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    Turtle in Paradise
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    Turtle in Paradise
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    Turtle in Paradise
    Audiobook3 hours

    Turtle in Paradise

    Written by Jennifer L. Holm

    Narrated by Becca Battoe

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple

    She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls with love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 11, 2010
    ISBN9780307738318
    Unavailable
    Turtle in Paradise
    Author

    Jennifer L. Holm

    Jennifer L. Holm is the New York Times bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish. Her novels Our Only May Amelia, Penny from Heaven, and Turtle in Paradise are all Newbery Honor winners. Jennifer also collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on two graphic novel series: the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series and the bestselling Squish series.

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    Reviews for Turtle in Paradise

    4/5

    294 ratings42 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Turtle has never known her father, and her mother is given a job during the Great Depression as a live in maid for a woman who hates children; so Turtle is shuffled off to her aunt's home in Key West, to live with a bunch of no-good boy cousins. The first two thirds of the book meander along with the life and antics of this bunch of boys, their friends, and Turtle - the one girl, the one person who didn't grow up in Key West - learning how to get along. Then the last third of the book takes off in a hurried frenzy to throw in a fantastical plot element, and get everything wrapped up in a hurry. The whole pirate treasure element of the plot was fanciful to the point of absurdity, and the rest of it was much too rushed. Still good, but I wouldn't have handed it a Newbery Honor.
    • 3/5
      The setting is in Key West Florida and as you read you get a real feel of the heat and humidity of the area. Turtle's mother sent her to live with relative in Florida whithout even contacting them. She just showed up on the doorstep where it was said that another one won't matter. Turtle's mother is working for a woman who hates children which is why she is sent to Key West.

      I had a little trouble keeping everyone straight as they all have nick names such as Pork Shop and Turtle, Turtle is soft on the underside and hard shelled on the top. She is smart, strong, helpful, generous, and pretty wise for an 11-year-old. The story is set during the Great Depression
    • 3/5
      I liked it.
    • 3/5
      The unique culture of Key West during the Depression Era is brought vividly to life as Turtle adjusts to life there with her aunt, uncle, and cousins. Despite hard times, the story contains a healthy dose of humor and adventure with pranks being played by the "Diaper Gang" and even a treasure hunt. I think the strong sense of place and time are what I enjoyed most about this novel, but seeing Turtle get to know family she didn't know she had and learning to fit in and care about one another was heartwarming, too.
    • 3/5
      Short and sweet.
    • 4/5
      So many different elements will touch the hearts and minds of readers who pick up this book. It tells about island life in a place where everyone knows everyone else, takes place during the Great Depression, which makes it perfect for readers who like to experience history, and it is about a single mother and her daughter, sharing their dreams and finding new paths together in the end, even when they are forced to live apart for a while. There is adventure for the adventurous, mystery for the curious, and the building of character for those who enjoy character development. The ending felt very rushed to me, as if the author had to hurry up and get the book done before it was ready to be finished, but if that is the only issue, it is certainly worth the read. Definitely deserves the Newbery Honor badge on this jacket.
    • 4/5
      This was a really cute book. I thought the story was a good one and although the writing style was a bit rough I thought it seemed accurate to what I imagine is appropriate for that time.
    • 2/5
      The characters weren't developed as unique individuals, the boys were almost impossibly horrid, most of the adults weren't much better, the climate was unremittingly hot and sticky - I'm so glad the book was short so I could escape. If you think this is 'nice' and 'funny' I'm very glad I don't live in your world.

      A couple of specific examples of the horrid boys - they taunt an old man until he falls out of his wagon into the dust, and they drag a rock tied to a string against people's windows at night to scare them.

      I can't tell you about all the horrid-ness of the adults, but for one: right at the beginning the aunt takes Turtle's paper dolls away from her because the dolls were 'stolen' by Turtle's mother from the aunt back when they were children.

      Horrid climate - scorpions, hurricanes, thick sticky air - and never a clue about why some people choose to live there and call it Paradise.

