Turtle in Paradise

By Jennifer L. Holm
Era: 1935 America--Key West, Florida
Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Eleven year old Turtle is as realistic as they come, so in 1935 when her mom gets a housekeeping job for a lady who doesn't like kids, she doesn't shed a tear when she is packed off to stay in Key West, Florida with her aunt and cousins whom she has never met.  At least her mama has Archie, the first man that Turtle thinks may actually stick around for awhile.  Turtle has never seen the likes of the keys before--it is hot, no one wears shoes, everyone speaks a bit of Spanish, and everyone seems to be dirt poor.  Stuck with 3 boy cousins, Turtle learns the ins and outs of the Diaper Gang--a babysitting business the boys run to earn candy.  Turtle cannot see why everyone always goes on about how great it is to have a lot of family--there seems to be far too many members of her family in Key West; practically everyone she meets is related to her somehow.  But there are plenty of surprises for a girl who doesn't like Shirley Temple--like getting to go out on the sponge-hunting boat with captain Slow Poke and meeting her long lost and ornery grandmother, Nana Philly.  And it is at her grandmother's house that she finds a secret long hidden, a secret that could potentially lead to fame and riches.  But does Turtle dare to share it with her cousins?  By turns heartbreaking and funny, readers will enjoy learning about Key West in the 1930's and about the misadventures of a girl named Turtle and will be sorry to see the book come to an end.