Continuing my quest to read all Newbery medal and honor winners, this recently announced winner of the 2011 Newbery honor award, is well worth the time spent reading.

Fatherless, sassy, spirited, spitfire 11 year old Turtle has no illusions of a fairytale life. It is 1935 and the depression leaves people hungry for work, for food and for stability. And, while Shirley Temple sings on the screen about the good ship lollipop, Turtle knows that in reality, her own boat is sinking with gaping holes and rushing water.

Unlike Turtle, her mother sees life through huge rose colored glasses, latching on to one man after another only to be cast aside while Turtle is left to pick up the pieces of disappointment.

When Turtle's mother is told by her rich employer that she has a job cleaning the mansion, but children are not part of the deal, Turtle's mother sadly must ship her off to live in Key West Florida with her sister.

Already struggling to raise a brood, Turtle's Aunt makes room for one more mouth to feed.

Rich in historical detail and abounding in a cast of characters that melt your heart, this marvelous book is a tale of hope.

Working for candy, Turtle's cousins, aka "the diaper gang" transport babies throughout the town in a broken down wagon as they watch over them during the day.

Filled with local color and humorous shenanigans of bare foot children who roam the dusty roads, this is yet another YA book that gently weaves a message about the definition of embracing fate and finding meaning in home and family.

Highly recommended