Turtle in Paradise Audiobook By Jennifer L. Holm cover art

Turtle in Paradise

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Turtle in Paradise

By: Jennifer L. Holm
Narrated by: Becca Battoe
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Inspired by family stories, two-time Newbery Honor winner and New York Times best-selling author Jennifer L. Holm beautifully blends family lore with America's past in this charming gem of a novel, rich in historical detail, humor, and the unique flavors of Key West.

Life isn't like the movies, and 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 stay with relatives she's never met.

Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of wild green peeping out between houses, ragtag boy cousins, and secret treasure. Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she has spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways.

©2010 Jennifer L. Holm (P)2010 Listening Library Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Witty

Critic reviews

"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." ( Booklist)
"Sweet, funny and superb." ( Kirkus Reviews)
Delightful Story • Wonderful Characters • Vividly Depicted • Historical Fiction • Determined Spirit
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New to chapter book readers and adults will love this one and the determined spirit of the little girl within these "pages"

Great Story

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It was sad at the end :(
I almost cried it’s to sad I can’t juju

Turtle

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I really enjoyed the book. It was very interesting. My favorite part is when turtle and here mother get back together.

Turtle

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I liked all the fun characters and their nicknames. The plot kept you thinking about what was going to happen next. It was a fun story.

Cute story that held my interest.

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I'm 36yo & this story with the narrative cracked me up..its for younger kids but adults will appreciate the dry witty sense of humor..this audio may also cause you some lack of sleep..for its too good not to hear all of it. Many times during the night I had to be careful my laughter didn't wake my husband. Great story. No bad language or content in this story that my own child couldn't hear. I appreciate that very much. Turtle has climbed to the top of my "listen to very often" stack of audios. I'll let you decide where it climbs in your pile ;)

Turtle Indeed

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Turtle was brave enough to take risk of go hunting for lost treasure and finally she found the treasure and the valuable lessons through her adventures.

adventurous memories in mom's hometown

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Our entire family enjoyed this book while on a long car trip. The author has created wonderful characters who live in a vividly depicted run-down area of Key West in the early 20th century. Turtle is a believable girl, who is a complicated mix of brave and vulnerable. She makes the most of unfortunate circumstances while befriending a crew of cousins she's never met. The book is even more delightful because it is based on the author's grandmother's memories of growing up in Key West when it was a remote outpost instead of a tourist destination (Ernest Hemmingway has a cameo).

Delightful, funny, and touching.

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My kids listen to this book over and over. It was enjoyable to listen to even as an adult!

Great book!! Kids loved it!

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What made the experience of listening to Turtle in Paradise the most enjoyable?

I read this with my 10 year old daughter for a mother/daughter book club. We both very much enjoyed it.

Very good book

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If I could ask J.L.holm one question it would be ‘is the Mimi form penny form heaven turtle?”

Love it

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