      Really? This is a fun book?
    • 2/5
      Honestly I wasn't that impressed with this novel. I went in thinking it would be more historically rich than it is. The novel briefly mentions how the Great Depression has impacted Turtle and her family. Her mom is desperate to keep any maid job. The homeowner that Turtle's mom works for does not like children, so Turtle is sent down to live with her aunt in Key West. Turtle's Aunt is overwhelmed doing laundry on the side and raising her family since her husband works on a construction project out of town and comes home occasionally. Turtle becomes accustomed with the Key West life-style and hangs out with her cousins who watch babies on the side for extra money. The novel does not have a exact plot. It just covers Turtles random experiences in Key West. The ending seemed a bit rushed. It wasn't exactly what I expected from a historical fiction novel.
    • 4/5
      Very good story that has great family connections.
      Set in Key West in 1935. Depression times. Kids will like the humor in this book.
    • 4/5
      During a period of hard times Turtle has to move to live with family while her mother gets thing straightened out, While living in the Florida Keys, Turtle discovers many things about her self and her view of her family.
    • 2/5
      This book is very interesting and is set during the Great Depression. Students will love the humor but maybe not understand what is really going on in the story that an adult would.
    • 3/5
      Narrated by Becca Battoe. During the Great Depression, Turtle's mother sends her to live in the Florida Keys with Aunt Minnie. Turtle meets a motley crew of cousins and neighborhood kids, all boys, who run a babysitting service in exchange for candy payments. Throughout the summer, Turtle and the boys hang out, embark on adventures, and care for babies. Author Holm does a good job setting the place and tone of Florida during the Depression, and creating a believable set of kids. Narrator Battoe's childlike tone is just right for voicing Turtle and her scampish friends.
    • 4/5
      Turtle's mother sends her to Key West to stay with her sister during the Great Depression b/c the woman she's a housekeeper for a woman can't stomach children. Turtle gets to meet a whole entire family she never knew about down in Key West and gets to know them.

