Turtle in Paradise

Turtle in Paradise
by Jennifer L. Holm
Random House, 2010. 208 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 9-12
Hardcover: $16.99

Annotation: Promising her a bit of paradise, Turtle's mama sends her down to Key West during the depression.

Summary: When Turtle's mama finds a job as a housekeeper to a woman who doesn't like children, the only solution is to ship Turtle and her cat, Smokey down to Key West to her sister's family. But when Turtle arrives, she learns the letter heralding her coming hadn't made it and that she's an unwelcome surprise. Unwelcome to her three nasty boy cousins that is. Turtle's known a lot of mean kids in her day so she's prepared. But she's not prepared for the shabby strangeness that greets her, completely different than her mother's glowing accounts of a picture-perfect paradise. The island is full of run-down buildings and people with strange nicknames, there's scorpions to contend with, new foods like alligator pears and "cut-ups" and her cousins won't even allow her into the diaper gang--a trio of boys who babysit the "bad" babies on the island in return for candy. The island has it's good points though, Slow Poke lets her come sponging with him, there are new flavors of ice-cream to try and Turtle finds out her grandma's still alive, contrary to what her mama told her. And when Turtle finds a treasure map in her grandma's piano, it might just be the break she's been looking for and a way out of this so called paradise.

Evaluation: Blending a prodigious array of historical research and the lure of a charasmatic orphan, Turtle in Paradise is an indubitable success. Superb characters and local color mingle easily and the story relies equally on both. Turtle is one spunky little girl and her approach to life is just like her name, she's got a hard shell, but there's a softness to her underbelly that years of hardship can't quite erase. And through the grace of good writing, Turtle eventually learns that not all kids are terrible and not all adults are sweet.

Holm's is a superb visualist and her similies and metaphors spice the writing with flavorful ingenuity. Some of my favorites were, "It's so hot that the backs of my legs feel like melted gym, only stickier." And, "Mama keeps hers(hair) long as a good dream, cuz that's the way Archie likes it." Also, "Truth is, the place(Key West) looks like a broken chair that's been left out in the sun to rot." The result is just as fresh as the ripe alligator pears found on the island. It's a must-read for everyone and comes with a high recommendation from yours truly.

Significance: Turtle's vision of paradise shifts as she learns that living on Easy Street in a Sear's house called The Bellewood is really no contest for the true paradise that comes from living with your family in a tiny ramshackle house on a poor island in the Keys.

Awards: The Golden Kite Award Winner, 2011 / Newbery Honor Award, 2011

Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life

Ernest Hemingway: A Writer's Life
by Catherine Reef
Clarion, 2009. 183 pgs.
Reading Level: Young Adult  / Older Children
Hardcover: $20.00

Annotation: Obsessed with war, bullfights and big game hunting, Hemingway's lifestyle fueled his writing.

Summary: Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Ernest Hemingway grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. Son of a doctor father and a stylish mother, he was raised in a religous, gentile environment. Growing up, his father was quick to teach him to love the outdoors and he learned to fish, boat and camp at an early age. Hemingway's affinity for the outdoor lifestyle was a prevailing trait throughout his life and he later traveled the world in search of new, exciting adventures on land and on sea. With a penchant for writing Hemingway found his first employement as a cub reporter, but soon left to join in the excitement of war, becoming a Red Cross ambulance driver in Italy. War suited Hemingway and he was to use his war experiences, then and later, as the basis of many award winning novels and short stories. He came to be known for a new kind of writing. His brief sentence structure, that tried to elluminate the essence of a thing while leaving much of the detail implied, was later dubbed "stream of consciousness". While he experienced both success and failure as a writer, he won the hearts of both the critics and the public and managed to garner a Pulitzer and a Nobel prize for literature. The writer was a blustery, creative type who thrived on the violence of the bullring in Spain, deep sea fishing in the Florida keys and big game hunting in Africa. He fell in and out of love with four different wives and had three children total. A hard drinker, Hemingway was prone to mood swings and tempermental outbursts, especially towards the end of his life. Living around the world in places like Paris, Spain, Key West, Cuba and Sun Valley, Idaho, Hemingway experienced life like few people and throughout his tempetuous career was obsessed with truth, courage and death.

