Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel

Turtle in Paradise Graphic Novels #1

by Jennifer L. Holm, Savanna Ganucheau

Life isn't like the movies. But then again, 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 live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of ragtag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls will love.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Family, Childrens

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2021

About the author

Jennifer L. Holm is a USA TODAY and NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author with more than 9.8 million books in print She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.

Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on three bestselling graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series, the SUNNY series, and the Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on YouTube!

For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.

Reviews

[aly ☆彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turtle in Paradise follows a story of an 11 year old, Turtle who finds herself sent off to Florida to live with her aunt and cousins she never get to know of. This story is depicted during the Great Depression period, illustrating the economic hardships which cause family breakdowns at the time. Moving in was hard and this sensitive, heartfelt story captures the magic of meeting new friends and family member as Turtle gets to set for adventures.

I had this in my library since its released but decided to read it on the spur of the moment and delighted to find myself enjoying them. I haven't read the novel but I love the atmosphere set forth in the graphic novel. The illustrations were beautifully drawn, demonstrating the perfect setting of Key West during the Great Depression — where kids ran barefoot, families were frequently compelled to take their other stray families, people struggling to look for jobs. Despite the pitiful state at the time, Turtle in Paradise rejoicing the good at the bad time; which couldn't help but make you feel nostalgic and homey instead.

If you're into historical fiction or graphic novels, I believe this is one of the must-read MG book. It's splited into mini-chapters, which I believe would make this an easy read for youngsters. Holm's graphic novel adaptation doesn’t lose the story’s warmth, humor, and dramatic moments, you wouldn't want to miss it; especially if you're a fan of the novel itself! It's sweet, poignant, and heartwarming all the same.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1935, and young Turtle's mom has gotten a job as a housekeeper; she hopes to earn enough to buy a house for the two of them. Unfortunately, her new employer can't stand children, so poor Turtle is being sent to stay with relatives in Key West, Florida. Things don't go too smoothly at first: her aunt seems none too happy to see her, and her cousins, all male, are determined to keep her out of their gang. Turtle's going to need her "hard shell" to cope with all the changes as she adjusts to life in this new "paradise."

This was delightful. 'Twas a magical time when children could spend an entire day unsupervised, everyone knew everyone in town, and fun could be had without cell phones, or even money. Perhaps there was even a pirate's treasure waiting to be found if you knew where to look.

Savanna Ganucheau's lovely art captures every moment of that sun-drenched splendor, and made me want to head south for a bit of paradise.





Recommended to anyone looking for a quick, nostalgic getaway.

[Eva B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! TURTLE IN PARADISE is one of my favorite books and it was my favorite as a kid. Most of the dialogue was taken directly from the book and the art was super cute and fit the story perfectly!

[Lovely Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute about a girl being sent to live with her relatives in Key West in 1935.

It's the height of the Great Depression, and Turtle's mom has a new working as a domestic for a lady who hates children. So Turtle is send to live with her relatives...and discovers a whole new world and friends.

The adventures are fun, short and sweet, and it's as wholesome as key lime pie.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already liked this story, and wanted to see how a comic artist would interpret Turtle and her Key West family.
The artwork is expressive and energetic, and I could imagine the heat settling over the Curry home each sunny, summer day.
I loved the soft shades of the colours invoking the Florida skies and Atlantic ocean, and the water- and sun-beaten wood of the buildings.

[vio ｡ ₊°༺❤︎༻°₊ ｡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

BAGUS BGT. DARI CERITA SAMPAI GAMBARNYA 🤧🤧🤧💐

[Cecelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel has one of the prettiest and most colorful book covers I’ve ever seen. And obviously, as a human (aka someone who judges books by their covers), I was drawn to it. I had never read a Jennifer L. Holm book before, but I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade graphic novel, an adaptation of a book by the same name, illustrated by Savanna Ganucheau and colored by Lark Pien. It’s sweet, tart, and endearing – just like a Key lime pie.

