Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Double Feature Review, Part One: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Little Blue Envelope #1
Next in series: The Last Little Blue Envelope
336 Pages (paperback edition)
Published: October, 2006 by HarperTeen
Source: Free ebook
Find the book: goodreads | amazon | barnes & noble
Find the author: website | blog | twitter

Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.
In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

This book was such a great read! You know how you feel like you are 'somewhere else' when you read a book? Well imagine traveling all over Europe with little blue envelopes as your tour guide. And when the letters are written by an artist aunt you're in for a good time. Ginny was a heroine I actually liked, she knew what she was doing was wacky but she still did it and didn't back down from tasks she normally wouldn't do (like ask a guy out for cake). The real star of this book was, in my opinion, Aunt Peg. She seemed like the type of person you would want to hang out with, that person who is full of life and unpredictable. The type of person who makes you feel more alive just by being around them. That is what Aunt Peg was like.

Aunt Peg signed her letters as "Your Runaway Aunt" for good reason. She was always on the move, restless and not wanting to get comfortable anywhere. I can relate to that. I can actually relate to a lot about Aunt Peg, I have never before connected with a supporting character until I read this book. The letters help Ginny break out of her shell and experience things she wouldn't have otherwise and it was fun to join her on her journey. The character development in this novel was believable and spot on. Ginny's adventures really were life-changing and she meets a host of interesting characters.

Richard was one of these new interesting people Ginny meets and I loved him. He seemed so sincere and trustworthy, I just wanted to give him a hug at the end of the book. Not all characters were like him though, there were some other shadier creatures lurking about the European streets and there were times where I was very nervous for Ginny. She was a smart gal though so she didn't get into too much trouble. So what do you say, will you accept the 13 Little Blue Envelopes challenge with Ginny? The streets (and oceans, and trains, and planes) of Europe await!

I give this book 5 Stars!

*Stay tuned for Part Two of the Double Feature Review tomorrow where I review the new sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope!*




13 comments:

  1. Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read this!

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  2. Great review! I read this one a long time ago and loved it. I have yet to read the sequel though, I'll have to get it soon :)

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  3. I only ever read PNR, UF and Dystopian, but the more reviews I read like this it makes me want to break my habit. I'm so adding this to my TBR on goodreads, Thanks for the great review =)

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  4. I think I will have to check out this book. I think it might balance out the dark stuff I read.

    Girl Who Reads

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  5. I loved this book too :). I've always wanted to travel through Europe so it was quite vicarious experience. It was pretty brave of Ginny to do all that stuff on her own. Don't think I would've had half her courage :O. Great review!!

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  6. This is a great review. I haven't read this book although I did download it when it was free. I think I'm going to bump this up on my reading list.

    New Follower :)

    Neri @ In The Name Of Books

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  7. I keep seeing this book at my local library...I'll have to pick it up next time I'm there! Great review :)

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  8. This book sounds so cute, I'd love to do this! I wish someone would give me lil blue envelopes. Thanks for signing up to my blog hop, I really appreciate it!

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  9. This sounds fantastic. I would love the opportunity to embark on such a great adventure!

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  10. new follower! [: 'hi'

    I have been thinking about reading this for awhile now, so thanks for the review! It sounds like a great summer read too!

    check out my blog if you get a chance, thanks!
    http://letsevaluate.blogspot.com

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  11. I'd love to read this book...I like stories that have letter-writing in them.

    I'm also a new follower, your blog's fantastic!

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  12. Wow!! A 5 star read? Well...I guess I know what's going on my reading list this summer :)

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  13. Wow! Great review! I keep meaning to read something by Johnson. She seems to be a pretty big deal in the YA universe. I'll have to push this one up my list!

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)