13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1)

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13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope #1)

by Maureen Johnson (Goodreads Author)

3.69 · rating details · 17,253 ratings · 2,068 reviews

When Ginny receives thirteen little blue envelopes and instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she knows something exciting is going to happen. What Ginny doesn't know is that she will have the adventure of her life and it will change her in more ways than one. Life and love are waiting for her across the Atlantic, and the thirteen little blue envelopes are the key t

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published August 23rd 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers

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Aug 30, 2011

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: own, ya-books

Unimpressive. The way Johnson writes is annoying; more than halfway into the book, I really didn't know ANYTHING about the main character, other than that she was on a (ridiculous) journey. It was all action and no thought. It was not insightful. The main character was not likeable. She wasn't unlikeable either. She was just like...doing things. She didn't have very many thoughts. And never very insightful ones (ie "I like this boy! I am sad. I am happy. I am angry"). COME ON. There wa...more

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Feb 25, 2011

Lucy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: wasn-t-for-me, young-adult, coming-of-age, disappearing-parent-syndrome

13 Little Blue Envelopes suffers from DPS. Disappearing Parent Syndrome is a tragic epidemic in YA novels. In this case the DPS was particularly severe. Seventeen year old Ginny Blackstone goes on a trip to Europe sponsored by her deceased aunt. Aunt Peg was not reliable when she was around. In fact, during the last several years of Ginny's life Peg was in Europe. She died without contacting the family to let them know she was suffering from a prolonged illness. The family was just expected to p...more13 Little Blue Envelopes suffers from DPS. Disappearing Parent Syndrome is a tragic epidemic in YA novels. In this case the DPS was particularly severe. Seventeen year old Ginny Blackstone goes on a trip to Europe sponsored by her deceased aunt. Aunt Peg was not reliable when she was around. In fact, during the last several years of Ginny's life Peg was in Europe. She died without contacting the family to let them know she was suffering from a prolonged illness. The family was just expected to pick up the pieces after she passed with very little explanation -- but wait! Aunt Peg has left Ginny mysterious envelopes that she's not allowed to open all at once and strange instructions to travel around Europe.

Mr. and Mrs. Disappearstone allow their seventeen year old daughter -- their only child -- to go traipsing around Europe. The rules state she's not allowed a cell phone or laptop or camera. They're not even allowed to give her extra money so they know there's a back up plan in case Mrs. Disapperancestone's unreliable sister who died from a brain tumor several months before hasn't provided Ginny with everything she might need for this spur of the moment trip. Oh yeah, and she's not allowed to call them even on a pay phone. No communication back home. Honestly, I would have been slightly concerned in Ginny's case. What's the goal here? Sell me on the black market?

You know what I would have done if I was Mummy-DisappearanceStone? I would have told my daughter that Aunt Peg was mentally unstable when she was healthy and thrown the envelopes into a fire place before I let her go off on some half-baked adventure across Europe. Of course, Ginny thought mentions that her parents weren't thrilled, but somehow this underaged minor is still on a plane to England in the first few chapters. Awesome, just awesome.

Look, some of my annoyance with this book is based on just how often the parents disappear in YA fiction. I know it's the easiest route to take. How can Ginny have a sexy adventure in England and then the rest of Europe if her mom is following her around? Well, if you can't man up and work with the circumstances the age of your character gives you then you have no business writing Young Adult fiction. This book should have been written about a girl who has completed one or two years of college, who has some experience living out there on her own within reasonable distance to her family (even if that reasonable distance is merely being able to pick up a phone and ask for financial help). No sane parent would ever let their child go on the trip Ginny did. I was asked to suspend my disbelief a little too far and now it's lost. Mourn for it.

While I think this book was better suited for 20-something chick-lit I also don't think Maureen Johnson has the stomach to ever do the sex scene that would have more likely than not happened if she hadn't been writing about a dewy-eyed Virgin. Yes, Virgin with a capital V. From what I gather reading other reviews on Maureen Johnson's books her characters pretty much all have the capital Virgin card in their deck. I'm tired of the constant YA virgin business. Part of what made me love The Duff was the fact that we didn't have another maidenhead to protect throughout the whole book! The novel *gasp* started with a non-virginal teenager.

