Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Ginny is quiet, shy, and all alone on an international flight with nothing but a stack of letters as a guide.

Following strict instructions by her aunt, Ginny must follow a series of clues and complete tasks before she can open the next letter. Her journey takes her from London to Scotland. Rome to Paris to Amsterdam to Greece, and a few other places in between. She meets people who change her life, and she touches theirs in return.

Along the way, Ginny learns the secrets of her aunt, learns about life, love and herself.

**

The Pros: This was a fun, witty, interesting read. Ginny's quirky, artsy aunt promised to always be there for her, but some lessons we learn the painful way. And some promises can never be kept. I loved following Ginny's story. I could actually picture myself in the exotic places she visited. For the first time, I wished that I had the guts to travel Europe.

I love the life lessons in this story. I loved watching Ginny come into her own and realize many things. 13 Little Blue Envelopes has the perfect amount of humor, sadness, and redemption.

The Cons: As Ginny says, drinking is the European way to say, "hello." Even so, Ginny is seventeen, and her cohort, Keith, is only nineteen. This doesn't stop them from drinking semi-often with no objections.

The In Between: There is so much packed into this book, and it's done really well. However, there were a few things, even characters, that were set up to be important, but they just disappear. It was a little jarring and I found myself a little confused at times.

Bottom Line:

I recommend this book. It was witty and entertaining. I loved the fluid dialogue. I am definitely looking forward to diving into the sequel and finding out what happens with...well, I guess I can't tell you. But trust me, you'll want to read the sequel too.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen; First Edition edition (September 26, 2006)
Source: Local Library Pin It