Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat

First get a quick glimpse, read the excerpt , and then get it hot-off-the-press.

PENELOPE LENNOX is in for the surprise of her life. No, make that two!

Thanks to her father's photo assignment, Penelope is dragged away from her comfortable life in suburbia and brought to Costa Rica. In the process her boyfriend of two years decides he's not into long distance relationships and dumps her two days before her trip. However, broken-heartedness and dejection turn out to be the least of her concerns. Upon arrival Penelope's mother informs her that she's been registered to do a two-week volunteer session at the Leatherback Turtle Biological Center.

The rundown dormitory-styled station is fully equipped with an overzealous conservationist, a biologist whose social skills resemble a hermit crab, thousands of mosquitoes, and a cockroach the size of a baseball. Nevertheless, all is forgiven once Penelope has her first encounter with the prehistoric turtle and promises to do all she can to help save it from complete extinction.

But hang ten, dudes! Penelope is about to get some unexpected help! While patrolling the beach for poachers and other predators, Penelope gracelessly trips over the only branch sticking out of the sand and miraculously ends up in the arms of gorgeous but yet oh-so humble KENDALL BROWNE, Central America's surf champ and most popular resident of Tamarindo Beach.

Kendall submerges Penelope into his world of wave riding and his lifetime goal to preserve marine life. Their combined determination leads them into a life-or-death situation with Costa Rica's notorious black-market turtle poachers as they struggle to secure the turtles' survival.

So whattya think? Wanna know more, right! Here's a bit of the real thing for ya!

Being a huge fan of surfing for the better part of her life, Marina Kuperman checked out Tamarindo, Costa Rica during the 2006 surf competitions.  At night, doing the other thing that everyone does in Tamarindo, she took a tour of Las Baulas (the leatherback turtle) National Marine Park.  Never in a million years did she think she'd fall so hard, but instantly she became inspired to help the Leatherback turtles in any way she could.

Being the mother of a five year old, Marina decided that she wanted her son to see these creatures in their natural habitat when he grows up.

So, she's started by writing this book!     

However, she didn't stop there!!!

Starting a new genre of eco-teen romances, Marina motivates you to have your own eco experience. With each order you get a handmade Eko Adventure journal. So start making a difference today and tell us all about it!

COLORFUL EBOOK FULL OF IMAGES AND FUN $7.00

TURTLE FEET, SURFER'S BEAT PAPERBACK $9.99

Hilarious and informative, the adventures of Penelope in this unique story will fascinate and intrigue all readers.

A story of teen romance combined with a factual telling of an endangered species that most don't know about, TURTLE FEET, SURFER'S BEAT is much more than just a beach read. After reading this novel, readers will be inspired to not only want to help the Leatherback turtles but also the other endangered species that are out there.

Compelling, character driven, and full of teenage exploits, Marina Kuperman's young adult novel, Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat is a fabulous read.

Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat is a great read from beginning to end. Told entirely from Penelope's point of view, readers can immediately relate to her whether they are ten or one hundred and ten--though I hoped to forget how sarcastic I was at that age. Kuperman turns Penelope's entire life upside down and then says, "Okay kid, what are you going to do with it?" And Penelope never once disappoints you with what she can accomplish.

Kuperman's knowledge of surfing comes to life in this book. From the lingo, to the fashion, to the the thrill of the competitions, Kuperman brings you onto the beaches of Costa Rica and gets you hanging ten with the locals.

Youth and conservation meet in Marina Kuperman's November 2008 young adult novel, Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat. Penelope Lennox is a teen struggling with her parents' impending divorce, an obnoxious brother plunging headlong into puberty, and her own immediate breakup with her jock boyfriend. If only she had some type of distraction to keep her mind off her troubles.

Despite the underlying aim of the book to garner the reader's sympathy for the cause of an endangered species, it is very much a young adult novel laden with teenaged concerns. Kuperman packs the story with interesting facts about the Leatherback turtle, introducing the reader to a species that desperately needs help for survival.

Even with all of this information, Penelope's conversational narrative and cheeky teenage perspective keeps your interest. She relates her adventure as if speaking with a friend.

If you're looking for a good digital stocking stuffer (did I just invent a new Christmas phrase?), there's a great book called Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat by Marina Kuperman. It's available in e-book format for those "youngin's with them new-fangled gadgets".
Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat is a great read! Marina sent mea copy several weeks ago and although I am not much of a novel reader,this was an enjoyable story designed for the young adult crowd. The story revolves around Penelope who is uprooted form her home in the USA to Costa Rica as a result of her father's job transfer. Through a series of events, Penelope and her little brother end up spending a couple weeks at a biological station, where she becomes intensely interested in saving the Leatherback turtles. Vowing to do all she can to preserve their habitat, she begins patrolling the beaches late at night in an attempt to catch poachers. There's so much more, but I don't want to post spoilers.

I really liked the flow of this book and they way the author develops each character. The "teen speak" was dead on and easy to follow. Not only is the book a fun read, but also highly educational.

Environmental awareness issues are addressed in a matter-of-fact way and inspirational way. The plot is full of adventure, romance and a few surprises along the way.

Two thumbs up.

This is quite honestly an amazing book with a very engaging story and a good message. It is quite obvious through the writing that Kuperman is very passionate about this line of work, and helping out the Leatherback Turtle. Told from a regular teen girl's point of view, this makes for a light read, but the overall message is very serious. A highly recommended read filled with humor, well-written characters, and an amazing page-turner plotline. Don't miss out on this book!

This book is full of gripping adventure, fantastic turtles, thrilling surfing, and a very sweet romance. Penelope is a great, feisty character and her brother Sammy is funny and likeable, even though you can see why Penelope finds him irritating. In fact, I loved all the characters in this. When I finished the story I felt like I'd learnt a lot about turtles, surfing and Costa Rica in a very entertaining way.

5 Stars

First off, I love this book. It's something original, romanctic, and amazing. The author worked hard to get the feel of Costa Rican life, as she lives there herself. I love how it's not just romance; it's an
adventure to save these endangered turtles! And with that being said, buy this book. Every proceeds go to helping the Leatherback Turtle. Please help this issue out. The only thing is, one time it got a little off of the turtles, and it just went through romance, for the part of the time, but that was the main character developing.

I recently read the book Turtle Feet, Surfer's Beat by Marina Kuperman. It is a teen romance with a strong environmental theme and back-story and I enjoyed reading it.

The book brought back some fond teen memories of my own%u2026many of which involved water sports and beaches. Reading about teenage drama gave me more than few chuckles. And their first kiss..oh the memories%u2026.sigh.

The book has a very sweet love story.

The book was very fun. And as a gal who loves surfing, the look into the surfer's world was a lot of fun. I think it awesome that a teen romance has included an environmental theme.