Anyway, Ginny's adventures are very uncoordinated. I get that the aunt made Ginny's trip mimic her own eccentric path across Europe, but I should have felt there was some master intention from the author's point of view rather than constantly imagining Maureen Johnson throwing a dart at a map of Europe and going 'okay, time to buy a travel book for that country!'

The writing was, unfortunately, not top notch. There was a scene where Ginny really had to pee, but couldn't tell the difference between the men and women's bathroom symbols. She gets whisked off before she can pee and it felt like a Chekhov's gun. It left me sitting there wondering what just happened. Why did you waste my time with that scene if it meant nothing?

Ginny also gets put in a near date-rape situation from following her aunt's advice to hit on a random Italian boy. This immediately follows her nearly getting mugged. Eventually she does get robbed of all her worldly possessions, what's left of her very dwindling money, and the last envelope that could have explained all the shit that happened to her. Losing the last envelope was a cop out. It wasn't a clever device that added mystery to the novel. Some of what might have been in the note gets discovered later, but you never know for sure what it said. There is a sequel to the novel planned, but I think the intention was to leave it dangling.

Also, the subplot about her aunt's paintings and how the value sky-rocketed after her death? Um no. Peg had not merited a lot of fame in life. Her death was abrupt and she died young, yes, but death does not equate millions of dollars to your estate. It was an over simplification of how the art world works and in the end it just wasn't accurate. A huge portion of the happily ever ending was contingent on these unbelievable stipulations.

Oh and the romance.... Yeah. I felt more of a connection between two stick figures I doodled at work. The romance felt like requisite met because it was a YA coming of age novel rather than anything that actually fit with the book. Keith is around for one country and pops up in another so that their romance can develop. Forced, contrived etc etc.

So why two stars and not one? The writing wasn't awful. The idea was just underdeveloped and rushed. I think with more time from Johnson and an editor who'd pushed her to really polish it the book could have easily been three stars, maybe four. I do think she has some talent and I want to try her again, but this was definitely a disappointing start.(less)

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Jan 05, 2012

Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: conflicted-thoughts

I liked the premise. It was sort of interesting and cute. Dead Aunt sends niece on this unpredictable and slightly loony journey. (maybe not so cute). One very similar to the one that her aunt took when she felt a little lost and was dealing with a bit of a reality check.

17 year old Ginny doesn't think twice about it. She jets to her first destination, London. From there on it's one big ride. She goes through many experiences, and although it's a decent read, I just was not in love ...more

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Apr 29, 2008

Jennifer Wardrip rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Dena Landon for TeensReadToo.com

When Virginia Blackstone (Ginny) receives the first blue envelope from her Aunt Peg in the mail, it sends her on an exciting, funny, and sometimes poignant adventure that readers will be delighted to join. The envelope contains $1,000 in cash, and the instructions to pick up a package of envelopes that start Ginny on a trip around Europe, tracing the steps of her eccentric Aunt. The instructions are specific; no cell phones, no maps, and Gi...more

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Dec 11, 2007

Kathryn rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who like Peaches and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I read this book as an assignment from a mother-daughter book club that I am in with some friends from B.F. Day.
It wasn't very good, and while the plot is a nice idea, the author didn't really write it very well.
I mean, who would let thier daughter go overseas with no contact to the US and only carrying what she could fit in her backpack. And only haveing 1000 US dollars to spend. In addition to several other appalling facts, some of which are:
letting your daughter do the follo...more

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Feb 17, 2008

Sarah rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Travel Lovers

Recommended to Sarah by: Chelsie D.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 02, 2011

Reynje rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-2011, young-adult, cover-loathing

2.5 stars

I enjoyed this enough as I read it - I was sick, jetlagged and in need of something pleasantly escapist – and this book did the trick. It’s a light, fun read and I quite like Maureen Johnson’s writing (admittedly more so in her other books than this one, though).