For Turtle, growing up in the South during the Great Depression means that she’s used to uncertainty. She and her mother Sadiebelle (who has her head stuck firmly in the clouds) make due with any situation – even when Sadiebelle’s employer won’t allow children. So Turtle is shipped down to the Florida Keys to live with her cousins and aunt, whom she has never met before. Upon arrival, Turtle is alerted to the existence of a Diaper Gang, barefoot life, and other Conch (Florida Keys native) peculiarities. As she adjusts to life in the Keys, several mysteries unravel – and the only question remaining is: will Turtle finally find her home in Florida? Or will her mother eventually buy them a home in Georgia?

Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel is a gem of a graphic novel – full of shenanigans, feisty cousins, hard-headed Turtle, and the ups and downs of extended family life. For Turtle, who has been an only child, and a practical one at that, it is an adjustment. Turtle’s experiences, illustrated in loving detail and color, are by turns laugh-out-loud funny, bittersweet, and charming. The book reads as a series of connected vignettes, slowly illuminating the mysteries of Turtle’s parentage and lineage, the will-she/won’t-she of being able to keep her cat Smokey, and the all-consuming effort to earn money so that she and her mother can have the sense of security that a home would bring.

I loved the historical tidbits and worries that are particular to Turtle’s time. She’s a product of her upbringing: practical, clever, and able to fit in with any crowd, and yet she has soft spots: for her cat, for her crotchety old grandmother, and for her mother, a dreamer who left Key West and ended up a housekeeper. I also loved the illustrations! Especially those of activities that barely exist in the US any longer: sponge fishing, turtle harvesting, encyclopedia sales, and so on. Through this book, can feel both the heat and the ocean breeze of the 1930s Keys.

I already adored Savanna Ganucheau’s art from her collaboration with Kevin Panetta in their YA graphic novel Bloom, but this collaboration with Holm and Pien is something special. Ganucheau renders her art digitally in Photoshop, and Holm’s big-eyed characters emote in such a lovely way with those eyes. The art and text combination evoked smells, tastes, visuals, auditory stimulus, and, of course, feeling. In addition, colorist Pien’s pastel sherbet palette of colors is evocative of sun-drenched days and bright light. The combination of all three? A delight.

In all, Turtle in Paradise is a pearl, a peach, a star! of a graphic novel, and one that I enjoyed in one gulp.

Recommended for: fans of historical fiction, anyone who likes Savanna Ganucheau’s art (Bloom!), and those ready for a summer-y middle grade read filled with poignant moments, à la This One Summer and Be Prepared.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I haven't read the original novel, this was an interesting enough story in a setting I didn't know much about. Liked the drawing style and atmosphere. While I think kids will enjoy this, the ending and final revelation was rather abrupt and I'm not sure if it'll throw them.

[Yesha- Books Teacup and Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer : Many thanks to PRH international for e-copy via NetGalley.

This was heart warming and fun historical fiction graphic novel that revolved around Turtle who was sent to Key West to live with her aunt where she found treasure and much more. The story was about family, secrets, adventure, coming out of shell, love and friendship.

Writing was easy to follow along with illustrations. It was told from Turtle’s POV. Her monologues in box separating the dialogues and conversations were fun to read. Illustrations were beautiful. I loved colour palate and art.

Turtle was amazing 11 years old kid.It was great to see how slowly she came out of the shell she created around her and started enjoying her time in Key West, and how her thoughts changed by the end.

Diaper gang was fun to read. Turtle’s cousins ran this gang with their friends.

Setting of Key West and timeline of 1935 during great depression and time of Shirley Temple was well presented.

Overall, Turtle in Paradise was lovely, heart warming, and entertaining graphic novel with amazing characters and setting. If you enjoy stories set in Key West, great depression timeline, kids and their pranks and adventure, I highly recommend this.

Read full review - https://booksteacupreviews.com/2021/0...

