Turtle in Paradise

To cover up their absence, the members of the Diaper Gang tell their mothers that they plan to go conch fishing. Early the next morning, they meet up, carrying food, shovels, and maps. Following Pork Chop’s lead, they pile into Johnny Cakes’s boat. With Johnny in Cuba, they hope to return before he notices his boat is missing.

They make slow progress, but eventually, they reach the island with the shack and cistern. After wading ashore, they begin looking for a Y-shaped tree marked on the map. Over the next few hours, they dig holes at several locations, but find nothing. Beans suggests that Nana Philly used the map to trick them and reaffirms the Diaper Gang’s policy of excluding girls. They are about to leave when Turtle trips over a stone with a “C” carved into it, referring to Black Caesar.

Digging under the stone, the children find a trunk filled with gold coins. They excitedly pack the gold into a bag and return to the place where they landed, only to find the boat missing. Beans blames Pork Chop for not securing the boat.

Withing nothing else to do, they wait for a boat to pass nearby. Before long, they eat the remaining food. As night falls, they crowd into the shack to sleep. Still angry at each other, Pork Chop and Beans soon leave the shack. Kermit, Ira, and Turtle plan their first purchases with the money, including a new wagon, ice cream, and shoes. Turtle dreams that she and Sadiebelle have bought a new house, but she soon awakens in the uncomfortable shack.

Beans and Pork Chop each return to the shack at some point during the night. In the morning, Turtle and the others wake up with mosquito bites. After unsuccessfully foraging for food, they debate what to do next. When the four boys get into a fight, Turtle distracts them by pretending to see a boat. As Beans and Pork Chop continue to sulk, Ira, Kermit, and Turtle distract themselves from thoughts of food by playing checkers using coins and seashells.

A storm approaches, and everyone except Beans and Pork Chop takes shelter in the shack. As the rain and wind pick up, Beans enters the shack, while Pork Chop lingers outside until Turtle invites him in. When a big wave washes into the shack, Turtle spots a rat. Pork Chop begins to cry and admits that he forgot to secure the boat. The other boys begin to cry as well, and Turtle feels increasingly scared. With nothing else to do, she begins to sing “On the Good Ship Lollipop,” Shirley Temple’s signature upbeat tune. The others join in, slowly at first, but soon they are all singing loudly together.

The next day, it continues to rain occasionally, and the children pass the day in silence. Instead of pushing each other away, they now cling together for comfort, and Turtle even holds Beans’s hand. Turtle dreams that she wins an award “for being the only girl stranded on an island with a bunch of boys with no chance of rescue” (155), beating Shirley Temple for the honor.

Turtle awakens to the sound of a voice calling her name. Ollie appears, followed by Slow Poke, who picks up Turtle and hugs her. They explain that they have been looking everywhere for them, but they had to pause during the storm, which was a hurricane. Outside the shack, they spot Johnny in Slow Poke’s boat. Johnny explains they pieced together what happened after Killie reported that he saw the children taking Johnny’s boat and Too Bad shared that he overheard them planning to look for treasure near the cistern.

Back at the dock, a large group of people is waiting for them, including Nana Philly and Uncle Vernon. Uncle Vernon returned home as soon as he heard that the children were missing. Had he stayed in the Upper Keys where he was working, he might have died, since the hurricane caused more damage in that area. Aunt Minnie scolds and hugs Turtle. She invites her to bring Smokey back if she wants, since it turns out another cat was ruining the laundry, but Turtle decides to let Nana Philly, who has become fond of Smokey, keep her. Aunt Minnie also mentions that Sadiebelle is on her way to Key West.

Shortly after returning home, an antiques dealer offers $20,000 cash for the treasure. The Diaper Gang accepts his offer, pays Johnny Cakes for his boat, and splits the remaining money between Turtle, Kermit, Beans, Pork Chop, Ira, and Nana Philly, since it was her map. Turtle buys herself a new pair of shoes but finds herself more comfortable going barefoot like everyone else in Key West.

A few days, Turtle and the Diaper Gang are eating ice cream when Kermit brings a newspaper featuring them on the front page. Jelly passes by and admires the Diaper Gang’s newly purchased wagon. Although they are now rich, they continue to work since, as Beans puts it, “the babies need them” (160). Grateful for his role in their rescue, Beans and Pork Chop finally allow Too Bad to join the Diaper Gang. Too Bad accidentally reveals the secret formula, which is simply cornstarch, to Jelly.

Sometime later, at the café, Turtle tells an exaggerated version of her adventure to Johnny Cakes and Ernest Hemingway. Slow Poke drops by to give Turtle a hat to shade her in the sun. Suddenly, Kermit enters and excitedly tells Turtle that her mother has arrived. Turtle runs to Aunt Minnie’s house, where she embraces her mother. She is accompanied by Archie, who reveals that he and Sadiebelle are married now. When Slow Poke hears that they are married, he wanders away, disappointed.

Sadiebelle and Archie tell Turtle that they found a nice property in Georgia where they can live together.

Turtle, Sadiebelle, and Archie stay in a nice hotel, but Turtle finds that she misses staying with her cousins. On the morning of the day that they are set to leave Key West, Archie plans to meet Turtle and Sadiebelle at the docks at noon with their luggage. Turtle asks Sadiebelle about Slow Poke, and her response confirms Turtle’s suspicion that he is her father.

When Turtle invites her mother to visit Nana Philly with her, Sadiebelle reveals that Nana Philly once disowned her, calling her a “disgrace.” When Nana Philly and Sadiebelle see each other, they cry and hug.

Back at Aunt Minnie’s house, Turtle runs into Pork Chop, who reports that he saw Archie leaving on a boat hours earlier. Surprised and disappointed, Turtle crumples the $5 bill Archie gave her and asks Beans to find out where he went. An hour later, Turtle breaks the news to Sadiebelle: After taking Turtle’s share of the treasure money, Archie caught a boat to Cuba. Devastated, Sadiebelle cries, and Turtle tries to comfort her, even as she blames herself for believing Archie’s lies.

At Beans’s urging, Pork Chop invites Turtle to join the Diaper Gang. Aunt Minnie, meanwhile, invites Turtle and Sadiebelle to stay with them, and even offers to let Turtle play with her paper dolls. Realizing that the friendships she formed are more important than the treasure she found, Turtle accepts their offers and admits that some people aren’t so bad after all.