But ultimately I just found the story rather forgettable (and a little implausible). I found Ginny to be a fairly delible (thank you, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks for the neg...more

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Sep 02, 2008

Lisa rated it

· review of another edition

I am not going to review this book except to say the thing that made me crazy. There were several instances in this book where something was mentioned and you think it is important and then it was dropped.

For instance, when the MC goes in the Louvre, it is mentioned that she checks her backpack in at the front--kind of like a coat check. Okay. No problem.

But then, as she is trying to get out of the Louvre she kind of starts going down random hall after hall in search of a...more

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Dec 13, 2008

Ying rated it

· review of another edition

I felt that this was only an okay book from Maureen Johnson and that it paled in comparison to my favorite from her, Girl at Sea. There was a good plotline that promised adventure and romance in a foreign country that I was dissappointed to find did not exist. While it was an excellent idea, I felt the story did not develop well enough and it didn't go too in-depth. This book could have been better written but otherwise, still a good read.

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Jul 17, 2011

Katya rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, oh-come-on, so-so, teen-lit

Oh, book. I had such hopes for you.

Here's the thing - I love travel stories. I love coming of age stories. So what's not to love about a coming of age story that involves lots and lots of traveling?

It's a hard question to answer, and the fastest way to answer it is: Aunt Peg is one seriously bitter person.

She lives without having constants. Fair enough. She does all sorts of menial, petty jobs while waiting for her career as an artist to hit off. Alright with ...moreOh, book. I had such hopes for you.

Here's the thing - I love travel stories. I love coming of age stories. So what's not to love about a coming of age story that involves lots and lots of traveling?

It's a hard question to answer, and the fastest way to answer it is: Aunt Peg is one seriously bitter person.

She lives without having constants. Fair enough. She does all sorts of menial, petty jobs while waiting for her career as an artist to hit off. Alright with me. Then she packs up and leaves for Europe without contacting her family again. The next news they get from her is that she is dead.

Then comes a letter instructing her niece to go to Europe without money, cell phone or any other means of communication - just a passport and a backpack, and instructions to do all sorts of weird things Ginny (the niece) is probably not comfortable with.

And I ask - what kind of person does that to a niece they supposedly love? What kind of person expects her to jump on a plane to England with little more than the clothes on her back, without so much as an explenation. The only person who can be more annoying is the one who actually does it!

Unfortunately, Ginny does just that. With surprisingly little drama from her parents, or if there was, it wasn't worth mentioning in the book. A lot of things seem not worth mentioning in the book, for example, why is Ginny not even remotely worried that her aunt's mystic journey might get her adbucted or killed or sold into slavery? Why does she trust all these people who she meets for the first time?

Ginny does not rival Luce Price or Nora Gray in the TSTL heroines listing, but she does start a whole new category - Too Boring To Be Real (TBTBR. Sounds like a vaccine). The trademark TBTBR hero(ine) is distinguished by the fact that (s)he does exactly what s(he) is told with little to no deviation, never cheats, and at no point does anything to advance the plot. Ginny, unfortunately, qualifies for all these things.

I know I'm going out on a tangent here. This isn't horrendously bad, far from it. There are actually some pretty good moments. But Ginny is by far the most uninvolved heroine I've yet to see. Even Bella Swan, who is known for her uselessness, did stuff to advance the plot of the book. Granted, some of that stuff wasn't very smart *coughjumpingoffcliffscough*, but still, it was something. Ginny just lets stuff happen to her and leaves it at that.

I'm not saying all protagonists need to be uber confident and strong but this is a coming of age story without any coming of age in it. What does Ginny learn in the end of it? What does she do with that knowledge? How is she different from the person she once was? I certainly felt like nothing in her had changed. (less)

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Jan 11, 2008

Betsy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, 2008-read-in

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 05, 2007

Kate rated it

Shelves: teen-fiction

I don't often read "chick lit". I have a friend who reads it and she shares the jist of with me and I do the same for her with sci-fi and supernatural books. But she keeps talking up some of the books so I have broken down and picked a few up and they have all been pretty good, with a grain of salt.

