, which connects events from the story to their historical counterpart, or check the resources Holm cites.  All these add to the novel’s authenticity.

Review excerpt(s):

“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.”

--Publisher’s Weekly (May 2010)

“Glimpses of Southern decay and charm add to the sense of otherness that Turtle finds in the heat, the occasional scorpion, the windfall fruit and the hint of Bahamian and Cuban roots. …Holm’s voice for Turtle is winning and authentic—that of a practical, clear-eyed observer—and her nimble way with dialogue creates laugh-out-loud moments. Sweet, funny and superb.”

--Kirkus Reviews (April 2010)

Awards:

2011 Newbery Honor Book

An ALA Notable Book

Booklist Editor's Choice

Texas Bluebonnet List

A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2010

Spring 2010 Junior Library Guild Selection

New York Times Bestseller

Connections:

This novel will compliment a geography study of the Keys, especially during the 1930s.

With all the pop culture references, this novel will compliment a study of Americans dealing with the Great Depression.