13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

One day, Virginia Blackstone, or Ginny, receives a letter from her dead aunt with instructions to go to a Chinese restaurant. There, Ginny receives a bundle of twelve letters, for a grand total of thirteen, thus naming the novel. Four simple rules are laid down by Peg, Ginny’s aunt, and there are more instructions enclosed in each letter, to be opened at a specific place and time. All Ginny needs to do to begin her journey is fly to London. And so she does.

Ginny embarks on a crazy, all-over-the-place trip that takes her around Europe, to places that were significant to her aunt Peg. Along the way, she meets a playwright and used-to-be-thief named Keith, who she maybe falls in love with, many old friends of Peg, some new friends in various cities, and even an uncle she never knew she had. And during this journey, Ginny learns a lot about herself and her aunt Peg.

I found 13 Little Blue Envelopes to be a very well-written novel. Maureen Johnson is an amazing author and has proved herself again. I especially liked traveling with Ginny to all those amazing European cities and feeling like I was there beside her. Ginny's relationship with Keith is especially cute too. There were some parts of the book where I was a little confused, but the issue was always cleared up soon after. The idea behind the novel is original, and I found myself wishing I had a crazy aunt to send me on a strange trip to Europe. This was a realistic and very enjoyable read. I highly recommend this, and other Maureen Johnson books.

Rating: 4.0

Review copy from personal collection