I had moments in this book where I just wished that it would be okay to write about a teenage girl that was maybe not totally self assured cause no one is, but that at least do...more

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Nov 27, 2009

oliviasbooks rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, ya-contemporary, swapped-or-given-away, read-2009

A really enjoyable backpacker's story - written by someone with obvious travel experience behind her - with very few drawbacks.

What i.e. ticked me was the money issue: No way can you take planes and trains to and fro Europe's capital cities and pay stays in youth hostels for less than 1300 Pounds altogether, if you have not booked your seat months earlier. But there was much more to like than to criticize.

I especially liked the subtle humor tickling throughout the book. ...more

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May 30, 2008

Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: young at heart women

This book - although it has a seomewhat serious topic - is a nice light read. 18 year-old Ginny discovers her recently passed-away Aunt has left her 13 envelopes / letters. Ginny is supposed to follow the directions in each letter before she can open and read the next. She opens the first and is immediately sent on a trip to London. Each letter contains information about her aunt of which Ginny (and her family) was unaware. Ginny discovers things about both herself and her aunt in her travel...more

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Apr 13, 2011

Merythapy rated it

· review of another edition

Yeah, it's unrealistic: no parents would send their daughter off for a month with no contact, especially if she's never travelled before. But... who really cares? It's a fairy tale.

A lot of the travel stuff *was* very authentic and struck a very strong chord with me. The only thing I really missed were the Canadians, although she definitely got the Taking Up With Random Australians thing.

I think it would be a great book to read before traveling, or while traveling. Excellen...more

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Apr 02, 2007

Jan rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: teens who love well-written contemporary chick lit

Shelves: teenbooks

This was such a rewarding read! Johnson adapts the chick lit formula to create a unique and amusing novel featuring a rather shy teen named Ginny whose favorite aunt has just died, leaving her with 13 little blue envelopes. Inside the envelopes are clues directing Ginny to different locations in Europe, which duplicate her aunt's own whirlwind tour years earlier. Ginny must also follow the directions on the envelopes, some of which are quite puzzling. As you might expect, this is also a jour...more

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Mar 28, 2009

GirlwiththeBraids rated it

· review of another edition

Ginny is convinced that the only thing that makes her interesting is her aunt, a starving artist and constant traveler. When her aunt dies of brain cancer, Ginny can’t understand what’s ahead of her. Days filled with boring scenes and an unoriginal life? Then she receives a letter … from her aunt. She discovers that her aunt wrote 13 letters before she died, all addressed to Ginny. She sends Ginny off on a journey, to different countries to complete different tasks. Who said Ginny couldn’t be in...more

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Mar 25, 2009

Alice rated it

· review of another edition

Ginny’s conventional New Jersey life suddenly changes when she receives a letter from her eccentric artist aunt, who has recently died. It contains $1000.00 and instructions to go to a New York, where she must pick up a package at a Chinese restaurant and then board a plane to London. Inside the package are 13 little blue envelopes, each one containing a task that Ginny must complete before she may open the next envelope. There are also rules to follow: no maps, guidebooks, credit cards, cell p...more Ginny’s conventional New Jersey life suddenly changes when she receives a letter from her eccentric artist aunt, who has recently died. It contains $1000.00 and instructions to go to a New York, where she must pick up a package at a Chinese restaurant and then board a plane to London. Inside the package are 13 little blue envelopes, each one containing a task that Ginny must complete before she may open the next envelope. There are also rules to follow: no maps, guidebooks, credit cards, cell phones, or other “electronic crutches”. Ginny’s travels take her on a voyage of adventure and self-discovery, during which she visits many major European destinations and hooks up with Keith, a punk playwright. Although the 13th envelope gets stolen on a Greek island, Ginny is able to figure out its contents on her own.

