The time and place of the setting are what added interest in this story for me. In the midst of the Great Depression, Turtle (nicknamed for her 'hard shell'--she hasn't cried since she was five years old)is sent to live with an aunt in the Florida Keys, an impoverished area at that time.Turtle's mother works as a housekeeper and her current employer won't allow children. Turtle doesn't know who her father is, and her mother seems to have bad luck with men. Turtle, apparently, often has to mother her mom. This is a gal with a lot of pluck. Her aunt takes in laundry to make ends meet while her husband is away for long stretches working on other islands. Turtle squeezes into her aunt's cottage with her numerous boy cousins. I did find it somewhat disconcerting that nearly every character in the book had some sort of nickname, which is explained in the author's note at the end. The book is an easy read and, for me anyway, probably wouldn't have held all that much interest were it not for the interesting bits about the Florida Keys in the 1930s. The author's note at the end, with old photos, was the best part. Much of the book is really based on true places and events in the Keys during the Depression. That brought the book up in my estimation (otherwise I may have chosen 3 stars for 'just average').
This book has just won a 2011 Newbery Honor. It is interesting that this year's Newbery winner and this Honor book are both set during the Great Depression and that both authors have drawn inspiration from their own family history in the places described.