      I thought this was a really great short read (or listen). I loved how Turtle was the sensible one in her family and I loved Kermit, Beans and Porkchop AND too slow. The quirky characters are great. The whole concept of the Diaper Gang cracked me up and I was very excited when I figured out who Too Slow was. Even with the sadness it was a fun book.
    • 4/5
      What a sweet wholesome story! This reminds me of the type of books I enjoyed as a kid. Turtle, who true to her nickname, has a hard exterior and a soft underbelly, is sent to live with relatives in Key West. She and her mom, a single parent, are close but the woman her mom works with as a live in housekeeper doesn't like kids so Turtle has to leave. The story takes place during the Great Depression and times are tough. Although, her Aunt and Uncle don't have much money there is plenty of love and good times. Wonderful, wonderful story! Very deserving of its Newbery Honor.
    • 4/5
      great book. This is about a young girl named turtle, who has to go live with her aunt and cousins while her mom is saving up money to make a better life for them. Turtle is an independent, reserved person, but she slowly starts coming out of her shell through out the book.
    • 2/5
      About a girl during the depression who is sent to live with her aunt. She goes on various adventures and learns about herself in the process.Upper elementary208 pagesTHEMES- working mother, self discovery, adventure, Florida, extended family, great depression, historical fiction
    • 5/5
      I'm not sure the intended audience will appreciate this book as much as an adult. But they do enjoy it. Set in Key West in the 1930's, elementary age children will probably need a little background in the Great Depression, but they will love the characters. If you have "Babymouse" fans, the "Diaper Gang of Curry Lane is sure to get them into this book. I reread it before visiting Key West and it was fun to find the locations that Turtle and the kids visited. If you take the city tour, you'll find out how important the Curry's were to Key West and imagine what is was like in the 1930's when very few people lived there.
    • 4/5
      I think kids would be interested to learn about other peoples’ experiences during the depression, and things they had to do to get by and cope. Children are empathetic, and could easily connect with some of the characters in the story and learn that life is not always easy for children. I was able to imagine life down in Key West during the depression, particularly from a child’s point of view. Although it was a hard life, children everywhere will figure out their own ways to cope and live.
    • 4/5
      Turtle is a young girl sent to live with her relatives in Key West after her mother gets a job as a housekeeper with a lady who does not allow children in her home. She meets her cousins and aunt, and even grandmother, and has adventures taking care of babies and her grandmother. Then one day, she discovers a map to a hidden treasure. She and her cousins sail out in a stolen boat to the Key where the treasure is supposedly buried, and find both the treasure and trouble. Rescued finally by her estranged father, she splits the fortune with her cousins. However, her portion is stolen by her mother's new husband, who has sold them all the dream of a happy life together. But Turtle perseveres, and learns that she is happy just to have a family.
    • 5/5
      This was such a little treasure. I have to admit that I was not thrilled when historical fiction carried the day this year as far as the Newbery winner and the Newbery honors... especially when Moon Over Manifest and Turtle in Paradise both feature female protagonists sent away from home during the Great Depression. But they are two very different stories, and Jennifer Holm did a lovely job of enabling me to embrace Turtle and the various people she meets in Key West.
    • 5/5
      Love the spunky main character! And I was struck by how the ending wasn't happily ever after, just the way life is. (so cool to have just met the author, too--thanks Jenni for inspiring talk at SCBWI.)
    • 4/5
      Another book that I really loved the setting, Depression era Key West. It really made what could have been a typical historical fiction really stand out. Although...the ending. Why do I have problems with endings. This one was slighly too abrupt. The falling action was playing out nicely and then BAM the end. I hate that. Take some time, give a reader a chance to say good-bye.
    • 4/5
      I recommend this book to others. It was a very compelling and dramatic story of a young girl, named Turtle, raised by a single mother who is sent to live with her aunt, unannounced to her. Turtle meets a new side to her family and goes through trials of being accepted.
    • 4/5
      This book was a very easy read. It was interesting enough to hold my attention the whole time, and the plot moved very quickly (almost too quickly).The book is about a girl named Turtle who moves to the Key West to live with her cousins. She does this because her mother takes a job as a live-in housekeeper and cannot keep Turtle with her. The story is told from Turtle's perspective, as she deals with her rotten boy cousins, tags along in the "Diaper Gang," gets to know her estranged grandmother, works on a sponging boat, and goes on a treasure hunt. Throughout the story, Turtle develops a connection to the Key West (the hometown of an abundance of her relatives), deals with the sadness of her mother's crushed dreams, and comes out on the other side in pretty good shape.
    • 3/5
      This story about Turtle is a touching story of her unusual childhood. She is sent away as a young girl to live with relatives after her mom gets a new job. As a teacher, I would not choose this book necessarily for my whole class to read. It is not a book that all students would enjoy.
    • 4/5
      This was a really fun book to read! As a teacher who encourages students to broaden their minds by reading historical fiction, this book is a great addition to the topic of the Great Depression. It was also great to learn about the culture of Key West Florida. My favorite part of the book is that the author uses her family history to inform this novel. The only part of this book that I wasn't a huge fan of was the unrealistic ending.
    • 3/5
      In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida.
    • 4/5
      Glimpse of Key West before it became a tourist destination. Colorful setting with Hemmingway making an appearance.
    • 5/5
      Turtle is a smart mouthed, intelligent young lady who, through circumstances that are beyond her control, is forced to grow up far too soon. Turtle’s mom is a single mother in a time when that was frowned upon. She is idealistic where Turtle is realistic and sarcastic. When Turtle’s mom is forced to accept a job from an employer who doesn’t want children around, she sends Turtle to spend the summer with her sister in Key West, Florida. This book had the full package. It had humor (lots), adventure, mystery, and heart. I absolutely loved this story. 3rd – 5th graders will enjoy the tale of Turtle getting in touch with her roots and bonding with her cousins. Teaching ideas include the Great Depression, Key West, Florida, self-reliance, and the fishing industry.