Chatty and filled with amusing details of Ginny’s surroundings that teens would enjoy, the book reads partly like an adventure story, and partly like an informal “Let’s Go” guidebook to a whirlwind European tour. It’s often difficult to know why Ginny’s aunt chooses particular tasks; some of them seem superficial and inconclusive, but many of the loose ends are tied together by the end of the story. There are a few additional plot holes: it’s not clear whether Ginny’s parents have consented to the trip, and we never learn what, if anything will happen between Ginny and Keith in the long run. Ginny, however, seems satisfied to have the affirmation that he considers her his girlfriend. This book would be appropriate for girls aged 13-18 who are looking forward to independent adventures; if they don’t already wish to tour through Europe someday, they will after reading this fast-paced book. In spite of her unusual journey, Ginny is generally responsible and risk-averse, and while she does fun things she would never have done otherwise, she manages to stay out of serious trouble. The cover photograph of a girl in a strappy tank top (who doesn’t fit Ginny’s description) makes the book seem racier than it actually is.
(less)

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Feb 09, 2012

Anna B rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: realistic-fiction, action-adventure

Publisher: Dial
Release Date: August 23, 2005
Age Group: YA (sexual innuendo/references/discussion)
Sequel: The Last Little Blue Envelope
Pages: 336
Rating: Idea 3.5★; Execution 3.5★
Genre: realistic fiction; travel/adventure

Ginny has never been much of one for adventure, but all of that changes when the receives a letter from her dead aunt Peg, and finds herself whisked off halfway across the world. Leave it to aunt Peg to cook up some crazy scheme—that was he...more

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Feb 02, 2012

Chris Murray rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: lis722, realistic-fiction, ya, adventure

Seventeen-year-old Ginny Blackstone is still mourning the death of her beloved Aunt Peg when a package arrives containing thirteen little blue envelopes sent by her aunt before her death. Also included is $1,000 and a set of rules to guide Ginny from New York to Europe on a journey that will tell Aunt Peg’s story. Ginny must open one envelope upon arrival at each location and perform the task requested. She cannot use electronic devices, maps or credit cards, and she must travel with only wh...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Angel rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, books-in-review, newberry-books-of-my-shelf, humor, realistic-fiction, recommended-young-adult-fiction, romance-romance-romance, series, young-adult

When you combine Maureen Johnson's simplistic, breath-taking style of writing with a trip around Europe and thirteen letters from a dead aunt, the result is chemistry in the making.

Seriously. I could feel the atoms bouncing around in my eyes as I flipped each page.

Ginny's journey throughout Europe is different from anything I've ever read or seen. Sure, there was Cars 2, and there were those Rick Steve shows when I was bored. But do we ever get to see Norway? No. Do we ...more

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Jan 11, 2012

Annaliesa rated it

· review of another edition

This book missed millions of opportunities to become an insightful coming-of-age/traveling novel. Nothing was ever explained enough, the characters weren't fleshed out, and things got rushed and random at the end. Plus, a lot of little things irked me to no end.
(view spoiler)...more

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Jan 06, 2012

Misty Baker rated it

· review of another edition

I’m usually not a fan of “Beach Reads;” for some reason I feel they lack a level of substance that (apparently) I require to feel fulfilled, but “13 Little Blue Envelopes” (which by the way you can still nab for free!!) was different. While normally, the non-sensical ramblings of a 17 year traipsing around Europe with nothing but her aunts bank card and an ugly purple backpack, would leave me feeling annoyed, (and if I’m being honest a little bitter,) Maureen Johnson managed to make the journey ...moreI’m usually not a fan of “Beach Reads;” for some reason I feel they lack a level of substance that (apparently) I require to feel fulfilled, but “13 Little Blue Envelopes” (which by the way you can still nab for free!!) was different. While normally, the non-sensical ramblings of a 17 year traipsing around Europe with nothing but her aunts bank card and an ugly purple backpack, would leave me feeling annoyed, (and if I’m being honest a little bitter,) Maureen Johnson managed to make the journey whimsical and, well… educational.

Aunt Peg is an artists, and like most artists she’s completely off her rocker. She’s unrealistic, completely unpredictable and has a tendency to run away; but when cancer finally catches up with her she decides to make amends and share her experiences with the niece she left behind. Ginny is the complete opposite of her Aunt Peg, so when she receives a letter (1 of 13) in the mail demanding she hop the next plane to London, she is a tad skeptical, but does as she is told, and continues to do what she is told for the next 11 letters; which (incidentally enough) ends of leading her on the most hectic, wonderful and emotionally draining experiences of her life. But, when letter number 13 suddenly gets swiped out from under her nose, will she have the courage to continue her journey? Will the secrets Aunt Peg wanted so desperately to share die with letter 13, or will Ginny realize she’s had the answer all along? And… more importantly, what does the key fit?

