Turtle in paradise The graphic novel

Gr 3--8--Don't feel too sorry for Turtle. She might be resentful and fearful about being sent to live with her aunt and cousins while her mother takes a job that doesn't allow kids, but, as it turns out, the dusty, sun-drenched Florida Keys are just the place to ride out the Great Depression, especially once she teams up with her rascally cousin Beans and his pals, the Diaper Gang (so named for their babysitting prowess). Holm's classic summer novel, full of pranks, peril, mystery, and discovery, gets a beautiful graphic novel treatment that if anything improves upon the original. Turtle's smart, irritable, fully rounded personality puts her in the same class as New Kid's Jordan Banks and My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich's Ebony-Grace Norfleet. Readers will enjoy tagging along with Turtle as she gets to know her mother's family, explores the wonders of the Keys, and becomes part of the fabric of the town. Gorgeous flora and period architecture establish a firm sense of place, while scenes that take place on the water are awash in turquoise blue. A bleached-pastel palette, confident linework, and manga-influenced exaggerated expressions lend scenes of unfamiliar historical activities like dragging babies around in a wagon a contemporary quality. Turtle and her family are white. VERDICT Adventure, friendship, and unforgettable characters make for a perfect tale. This graphic novel adaptation will sit comfortably on the shelf alongside books by Faith Erin Hicks, Jen Wang, and Victoria Jamieson.--Paula Willey, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore

Here is a graphic novel adaptation of Holm's 2011 Newbery Honor Book of the same title (rev. 5/10). Turtle arrives in Key West to stay with her aunt and cousins after her mother gets a housekeeping job for a wealthy woman who cannot tolerate children. Because the United States is in the midst of the Great Depression, work is scarce, but Turtle's cousin Beans leads the Diaper Gang, a cheeky group of preteens who cares for babies and their irritated bums with its exclusive formula for fighting diaper rash. Turtle never experiences a dull moment with this crew, and they initiate a variety of mostly harmless antics. Holm's (Sunny Side Up, rev. 9/15, and sequels) novel lends itself easily to a graphic format: its short chapters translate well into paneled illustrations, and the great bits of fun in the novel now get full-color treatment (highlights being big ocean adventures and tick-tocking--a naughty prank). Ganucheau shines when drawing the tropical scenery and setting of the Florida Keys, and colorist Pien catches the eye with soft pastels and skillful mood-setting. The titular paradise is not always sunny, but all visual efforts reinforce the brightness and buoyancy of this idiosyncratic place. Niki Marion September/October 2021 p.96(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A world-weary girl is sent to live with family in Key West during the Great Depression. Times are tough in 1935, and Turtle doesn't believe in Hollywood endings like her starry-eyed Mama does. When Mama gets a job as a housekeeper for a woman who can't abide children, Turtle is sent down to Key West, Florida, to live with her aunt's family. She learns that she has three boisterous boy cousins who, along with their friends, form the Diaper Gang, an enterprising babysitting venture in town. Denied official entry into the Diaper Gang because she's a girl, Turtle nevertheless spends her days with them, observing the quirks and cultural particularities of the locals, from their colorful jargon and nicknames to the kids' tendency to run around barefoot. This graphic-novel adaptation of Holm's acclaimed 2010 novel is perfectly suited to conveying the vibrant local color of Key West as well as the comic pace of Turtle's adventures with the Diaper Gang. Chapters unfold in vignettelike fashion, building to reveal new information about the history of Turtle's family that she was unaware of while gradually chipping away at her tough exterior. Turtle's immediate family presents as White; there is some reflection of Key West's racial diversity in secondary characters. A lively adaptation certain to entertain readers old and new. (author's note, notes about the illustrations, concept art) (Graphic historical fiction. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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. I stare out the window as Mr. Edgit's Ford Model A rumbles along the road, kicking up clouds of dust. It's so hot that the backs of my legs feel like melted gum, only stickier. We've been driving for days now; it feels like eternity. In front of us is a rusty pickup truck with a gang of dirty-looking kids in the back sandwiched between furniture--an iron bed, a rocking chair, battered pots--all tied up with little bits of fraying rope like a spiderweb. A girl my age is holding a baby that's got a pair of ladies' bloomers tied on its head to keep the sun out of its eyes. The boy sitting next to her has a gap between his two front teeth. Not that this stops him from blowing spitballs at us through a straw. We've been stuck behind this truckfor the last few miles, and our windshield is covered with wadded bits of wet newspaper. A spitball smacks the window and Mr. Edgit hammers the horn with the palm of his hand. The no-good boy just laughs and sticks out his tongue. "There oughta be a law. No wonder this country's going to the dogs," Mr. Edgit grumbles. Mr. Edgit ("You can call me Lyle") has a lot of opinions. He says folks in the Dust Bowl wouldn't be having so much trouble if they'd just move near some water. He says he doesn't think President Roosevelt will get us out of this Depression and that if you give someone money for not working why would they ever bother to get a job? But mostly Mr. Edgit talks about a new hair serum he's selling that's going to make him rich. It's called Hair Today, and he's a believer. He's used the product himself. "Can you see the new hair, Turtle?" he asks, pointing at his shiny bald head. I don't see anything. It must grow invisible hair. Maybe Archie should start selling hair serum. If his pal Mr. Edgit's anything to go by, most men would rather have hair than be smart. Archie's a traveling salesman. He's sold everything--brushes, gadgets, Bibles, you name it. Right now he's peddling encyclopedias. "I could sell a trap to a mouse," Archie likes to say, and it's the truth. Housewives can't resist him. I know Mama couldn't. It was last May, one day after my tenth birthday, when I opened the door of Mrs. Grant's house and saw Archie standing there. He had dark brown eyes and thick black hair brushed back with lemon pomade. "Well, hello there," Archie said to me, tipping his Panama hat. "Is the lady of the house at home?" "Which lady?" I asked. "The ugly one or the pretty one?" He laughed. "Why, ain't you a sweet little thing." "I'm not sweet," I said. "I slugged Ronald Caruthers when he tried to throw my cat in the well, and I'd do it again." Archie roared with laughter. "I'll bet you would! What's your name, princess?" "Turtle," I said. "Turtle, huh?" he mused, stroking his chin. "I can see why. Got a little snap to you, don't ya?" "Who's that you're talking to, Turtle?" my mother called, coming to the door. Archie smiled at Mama. "You must be the pretty lady." Mama put her hand over her heart. Otherwise it would have leaped right out of her chest. She fell so hard for Archie she left a dent in the floor. Mama's always falling in love, and the fellas she picks are like dandelions. One day they're there, bright as sunshine--charming Mama, buying me presents--and the next they're gone, scattered to the wind, leaving weeds everywhere and Mama crying. But Mama says Archie's different, and I'm starting to think she may be right. He keeps his promises, and he hasn't disappeared yet. Even Smokey likes him, which is saying something, considering she bit the last fella Mama dated. Also, he's got big dreams,which is more than I can say for most of them. "Mark my words, princess," Archie told me. "We'll be living on Easy Street someday." Excerpted from Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm, Savanna Ganucheau All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.