Turtle in Paradise The Home

Home is where the heart is, but where is your heart if you don't have a home? In Turtle in Paradise, Turtle dreams about having the perfect home, straight from a Sears catalog. We can't help but wonder if she's dreaming more about feeling safe and having a haven than she is about crown molding and Venetian ceilings, though. The thing is, Turtle is so focused on the Bellewood that she misses out on the home she has all around her at Aunt Minnie's. Worry not, though—by the end of the book, Turtle finds her way home. Which is good, because it's been around her for a while by this point.

Questions About The Home

1. Where do you think Turtle feels most at home? Why doesn't she like having her own room after all? 
2. How is Turtle's home with her mom different than Aunt Minnie's? Does her perception of the house change as she gets to know her cousins better?
3. Why does Turtle dream about the Bellewood specifically? What is it about the Sears catalog house that she gets excited about? 
4. In the end, Turtle says the people who love her are a home. Do you agree? Why or why not?
   

Chew on This

Even though Turtle thinks all her problems will be solved with her own home away from her mom's employers, she already has a safe haven, which is all she's really after.

In the end, Turtle still longs for Bellewood because it will give her something she's never had before: a real house just for her and Mama.