Adorable! ( )

A really cute story loosely based on the author's own family history in 1935 Key West, Florida. There's a rag tag group of boys called the Diaper Gang (they're like a dirty male babysitters' club), a Shirley Temple-hating smart-mouthed narrator, lots of wonky nicknames (Turtle, Pork Chop, Pudding, Too Bad, Killie the Horse, etc, etc), and a hunt for pirate treasure! What more could you want?

The story is mostly about a New Jersey girl adapting to life with her rapscallion Southern relatives. Turtle's the kind of girl who's more responsible than her parent, and she's always rolling her eyes at the world. I liked her as a narrator because she's shrewd (though not, as we see, immune to cons). Of course, her relatives worm their way into her heart (and the readers' hearts) and the story is ultimately about the importance of family and belonging.

I only wish Jennifer Holm hadn't wrapped it all up so suddenly. The ending to me felt like the author saying, "Well, we've all seen this kind of ending before, so I'm going to make it quick." I thought the ending was actually a little shocking, and I wish she'd given it a few more pages at least. ( )

I really enjoyed this book for young readers. The culture of key west is sprinkled all over its pages. ( )

Having to leave your mother to live with an aunt and cousins you've never met before can't be easy, especially when they live hundreds of miles away. Turtle experiences this as she travels to Key West when her mother's new boss hates children and can't stand for them to live under the same roof. Once she arrives Turtle isn't too sure she wants to live with these newly discover cousins and the diaper gang antics. However, the opportunity to learn more about where her mom grew up is very exciting and it is a whole new culture to learn about. An engaging story that can help the reader travel both in time and place! ( )

1935, when her mother takes a housekeeping job for a woman who doesn’t like children, a tough 11-year- old girl is sent to live with her boisterous cousins and experiences a very different way of life in Key West. Author’s Note, Bibliography, Webliography.