Being a lover of islands and the ocean myself, I was obviously intrigued by Turtle in Paradise, a quirky, full-of-character book that takes place in Key West, Florida. I quickly fell in love with Turtle’s tough, no-nonsense voice. By the time the “Diaper Gang”—a group of preteen boys who babysit for candy and even have their own super-secret diaper rash formula—was introduced, I was sold! My only complaint about the book was that I felt like the ending was rather abrupt. Then again, sometimes life is like that—and, more than anything, Turtle in Paradise is about real life, in all its ups and downs.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Random House
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language:
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Violence/Gore: Kids tussle and fight on two occasions. A story is told about a group of children setting fire to a cat’s tail (the story is referenced several times). A woman is stung repeatedly by a scorpion, ending up sick as a result.
Sex/Nudity: An adult woman is said to have had a lot of boyfriends.
Mature Subject Matter:
The Great Depression, poverty, children separated from parents, betrayal by loved ones.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
A man is said to be a “rum runner”. An old man recommends putting whiskey on a baby’s gums to help with teething pains.
