Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
"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.

Months later, a mysterious boy contacts Ginny from London, saying he's found her bag. Finally, Ginny can finish what she started. But instead of ending her journey, the last letter starts a new adventure—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions."- summary from Amazon

I absolutely LOVED 13 Little Blue Envelopes and was excited to hear about the sequel, yet it still took me over a year to actually get around to reading it. I wasn't disappointed (it is a Maureen Johnson book, after all) but I didn't feel the same amount of love I felt for the first book.

It was great getting back into Ginny's shoes and going off on a whirlwind trip with her across the UK and Europe to complete the final letter. It was interesting how Johnson brought in the last letter and the circumstances surrounding it, and it certainly made things more complicated. The locations in this book were really fun to read about and Johnson's prose really made me feel as if I were there.

Keith and Ginny's relationship was handled realistically too, and I liked how Johnson dealt with it. Even though I'd like to see those two together, it still felt right having Keith be with someone else. I'm not totally sure I agree with how Ginny ended up romantically because it just seemed too convenient.

Overall, this is a nice, funny follow-up to 13 Little Blue Envelopes and I'm glad Johnson was able to complete this unique story. We now know what the 13th envelope said!


FTC: Received ARC from my awesome friend Kristi of The Story Siren. Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

2 comments:

  1. *nods nods*
    I agree with what you have said.

    And yeah, I think the whole Keith-Ginny situation was handled well! and I really liked the other girl-her name I just forgot - and even Oliver some times, though it did feel convenient.

    Over al I liked it and I was soooo happy to learn what the last envelope said. but I have to admit that my most favorite character was Aunt Peg's husband :D

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  2. The fact that Ginny has received a package of thirteen blue envelopes from her eccentric but favorite aunt telling her to travel around the world is not particularly shocking. Being instructed to open each envelope in order isn't so strange either. What makes it a surprise is the fact that Ginny's aunt Peg has been dead for months. She was young and full of life, and her death was a shock.

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