[Stephanie Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true treasure of a story…pirate treasure, that is! Learning about your family, meeting new people, coming out of your shell; these are all things that Turtle has face in this tale and Jenni Holm and Savanna Ganucheau perfectly set the scene along with warm pastel colours that evoke a southern summer in the Keys. For fans of This One Summer.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars--This is a really nicely presented and absorbing story, rich in time and place--a Florida Keys community in the 1930s. Turtle's mom is struggling, and when the only housekeeping work she can find doesn't welcome a kid in tow, Turtle is shipped off to live with family members she's never met. However, both Turtle and the Keys "diaper gang" are in for a surprise when they find out how much they have to learn from one another, and what kinds of adventures they can get into.

Animal content: Turtle's bond with her cat, Smokey, is sweet, and we learn that Smokey was abused by a group of kids--resulting in both cat and caretaker being wary of kids they don't know. While the reference to abuse was sad, the story also modelled in the "diaper gang" a group of kids who do things that are kind and helpful to others, too. Clearly, readers will most likely relate to the main characters of the story, rather than the bullies who attacked Smokey.
Also sad, but true to its time, is the content relating to the Keys' active industry in hunting sea turtles. Much like whaling, the commercial hunting of these long-lived, slow-reproducing animals decimated their populations in ways that are still being felt today. The historical photograph of multiple captured sea turtles on their backs, arrayed on a Florida Keys dock, was distressing, but it will also likely spark some good conversations about the past and the destructive ways we behave when we don't think about the consequences of our actions.

[Haley The Caffeinated Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute and delightful little graphic novel. The art is lovely and the story is sweet and full of adventures.

I recommend this for older kids/early middle grade and up, and definitely have passed this on for my spawn to read.

5/5 Cups of coffee from me, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love Jennifer Holm’s work.

[Branwen Sedai *of the Brown Ajah* · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mom in this drove me crazy! 😖

[Leonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the art style, but couldn’t stand any of the characters.

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was short, sweet and cute. very quick read. i prefer more adult books, so I'm not sure why I even read this. If I was a few years younger, I would've enjoyed this book much more than I do currently.

To please my younger self, I gave this book 3 stars, rather than 2.

:)

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read~

[Murtaza Kuwarawala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title - Turtle in Paradise

Author - Jennifer L Holm

Genre - Historical Fiction

Received an e-arc from Netgalley. Thank you Penguin Books

Plot:

The plot is pretty straightforward. Turtle in Paradise is the story of Turtle who is sent to her aunt's place since her mother is not allowed to bring kids at her workplace. Stuck between four other cousins who treats her as an outcast, Turtle tries to settle in Key West, Florida and make her place among them and come out her own shell.

My Thoughts on the Book:

I haven't read the original novel that this graphic novel is based upon so I'm not sure how much of the book has been translated into pictures here. Though the illustrations are beautiful, the plot seemed to have lost at times while translating to graphics and hence a reader would feel lost as to what exactly is the author trying to convey.

The book does have a strong second half which apparently lifts the overall book a notch. When one does read about the times that people went through those days, it does touch upon certain emotions that people would surely relate to.

My Ratings - 🌟🌟🌟 💫(3.5 out of 5 stars)

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this graphic novel adaptation was mostly very true to the original novel, and did a great job bringing to life the setting of the Florida Keys. I don't know that I loved the illustrative style of the people, however. While the illustrator took great pains to dress the characters in the style of the day, the faces seemed a little too manga-inspired. I would have liked a bit more of an authentic style for the people. Additionally, there are some situations in which I feel like a person who has not read the original novel might be confused, or not get the full emotional impact of the situation. For example, when the kids are trapped in the shack on the island during the hurricane, I felt like that scene in the book was very suspenseful and wrought with emotion, however, in the graphic novel, it was not nearly as nerve-wrecking. Similarly, I feel like the relationship between Slow Poke, Turtle, and Turtle's mom was better developed and explained in the book, and kids reading the graphic novel will have to infer more, and might miss what is being implied. Overall, I felt like it was a good adaptation, but I feel like a few more panels in certain situations would have made it more complete.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revisiting a beloved favorite children’s book in graphic novel form was an absolute joy. I loved getting to return to Key West with Turtle and the Diaper Gang. My only criticism is that the original novel is so beloved to me, that the quick nature of reading a graphic novel doesn't allow you to savor the story as much as you can when you read a prose novel. But, getting to actually visuals definitely gives the reading experience something new and different. There are benefits of both reading experiences.

