Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm

 

Turtle's mom becomes a housekeeper for a lady who doesn't like children, so Turtle moves to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she has never met.  I admired Turtle and her adventure.  She discovers family secrets and a place to belong. 

I have read quite a few books by Jennifer Holm and I love her strong female characters. I recommend this book for intermediate classrooms.

 

Here is a link to a free printable form for character traits.  Students collect evidence from the text which show a particular attribute.

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