1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Holm,
Jennifer L. Turtle in Paradise. New
York: Random House Children's Books, 2010. ISBN 978-0-375-83688-6
2.
PLOT SUMMARY
Depression era hardships force Turtle’s mother to send
her to live with her aunt in Key West, Florida. Eleven-year old Turtle arrives
unannounced with her cat and the adventure begins as she strives to fit in with
her barefoot, entrepreneur, baby-sitting cousins. All the children have expressive
nicknames like Pork Chop, Kermit, Slow Poke, Pudding and the people of Key West
call themselves, Conchs. Turtle’s tough exterior begins to soften as she becomes
accustomed to her Conch relatives’ lifestyle and meets her grandmother for the
first time. Before long, she is running around barefoot, eating turtle soup,
and hunting for treasure.
3.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jennifer L. Holm’s fast paced historical fiction novel
unfolds in depression era Key West, Florida. It is hot, humid without roads
connecting the keys and nearly all the “Conchs” are related. Turtle, the
protagonist, finds herself not on “the good ship lollipop” but in a dismal,
crowded town. Turtle grumbles, “Truth is, the place looks like a broken chair that’s been left
out in the sun to rot. There’s trash piled up everywhere. It’s so hot and humid
it hurts to breathe.”
It is during the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 that the
events surrounding this historical disaster are exposed along with the state of
the people around the country. The
children are stranded on an island and Turtle wills herself to sleep in the
shack. She compares her situation to others, “I lie on the filthy floor and try
to ignore the pests--insect and boy--by telling myself that it’s just one night.
There are folks all over the country who’ve lost their homes--they’re living in
tents, in boxcars, under bridges.” In the morning, the children have survived
the brunt of the storm and witness the aftermath, “Trees have been blown over
and the ocean water is cloudy, the bottom churned up from the storm. There's
debris everywhere and the key looks smaller, as if it’s been swallowed up by
the ocean.”
The tranquil family setting is paramount to Turtle’s
character transformation. She has grown up as the housekeeper’s daughter that has continuously moved with her single mother to the next job causing her to be wary of
people and places. In Key West, she learns of the “Conch Telegraph”. Kermit
explains, “Conchs like to talk. Everyone knew you were here five minutes after
you showed up yesterday. Besides, you’re related to most of them.” Turtle had been told that all of her relatives were
dead and compares herself to Little Orphan Annie. Turtle’s aunt calls her “sweet” for going to help her grandmother, but
Turtle is adamant that she is just curious. “I’m not sweet--I’m curious. It’s
not every day you find out you have a grandmother you didn’t even know was
alive. And despite what everyone says about Nana Philly being terrible, I’ve
been wanting to see if she’ll be different with me.” Turtle is beginning to
desire familial connections. She has grown up without any siblings or a father
and this robust household truly has her attention. When Turtle is caught in the
hurricane with her cousins, she realizes how much they mean to her. “We press
into each other for comfort, no complaining now. Sometime during those long
hours, Beans reaches for my hand without a word, and I fall asleep with his
fingers curled in mine.” Turtle’s doubts have been replaced by the fortitude of
love and security as she perseveres through any circumstance.
The story follows the adventures of Turtle and her
cousins as they pull babies along in their wagon, change diapers, hunt for
treasure, and almost die during the hurricane. Turtle is amusing as she
narrates her remarkable summer. The reader can envision the “Diaper Gang”
running around barefoot, putting cornstarch on diaper rash, hollering at each
other for almost dying, and jumping for joy for being alive! The “Hollywood ending”
does happen but not how we originally thought it would with material gains. The
characters go full circle realizing the true value of each other is more than a
pirate’s treasure.
Holm’s depiction of this era is authentic with an
extensive author’s note including genuine photographs from the 1930s. The
reader is able to determine the reliability of the information from the
resource page, web sites used, and the acknowledgements including the page
about the author in which, Holm’s details her ancestral connections to Key
West. Boys and girls will both enjoy the romp back into history with this
Newbery Honor book filled with adventure and camaraderie as Turtle's middle school voice narrates this page turner set for the next great escapade.
4.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
New York Times Bestseller list
Newbery Medal Honor 2011
American Library Association Notable Books for
Children Winner 2011
Golden Kite Awards Winner 2011
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee 2011
West Virginia Children's Choice Book Award Nominee
2011
Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee 2013
Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee 2012
Maryland Children's Book Award Nominee 2011
Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2012
SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) Nominee 2012
Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee 2012
Georgia Children's Book Award Nominee 2012
Beehive Children's Fictional Book Award Nominee 2013
Volunteer State Book Award Nominee 2012
Sasquatch Reading Award
California Young Reader Medal Nominee 2013
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Nominee 2012
Maud Hart Lovelace Award Nominee 2013
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award Nominee 2013
“The
episodic novel includes details, events, and figures from history (including
those from Holm's own family), and Turtle's narrative is peppered with
references from the time, as she compares herself to Little Orphan Annie and
gladly avoids going to a Shirley Temple movie. Modern-day readers will have no
trouble relating to Turtle, though, and the fast-moving plot will keep them
interested to the end.”--Horn Book Magazine, 2010
“Turtle discovers a startlingly different way of life
amid boisterous cousins, Nana Philly, and buried treasure. This richly detailed
novel was inspired by Holm's great-grandmother's stories. Readers who enjoy
melodic, humorous tales of the past won't want to miss it.”-- School Library
Journal, April 01, 2010
“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.”--Publishers Weekly, May
03, 2010
“Holm uses family stories as the basis for this tale,
part romp, part steely-eyed look at the Depression era. Reminiscent of Addie in
the movie Paper Moon, Turtle is just the right mixture of knowingness and hope;
the plot is a hilarious blend of family dramas seasoned with a dollop of
adventure. 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. An author's note
(with photos) shows Holm's family close-up.”--Booklist, April 15, 2010
5.
CONNECTIONS
Have students read about the author on her blog at http://www.jenniferholm.com/p/book-report-central.html
Have students compare the Great Depression to the
Great Recession from http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/recession_depression/
Then have students compare the speeches of President
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, State of the Union Address, March 4, 1933 and
President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, January 27, 2010.
Have students to an online search of entertainment
media from the Depression era such as Shirley Temple and The Shadow.
YouTube: Shirley Temple www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLLSqpYyPD8
Old Time Radio Shows: The Shadow www.oldtimeradiofans.com/
and http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/template.php?show_name=The%20Shadow
Have students explore photographs of families during
The Great Depression at http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/photoessay.htm
Have students learn more about Ernest Hemingway and his
time in Key West at http://www.ernesthemingwaycollection.com/
Have students explore information about the Labor Day hurricane that hit Key West in 1935 at http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1930s/LaborDay/
Have students explore Help Readers
Love Reading blog to explore links to photographs and cartoons depicted in
story at http://www.helpreaderslovereading.com/2013/01/turtle-in-paradise-by-jennifer-l-holm.html
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