Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Times are hard in 1935. The United States is still suffering from the Great Depression, so when Turtle’s mother lands a housekeeping job with a woman who hates children, Turtle is sent from New Jersey to Key West to live with her Aunt Minnie and her many (boy) cousins. While Key West is far from the pristine paradise that Turtle’s idealistic mother has described, Turtle adjusts to life, proving herself to her aunt and cousins, discovers a grandmother she thought was dead, and uncovers a long lost treasure.

Ford Model ATurtle stares out the window as Mr. Edgit’s Ford Model A rumbles along the road, kicking up clouds of dust. This is what cars looked like in the late 1920’s and the 1930’s.

Popular Comics of the 1930’s

Shirley Temple

Shirley Temple is this kid actress everyone’s calling “America’s Little Darling.” She has dimpled cheeks and ringlet curls and is always breaking into song or doing a dance number at the drop of a hat. Everyone thinks she’s the cutest thing ever. I can’t stand her.” –Turtle

Sears Mail-Order House

Mama’s promised me that someday we’re going to live in our own home. We’ve got it all picked out, too. It’s a Sears mail-order house, from a kit. The Bellewood, Model 3304.-Turtle

Alligator Pear

I stare at my plate. There’s a piece of thick toast with something green and slimy smeared on top of it. “What is it?” I ask.

“Alligator pear on Cuban bread.”

Aunt Minnie purses her lips. “I don’t cater to fussy children.”-Turtle

Scorpions

Kermit looks at me. “They like to hide in dark places.”

“Like shoes,” Aunt Minnie says pointedly, staring at my feet.

No one wears shoes in Key West.

Conchs

Mama told me that Conchs are what folks in Key West call themselves. A lot of them originally came from the Bahamas, where they fished for conch.-Turtle

Conch was a staple in Key West especially during the Great Depression.

The Iceman

An iceman is making his deliveries and Bean calls out, “You got any spare chips, Mr. Roberts?”

“Sure thing, Beans,” the man says, handing out slivers of ice.—from Turtle in Paradise

Before we had refrigerators, people could only keep food fresh by using chunks of ice in an “ice box.”

Sponging

Sponging was a major source of income for many Florida Key residents, who used a special sponging tool to bring sponges to the surface of the water.

Duval Street

Duval Street is like a different Key West. It’s nicer.-Turtle

Duval Street is also the main road through Key West linking the Mexican Gulf on one end of the street, and the Atlantic Ocean on the other end.

A Cut-UpEach kid brings whatever they can find lying around or hanging on a tree----sugar apple, banana, mango, pineapple, alligator pear, guava, cooked potatoes and even raw onions. They take a big bowl, cut it all up, and season it with Old Sour, which is made from key lime juice, salt and hot peppers. -Turtle

References

Holm, J. L. (2010). Turtle in paradise. New York: Random House.