Bibliography: Holm, Jennifer L. 2010. TURTLE IN PARADISE. New York: Random House.

 

ISBN 978-0-375-93688-3

Plot Summary:

Turtle is an eleven-year old girl who has seen too many of her mom’s boyfriends come and go to believe in the happy endings that Hollywood was selling in 1935.  The Great Depression was in full swing.  People were desperate for work and many families were being displaced and forced to make difficult choices.  When Turtle’s mom is fortunate enough to get a new job as a maid, the homeowner makes it clear that she does not want children living in her house.    

Turtle is sent to live with her estranged family in Key West.  Despite having moved around a lot with her mother over the year, Key West isn't anything like the paradise her mother described, nor is it like anything that Turtle had ever seen.  It’s hot, sticky, and the kids don’t wear shoes.

Turtle quickly meets a variety of interesting characters with names just as strange as hers.  Her cousins Beans and Kermit and their friends Pork Chop and Ira quickly take her in, but she has to work to be a part of things and they don’t officially make her a member of the “Diaper Gang.”

The real adventure begins when Turtle finds a hidden treasure map in her grandmother’s house. Turtle shares the map with the Diaper Gang and they hatch a plan to find the treasure.  Finding the treasure wasn’t the problem, it was getting home.  When the kids are finally rescued the whole town finds out about their discovery.  The money is split fairly between them, including a share to Nana Philly because it was her house where Turtle found the map.

To add to the excitement, Turtle’s mother comes to Key West and introduces her new husband, Archie. Turtle is ecstatic to see her mother and happy because she has always liked Archie.  Could this be the Hollywood ending that Turtle secretly wanted? 

Critical Analysis:

The story takes us through Turtle's journey as she begins to discover who she is and where she has come from, meeting a variety of interesting characters along the way.  The characters in this book seem real and believable. The protagonist, Turtle, learns that like her moniker, she is hard on the outside but soft in the middle.  Her hard facade allows her to adjust to her new surroundings including the people she meets.  When her shoes are stolen she begins to walk around barefoot like the rest of the kids on the island.  She learns that most people are called by a nickname and that due to the abundance of natural resources such as fruit trees and marine life the people of Key West are not going hungry like the rest of the US.  Her quick wit and resourcefulness allows her to do well in the impoverished yet laid back culture of Key West in the 1930's. 

The plot of the story is very realistic to its 1935 time period. The Great Depression caused many people to make very difficult choices.  The poor, economic stricken times are clearly represented by Turtle’s mother when she decide to send Turtle to live with her sister in Key West.  When Turtle arrives in Key West she learns that her uncle works on another island to make ends meet and that her boy cousins take care of the most difficult babies on the island in exchange for candy.  Dreams of “striking it rich” are thought about often in this story by young and old alike.  

Holm gives a vivid and accurate description of Key West, Florida, which makes it very easy to picture.  The names of the streets and the places that still exist in Key West today helps the reader to mentally map out this story.  Holm stays true to her protagonist as she describes these famous streets and places through Turtle’s own perception of what she sees.   

The choice of words used in much of the dialogue between Turtle and the other characters is written so that the readers can actually visualize how people talked during this time period.   For example, Holm uses the word “bungy” to describe a person’s bottom, most specifically referencing all of the babies that the Diaper Gang took care of.    

Holm includes an Author’s note in which she explains why she wrote this historical fiction novel.  She also includes information about how the Great Depression influenced this specific part of the Nation, various black and white photographs that give examples of what a typical Conch neighborhood in Key West looked like and pictures of the real people that helped inspire some of her characters.  This book was a lot fun and very easy to read.  The language used was very understandable and natural. The careful research that Holm’s did to write this book allowed her to learn about her own family heritage that began when her great-grandmother immigrated to Key West. 

Personal Connection:

When I was a little girl my father would take us to the Florida Keys every weekend to go fishing.  We would go to Key Largo, Islamorada and Key West itself.  I have walked countless times on Duval Street and I am Cuban.  So when I read Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm I didn’t need to use my imagination to enjoy this book because I could use my memories.  I have sat in Sloppy Joe’s on Duval street and had Leche with my friends.  I have been on a boat in the Keys without a hat on.  And, I have helped my dad find lobsters using the glass of a diving mask to see down into the reefs.  This novel was so familiar to me and yet I still learned something new.  I have seen many Conch houses but I did not know that they were intentionally built to withstand hurricane winds; I just thought that they were super old and poorly built.

 

Activities:

Social Studies:

•Students can read Ernest Hemingway’s biography. 

•Students can create a chronological time line of the hurricanes that have hit Key West and the impact of these hurricanes on the construction codes and practices of the island. 

•Students can create a treasure map using the actual layout of their school as if it is the city of Key West.   Brainstorm parts of the school that they will need to include on the map and record them in a list (gym, cafeteria, library, office, etc.).  Then students can choose which place mentioned in the book these locations will represent.  For example, the cafeteria can be Pete’s.  Students can use current pictures of the places mentioned in the book to illustrate their map.  Divide students into groups of 3-4.  Assign each group a different part of Key West to work on.  As a class, take each group’s pieces of the map and put together on a large piece of butcher paper.  Discuss location of each item and what direction it is located.  Model for students how to add the compass rose and map key.  *Tell each class that they will be getting another class's map and that they will be going on a treasure hunt.  There will be an X on the map that indicates where the treasure can be found.  Each class must decide where to mark the X on their map.  When all of the maps are completed set out on the treasure hunt to find the X.  Ask teachers to participate by “hiding” the treasure in their classes. Treasure can be a class set of pencils.  After each class finds their treasure discuss with students the location of the treasure "What direction did we have to go to find the treasure?";  "What part of Key West is the treasure located?";  “In the book what happened in this place?”   When the class returns to the library you can ask the students to help prepare a cut-in for a class snack. 

Recommended Historical Novels by Jennifer L. Holm:

• Our Only May Amelia
• The Trouble With May Amelia
• Penny From Heaven
• Boston Jane: An Adventure
• Boston Jane: The Claim
• Boston Jane: Wilderness Days

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Book 2011
• Children’s Choices for 2011
• Children’s Books of the Year 2011

Reviews:

*Starred Review*

“Modern-day readers will have no trouble relating to Turtle, though, and the fast-moving plot will keep them interested to the end.” (Excerpt from Horn Book)

 

*Starred Review*

“The many references to 1930s entertainments (Terry and the Pirates, Shirley Temple) will mostly go over kids’ heads, but they’ll get how much comics and movies meant to a population desperate for smiles.” (Excerpt from Book List)

 

*Starred Review*

“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.” (Excerpt from Kirkus Review)

 

“This book is best suited as a read-aloud where the background of the story has already been established.” (Excerpt from Library Media Connection)

 

“Two-time Newbery Honor author Holm again crafts a winning heroine who, despite her hardened exterior, gradually warms to her eccentric family members, including her unruly cousins and waspish grandmother (who Turtle thought was dead). 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.” (Excerpt from Publishers Weekly)

 

“Readers who enjoy melodic, humorous tales of the past won't want to miss it.” (Excerpt from School Library Journal)