As a general rule, I try to know as little about books before I read them so that the plot is a surprise to me. Hence, picking up this book based on the cover is slightly deceiving.
Turtle is not like other girls. Sent away to live in Key West, Florida during the Great Depression, she's determined there's only one way to survive in this life - with a tough exterior. But even turtles have soft underbellies and this main character has dreams of her own, so close she can almost taste it.
I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and the reader is fantastic. Her accent draws you right into the story through the eyes of an eleven-year-old who sees life as an adult. The culture and life of Key West envelops you, and in the meantime some mischievous kids set off for some adventures of their own. It was this book where my respect for historical fiction novels began, and Jennifer L. Holm does a breathtaking and authentic job of world building in this story.
A Newbery Award winning book, this is one not to be missed. Though I felt the ending needed more closure, the narrator's emphasis on family relationships amidst a failing economic world makes up for any shortcomings. Paradise is in between these pages, people.
And who doesn't want to visit paradise?
Appropriate for ages 10+
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