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A review by librariandest
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
4.0
A really cute story loosely based on the author's own family history in 1935 Key West, Florida. There's a rag tag group of boys called the Diaper Gang (they're like a dirty male babysitters' club), a Shirley Temple-hating smart-mouthed narrator, lots of wonky nicknames (Turtle, Pork Chop, Pudding, Too Bad, Killie the Horse, etc, etc), and a hunt for pirate treasure! What more could you want?
The story is mostly about a New Jersey girl adapting to life with her rapscallion Southern relatives. Turtle's the kind of girl who's more responsible than her parent, and she's always rolling her eyes at the world. I liked her as a narrator because she's shrewd (though not, as we see, immune to cons). Of course, her relatives worm their way into her heart (and the readers' hearts) and the story is ultimately about the importance of family and belonging.
I only wish Jennifer Holm hadn't wrapped it all up so suddenly. The ending to me felt like the author saying, "Well, we've all seen this kind of ending before, so I'm going to make it quick." I thought the ending was actually a little shocking, and I wish she'd given it a few more pages at least.
The story is mostly about a New Jersey girl adapting to life with her rapscallion Southern relatives. Turtle's the kind of girl who's more responsible than her parent, and she's always rolling her eyes at the world. I liked her as a narrator because she's shrewd (though not, as we see, immune to cons). Of course, her relatives worm their way into her heart (and the readers' hearts) and the story is ultimately about the importance of family and belonging.
I only wish Jennifer Holm hadn't wrapped it all up so suddenly. The ending to me felt like the author saying, "Well, we've all seen this kind of ending before, so I'm going to make it quick." I thought the ending was actually a little shocking, and I wish she'd given it a few more pages at least.