Like I said before this is a “beachy” type read. What does that mean? It means that it’s quick, cute and won’t drag you into a book 4, 6, or 14. The story was (unexpectedly) an interesting study into human nature, and the things we define our lives by. What would we see if we stop taking pictures long enough to look at what is actually in front of us, and… while the lead narration follows Ginny, (and her adventures,) the lessons come when we pay attention to what Aunt Peg is saying in her witty, free-spirited letters. The thing that caught me most off-guard however, was the enormous amount of travel knowledge introduced through-out this book. Thankfully it only adds to the depth and meaning of the particular quest Ginny is on instead of dragging it down. (Aka… Johnson was able to express the history of the location or object without going bonkers on meaningless details.) All of the characters were likeable (which is odd) and even the strangest of the bunch added perspectives only a talented author could slam out in so few words. For that reason alone I would call the read a success.

Now… while I’m certain that almost any female that picked this book up would (on some level) enjoy it, I want to specify the group I think should specifically take notice of it. Mother’s with Teenage Daughters. Why? Because I feel that if you sat down, and read this book together, it might help you bond over subjects you may have otherwise thought were moot, and who knows… it might even inspire y’all to step outside of your comfort zones and do some traveling.

Overall… cute (meaningful) FREE read, that shouldn’t take you more than a day or two to finish.

Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: Not knowing someone doesn’t make them a stranger, it makes them an opportunity.(less)

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Dec 16, 2011

Kat rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: chick-literature, christian-fiction, christian-teen-fiction, contemporary-fiction, romance-fiction, young-adult-fiction

Ginny Blackstone, a 17 year-old-girl has always admired her eccentric Aunt Peg, who has traveled all over the world, experiencing life on a whim and just going with the flow of things. When she learns that Aunt Peg has died of a brain tumor without being able to say goodbye, Ginny learns of an unexpected plan that her Aunt Peg hatched in her moments of clarity. She receives a letter from Aunt Peg with $1000 cash and instructions to get a passport, purchase a ticket to London and take only what s...moreGinny Blackstone, a 17 year-old-girl has always admired her eccentric Aunt Peg, who has traveled all over the world, experiencing life on a whim and just going with the flow of things. When she learns that Aunt Peg has died of a brain tumor without being able to say goodbye, Ginny learns of an unexpected plan that her Aunt Peg hatched in her moments of clarity. She receives a letter from Aunt Peg with $1000 cash and instructions to get a passport, purchase a ticket to London and take only what she can fit in a backpack. She can't take any electronic devices like cell phones, lap top or even any extra cash or ATM card. She is also not allowed to browse the internet before she leaves to gain any travel information about London.

There is one stop she must make before heading to the airport, she has to stop at the 4 Noodles in New York and retrieve a package. She can not open the package until she is on the plane. So Ginny does what most of us might do, she carries out the instructions and heads for New York to retrieve the package. While in route to London, she learns the package contains a letter and 13 little blue envelopes. The letter is once again from Aunt Peg who instructs her that each of these envelopes contain a task for her to complete. Once she completes the task, she can open the next envelope until she reaches the end. What Ginny learns through completing these series of tasks is that she gets to spend time with her Aunt Peg even though she isn't around and in the process learns a lot about herself along the way.

