Turtle in Paradise

Author: Jennifer L. Holm,

Reading level: Grade 3-6

Summary:
Mama gets a job and Turtle has to say goodbye to her. Eleven-year-old Turtle is smart and tough. She knows that life is not easy during the Depression and jobs and money are scarce. So when her Mama sends her away because the lady her Mama works for now doesn’t like it, she heads off to Key West without shredding a tear even though she’ll stay with relatives she’s never met in her life.
Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. She learns a whole lot of new things about here odd relatives. She finds herself surrounded by her rowdy male cousins. Turtle must use all her mind and guts to make a place for herself and discovers her family history.

Reviews:
I extremely love this novel because it talks about a young girl who has never known who her father was. And now, she is about to lose her mother as well. I find this book to be entertaining to read for young adults because of what Turtle has to struggle through her young childhood. A young girl has to learn how to survive without her parents is very typical of today’s society. I like the fact that the story setting is in Key West and the author did a good job portrayed the setting. I like to read the latter part of the novel where she starts to dig deeper into her family history to find out who her father is. The plot is pretty interesting because reader will keep guessing about Turtle’s real father.

Award: 2011 Newbery Honor Book