Evaluation: Reef pens an interesting, clear biography of Hemingway's extraordinary life. The book is well researched, with just enough anecdote to make it a robust, lively portrait. All the pertinent details are included, from birth till death and the book is large, with large print and peppered with photographs that nicely augment the text. Not only does the life sketch include all of Hemingway's publications, but Reef manages to connect each of Hemingway's experiences to his writing, which allows the reader to understand the basis for Hemingway's work. The book serves a reading level that addresses either advanced children's readers or young adults, so the title has excellent crossover appeal. Ernest Hemingway: a Writer's Life is a solid exposition and I enjoyed getting to more about Hemingway's legendary personlity.

Significance: Hemingway won both a Pulitzer prize and the Nobel prize for literature for his short novel, "The Old Man and the Sea". A master of clean, spare writing--sometimes referred to as "stream of consciousness"--Hemingway's influence on modern literature was immense and a study of twentieth century writers must include this infamous personality.

Personal Choice: I have a fondness for Hemingway and was excited to learn more about his life. I loved "A Sun Also Rises", "A Moveable Feast", "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and immensely enjoyed "In Love and War" - the story of Hemingway and his nurse friend, Kurowsky.

Awards: Golden Kite Honor Recipient, 2010 / YALSA: Excellence in Nonfiction Nominee, 2010

Big Red Lollipop

Big Red Lollipop
by Rukhasana Khan
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Viking, 2010. 40 pgs.
Reading Levl: ages 4-9
Hardcover: $16.99

Annotation: When Rubina is invited to a birthday party, will she be forced her to take her little sister?

Summary: When Rubina is invited to her very first birthday party, (Ami is puzzled as to why they would celebrate the day of your birth) her little sister, Sani, begs to go. Ami tells Rubina that if she wants to go she must take Sani, but Rubina knows no one else will have their little sister there. But, she reluctantly drags her along and sure enough, everyone thinks she is weird. The girls play games and eat birthday cake and are given a big bag full of goodies at the end of the party, complete with a large, delectable red lollipop. Sani gobbles hers up, but Rubina wants to save hers. However, the next morning she awakes to find Sani has eaten most of her red lollipop as well! Life is so unfair and Rubina is very angry. But Ami scolds her and tells her she must share. Later on though, Sani receives an inviation to a birthday party and the girls' little sister Maryam begs to go, creating the same dilemma all over again. Ami says both Rubina and Maryam must acompany Sani to the party, just to be fair. Luckily, Rubina is mature enough to realize this will be tragic for Sani and so she convinces Ami that Sani must go alone as the culture dictates. After the party Sani brings home a big green lollipop and gives it to Rubina as a peace offering and the girls are friends again.

Evaluation: The storyline is wonderful and discusses the hardships, as well as the joys, that having a sister brings. It is especially interesting as the family is Arab-American, with the mother garbed in a hajib and Middle-eastern dress while the girls wear American clothing. There is a bit of culture misunderstanding when the mother decides all the girls must go to a party if one of them is invited. It demonstrates the solidarity of Middle-eastern family life and offers a rare glimpse into what must be commonplace for the author and unusual for an American audience. The illustrations are irresistible, and the cover art is especially eye-catching with its bright primary colors and the red lollipop that covers Rubina's eye is artfully placed. I loved inner cover at the beginning and end of the book with their multi-size circles of all different patterns and colors: poka-dots, stripes, checks and spirals. The colors are bright and fun and Ami's saris are so alluring with their fancy patterns and exotic design. The story and the illustrations work together beautifully to create a well-awarded picture book that's sure to be a winner, now and in the future.

Significance: The story's protagonist is an Arab-American which makes the book a welcome addition to a world that is currently in the midst of turbulent political and emotional battles. The story serves to humanize a people and culture that is often misunderstood and demonized. It's an important work and perhaps our mutual culture's children will learn to understand and accept one another, even when the adults can do nothing but fight.

Personal Choice: Let's be honest, I have a sugar addiction and if it's a book about candy, I'm there.

Awards: Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner, 2011 / Children's Notables, 2011 / Golden Kite Award Winner for Picture Book Text, 2011