"Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I've lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten. The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder. Kids get away with it."
And so begins the story of Turtle, a girl sent to live with her aunt in Key West during the Great Depression.
I picked this book because it received a Newbery Honor this year. I haven't read the winner yet, but I think Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm easily deserved the prize as well. The characters are funny and believable (some of them based on real people who lived in Key West in the 1930s), the story is charming and heartbreaking and beautiful, the narrator is real and tough, and the ending is touching without being too sappy.
This book was so good I read it in one day--which didn't used to mean much, but with an active toddler and a house to take care of, that is a lot more significant these days. Let's just say that my house is maybe not as clean as it could be, but I read an excellent book today. I recommend it to anyone.
The last Newbery winner I read was From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler, so I really haven't read any recent Newbery winners. This one sounds very interesting, though, particularly the setting. :)
ReplyDeleteI read this because of your review here and I loved it! I also read it in a day. The "bad babies" really made me laugh. Thanks for these reviews!
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