13 Little Blue Envelopes + The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

I'm talking about 13 Little Blue Envelopes a lot in this review so I thought I should post a summary for that too. The Last Little Blue Envelopes summary will contain spoilers for 13 Little Blue Envelopes, but the review doesn't have any.

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 336
Publisher: Harper Collins
Released: 23rd of August 2005

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 to finding them.





Pages: 288
Publisher: Harper Collins
Released: 26th of April 2011





 (Highlight to read)
Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg laid out in a series of letters before she died. When someone stole Ginny's backpack—and the last little blue envelope inside—she resigned herself to never knowing how it was supposed to end.

What I Have to Say

For anyone who doesn't follow Maureen Johnson on twitter, she is insane. If you have twitter, follow her. Seriously, it's so much fun.

Now that I've established that fact, I can move on to my point. The madness that Maureen Johnson shows on twitter (and at signings) really shows through in her writing, without taking away from her characters voice. Especially in these two books.

I really loved 13 Little Blue Envelopes when I read it and what I think I loved most about both books was the perspective. Having lived here all my life, there are many things about England that I just accept as the natural way of things, so when reading a book where the narrator is not English, there are a lot of "Wait, do they not have that in America?" moments.

I guess I just find it interesting to see an American's viewpoint on my country. Especially with Maureen Johnson's brand of slightly insane characters.

Both 13 Little Blue Envelopes and The Last Little Blue Envelopes go firmly on my recommended list, especially for people interested in travelling around Europe.