Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Turtle in Paradise

Turtle in Paradise is another Newbery Honor book for 2011, and the author, Jennifer L. Holm, also wrote a book I really enjoyed in the past (Penny from Heaven). Turtle in Paradise is about an 11-year-old girl named Turtle who lives with her mother during the Great Depression. When her mom gets a job as a housekeeper with a woman who won't allow children in the home, Turtle is sent to live with her aunt in Key West. She meets her cousins (all boys) and their friends and begins to have some great adventures in the town where her mother grew up.

This was a really fun book with lots of interesting characters. There were some entertaining parts (like the job her cousins have as a Diaper Gang, babysitting babies in return for candy). It really captured the atmosphere of life in the town during the 30s. I also found out in the Author's Note at the end that the author based the story on her ancestors who lived in Key West, which is kind of cool. The book was very well written but didn't quite reach the "love" level because I wasn't completely emotionally involved like I like to be in books.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

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