I received 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson as a Free Kindle Ebook and am so glad I did. Even though this book is written for the Young Adult audience, it's truly got a message tucked within the pages of this book that everyone needs to read. So the question is what if you received a message containing $1000 and instructions to obtain a passport and ticket to London, would you go? Trust me, you're going to love this book and now my 18-year-old daughter is planning on reading this one right after me. I would rate this adventure a true 5 out of 5 little blue envelopes!(less)

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Nov 23, 2011

Meredith Shannon rated it

· review of another edition

I was very excited about reading this book. I had read numerous books set in Europe previously (Anna and the French Kiss, Almost French, etc.) because I've been wanting to travel there for years.
Johnson's novel, however, left me feeling like I'd travelled through the travel section of a bookstore. There was no atmosphere - the landscapes, the characters - all dull! The premise was fantastic, and full of so many possibilites, however it was poorly executed.
Also, in my edition Johnson ...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Kamela Johnston rated it

· review of another edition

I thought this was a cute plot and yeah, maybe not the most in-depth character study of the century but I think some of these reviewers may be missing the point of the story. I mean, did anybody really want to endure an entire chapter in which Ginny begs her parents for permission to go to Europe? (Or even more ridiculous: every time she checked her bag or had to pee?)

Not a whole lot of back story about Ginny's life was given and I think Maureen Johnson did that for a reason. Because ...more

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Oct 31, 2011

Rida (Raindrop Reflections) rated it

· review of another edition

The Last Little Blue Envelope recently came out, and I decided to get the first book so I could see what this series was about. I honestly didn’t know that this book was about travel- I just ordered it from the library blind, because I just like that feeling of not knowing what a book is about until you open it.

I felt like Ginny’s voice came out a little... restrained? Sure, there were funny moments, some that made me laugh out loud, but the rest of the time, Ginny felt too, uh, sobe...moreThe Last Little Blue Envelope recently came out, and I decided to get the first book so I could see what this series was about. I honestly didn’t know that this book was about travel- I just ordered it from the library blind, because I just like that feeling of not knowing what a book is about until you open it.

I felt like Ginny’s voice came out a little... restrained? Sure, there were funny moments, some that made me laugh out loud, but the rest of the time, Ginny felt too, uh, sober. I guess it’s because I’m used to quirky first-person accounts full of smartass remarks and stuff, so it wasn’t exactly a PROBLEM- just something that took some getting used to.

I LOVED the concept of travelling across Europe. I’m a huge travel lover, even if I hate planes and haven’t actually been many places outside of Canada (aside from my native country and a place nearby I lived for a LONG time).

I would love to backpack (or maybe several-suitcase) across Europe, or heck, the world, but I don’t have a mad aunt like Ginny, and nor am I brave enough to go across the world alone. But reading about those experiences made me feel like I’ve been to these places along with Ginny, which is almost as good.

I liked Ginny, mostly because she reminded me of myself. It’s always awesome when you read about a character similar to you. And Keith... not really my type of guy- he was too vague about things- but I loved his personality and the humour he brought to the story.

I loved Richard, though, that big-hearted guy. I can’t imagine doing all that for someone, honestly. But I have mixed feelings about Ginny’s aunt Peg, because although she was the one who made Ginny realize she was special all on her own, I was mad at her for being so vague and running away time and time again, especially that thing with Richard at the end. Is creativity an excuse to do what you like without thinking about your close ones? But at the end, I forgave her. I mean, having that tumour must have been bad.

All in all, 13 Little Blue Envelopes is different from anything I’ve read before, and I loved it. This is for all you travel freaks (me included!) who’d like to go places but are a) too young to go alone/with friends, and b) don’t actually have funds from a mad aunt.

Full review on my blog, Raindrop Reflections.(less)

· see review

Oct 28, 2011

Olivia rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Girls who love adventure