[Dana Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny, bittersweet snapshot of life in 1920s Key West as seen through the eyes of a precocious young girl sent to live with relatives she has never met. This is a graphic novel targeted to older children, but I would have liked a longer resolution. I felt like it ended abruptly.

[Amy Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many amazing graphic novels out there that sometimes it’s hard to know which one to pick up! You can never go wrong with an adaptation of a beloved book. Turtle in Paradise: The Graphic Novel by Jennifer L. Holm and Savanna Ganucheau is a new adaptation of the Newbery Honor-winning novel. When 11-year old Turtle’s mother gets a job keeping house for a woman who doesn’t like kids, Turtle heads off to Florida to live with relatives. Key West is full of ragtag cousins, family secrets, and maybe even a little pirate treasure! I do love a ragtag group, and especially this "Diaper Gang"! Tropical colors and Depression-era visuals really complement this wonderful story. And did you spot the 🐈‍⬛ on the cover?? How could I not love this book?

[Amber Grell]

Turtle is sent to live with her aunt’s family, who she is a stranger to, in Key West after her mom lands a live-in maid job that doesn’t allow children.

We follow Turtle as she tries to form relationships with her cousins, meets new family members, and learns more about her mother’s past.

I think I wish I had read the original version, not the graphic novel adaptation, first. Even though this was a cute story that shows the importance of family and friendship, and how those can be one and the same, it felt rushed and almost incomplete in a way. However, I do think the art was done beautifully and definitely could have been an asset if the narration was stronger and pulled us into the story a little more.

[Mary Havens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked learning about Key West during the 1930s but I kind of wanted to slap Sadiebelle. Really lady? How dumb are you? Makes me feel bad about Turtle.
I thought that Turtle's journey was typical of this time period (from what I've gathered by watching 1930s era movies). I enjoyed learning about the sea turtle, conch, and sponge industry. I've never been to Key West before but I am definitely more interested now from reading this graphic novel.
Fun, historical read!

[Alyssa DeLeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt very original with the Depression-era setting and references that a lot of kids won't even get to Shirley Temple, Amelia Earhart, Annie, Fred & Ginger, etc. I really enjoyed it and it felt similar to other Depression-era stories like Kit Kitteridge. A true Hollywood ending, but they get away with it because the chapter is even titled that. I always love Jennifer Holm!

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't read the original, non-graphic novel version of this book, and I loved the story, setting, and characters. I liked the art fine, though I don't feel like it added a ton to the story. A sweet, fun read!

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

The graphic novel is an unusual format for historical fiction but this one works really well. The interplay between the visual and the written story is clever and compelling . The story moves quickly and there are nuances that some readers may miss because of it, but it doesn't make the novel any less engaging. It did seem to wrap up the storylines rather quickly, which would be my only complaint--and not even a complaint--maybe I just wasn't ready to let go. Adventure. 1930s Depression history. A "Diaper gang". Travelling salesmen trying to get ahead. And a girl named Turtle who will steal your heart.

[Melissa Flanagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading the book that goes to this graphic novel and reading the graphic version was the same. Great story!!!

[Brittany Viklund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I LOVED IT!! And I learned so much about Key West during the Great Depression, the author’s notes & glimpse at the illustration process was so fascinating— don’t skip over that.