Genre: Historical Fiction
Young Turtle has a free-spirited, fun-loving mother who works as a housekeeper for an older woman. When the older woman tells Turtle's mother that she doesn't want any kids there, Turtle's mother solves the dilemma by shipping her off to her aunt's house in Key West. Turtle's mother is also not someone who I would describe as being responsible. I am a mother, and I wouldn't dream of shipping my children off to live with my sister! Turtle's mother and her boyfriend (more about him later) make all sorts of promises to Turtle. "We'll come and get you as soon as things settle down." Likely story, right? Consequently, Turtle and her adorable cat, Smokey, go to live with the aunt in Key West who has three rowdy, messy boys. (don't quote me on three! :-)).
Needless to say, Turtle disrupts their lives by coming in and taking over one of their rooms. Turtle's aunt also struggles to stay afloat financially, and take care of the kids. Her uncle is a fisherman, so he spends a great deal of time away from the home. The boys stay busy taking care of babies with their "special" diaper cream. I found the parts of the story where the boys cared for the babies the most charming and enjoyable. Turtle learns to acclimate, and when Turtle and the boys end up stranded on an island (action!), they learn things about survival and enduring the "storms" both literally and figuratively. In the end, does Turtle's mom return? Did the mom's boyfriend come through on his promises to build them their dream house? Did the boys ever accept Turtle? You will just have to read it to find out! Trust me, you will not be disappointed!
In an effort to share with you more sites that I enjoy as well, here is Turtle in Paradise Review from Story Snoops Review . Story Snoops is a great site for parents to look up information and reviews about books for their children. best of all, it's written by moms just like us! (As far as I know, none of the dads review books. Sorry fellas!)
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