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ginny receives a package containing thirteen envelopes from her Aunt Peg telling her to follow specific instructions in each letter. Each letter gives Ginny a task to complete before opening the next one. Ginny isn't sure why Aunt Peg wants her to go on this journey, but decides to anyway. Aunt Peg also gave Ginny a thousand dollars in cash to buy a passport, a one-way ticket from New York to London, and a backpack. She arrives in London with everything and an ATM card that contains thousand...moreGinny receives a package containing thirteen envelopes from her Aunt Peg telling her to follow specific instructions in each letter. Each letter gives Ginny a task to complete before opening the next one. Ginny isn't sure why Aunt Peg wants her to go on this journey, but decides to anyway. Aunt Peg also gave Ginny a thousand dollars in cash to buy a passport, a one-way ticket from New York to London, and a backpack. She arrives in London with everything and an ATM card that contains thousands of pounds. She is instructed to meet Richard, a close friend to Aunt Peg, and live temporarily. Aunt Peg wanted Ginny to withdraw five hundred pounds to an artist, musician, etc. or who ever Ginny thought deserved a break. Eventually, Ginny finds a college kid named Keith who created "Starbucks: The Musical". In order to give this guy all the money, she sold out the show. In the next few envelopes, Aunt Peg wants Ginny to meet close friends that she met througout Europe. She sends her to London, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Denmark, and Greece. In Greece, someone steals her bag including all of the envelopes from Aunt Peg. Ginny is devestated that she didn't have the chance to read the thirteenth envelope and finally realize the purpose of her journey. Richard rescues Ginny by buying her a plane ticket back to London and picks her up. Ginny tells him that she lost everything except her passport and credit card. Richard confesses he married her aunt to cover health insurance, which means he is Ginny's uncle. Ginny returns to Richard's house and finds a key behind one of Aunt Peg's favorite posters. She realizes it could open a cabinet at Harrod's, a famous store in London, where she had a small art studio. Richard and Ginny find her artwork and a tag that says "Call Me". A man named Cecil Gage-Rathbone asks Ginny if she wanted to sell Aunt Peg's artwork. Ginny discovers Aunt Peg intentionally left her artwork after she died so her work would be a greater value. In the end, Ginny agrees to the deal and ends up receiving one hundred and thirty three thousand dollars. She splits half to Richard and kept the rest. Ginny realized what Aunt Peg left and she didn't need to read the thirteenth envelope to find out. The main problem was what happened to Aunt Peg and for Ginny to find out. The author ended the book perfectly and not at a cliff hanger. Ginny found true love, a relative she never knew, and a great fortune. I wouldn't have changed anything in the plot to make it better. This book is similar to book I've read in sixth grade called "MVP". It's about a young kid who is chosen out of thousands to go on a journey and given similar rules, etc.

(less)

· see review

Oct 25, 2011

Patricia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, ya-books

I've been submerged in Shakespeaere, and the long slow and--frankly--very boring book One Hundred Years of Solitude for nearly a month. I've just received the Mock Printz list and noticed it contains 10 books all of which look to be rather tense and/or grim. There is going to be a lot of buckling down reading in the next few months. What to do? Realize that I haven't yet read anything by Maureen Johnson, wander over to the YA stacks and grab the first book I see by her. Then: devour it in a 24 h...more

· see review

Oct 22, 2011

Jill rated it

· review of another edition

This was the second book I read on my kindle. I loved the premise of this one. Ginny's aunt has sent her a package with 13 numbered letters that she is supposed to complete in order, only opening the next one when she has completed the previous one. Her first instruction is to go to a Chinese restaurant below where her aunt used to live to pickup a package then go to the airport with only a backpack as luggage and no kind of technology to fly to London. Ginny has to navigate foreign countrie...more

· see review

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About Maureen Johnson

Maureen knew from an early age she wanted to be a writer. She went to high school at an all-girls' Catholic school and graduated from University of Delaware with a degree in writing. She now lives and writes in New York City.

Many of the adventures Maureen's characters face in her books are based on real-life stories. Maureen has traveled all over Europe, and is a Secret Sister to vlog ...more

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Books by Maureen Johnson

The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1)

The Last Little Blue Envelope (Little Blue Envelope, #2)

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Quotes from 13 Little Blue Envelopes

“Rule #1: You may bring only what fits in your backpack. Don’t try to fake it with a purse or a carry-on.

Rule #2: You may not bring guidebooks, phrase books, or any kind of foreign language aid. And no journals.

Rule #3: You cannot bring extra money or credit/debit cards, travelers’ checks, etc. I’ll take care of all that.

Rule #4: No electronic crutches. This means no laptop, no cell phone, no music, and no camera. You can’t call home or communicate with people in the U.S. by Internet or telephone. Postcards and letters are acceptable and encouraged.

That’s all you need to know for now. ” — 68 people liked it

“I'm Keith," he said, "and you're . . . clearly mad, but what's your name?” — 55 people liked it

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