Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 9
Romantic, interesting, tender, and enviable: Ginny Blackstone's journey of geographical and self discoveries in 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is one that we all dream of. Who wouldn't want to be sent on a backpacking trip across Europe and do things we've never thought we were capable of doing?
Ginny's free-spirited artist aunt, Peg, died from a brain tumor. After Peg's death, a package containing 13 sealed blue envelopes is delivered to Ginny. They send her on various missions across the seas in foreign lands. All of a sudden, Ginny finds herself lugging a heavy purple-and-green backpack onto a plane and into the London flat of a man named Richard.
Peg's instructions in the envelopes further mess with Ginny's once passive existence as they instruct her to, for example, find a struggling artist whose work she admires to give money to. How does Aunt Peg seem to know that Keith, the artist Ginny chose, would be so cute and steal her heart like that?
Despite the crazy, un-Ginny-like adventures she's having, Ginny still has doubts every once in a while of what the heck exactly is she doing in Europe. Will Ginny ever come to terms with the fact that she IS capable of everything her aunt had once done?
13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is more than a fun ride through several European countries. It's a journey of self-discovery for Ginny, as a shy girl learns exactly what she is capable of. For those of us who do not have a wild aunt who will send us on an adventure through Europe, we can live through Ginny. I have read this book twice, and both times I could not put it down, preferring to lose sleep rather than wonder about what happens to Ginny.
Ginny's free-spirited artist aunt, Peg, died from a brain tumor. After Peg's death, a package containing 13 sealed blue envelopes is delivered to Ginny. They send her on various missions across the seas in foreign lands. All of a sudden, Ginny finds herself lugging a heavy purple-and-green backpack onto a plane and into the London flat of a man named Richard.
Peg's instructions in the envelopes further mess with Ginny's once passive existence as they instruct her to, for example, find a struggling artist whose work she admires to give money to. How does Aunt Peg seem to know that Keith, the artist Ginny chose, would be so cute and steal her heart like that?
Despite the crazy, un-Ginny-like adventures she's having, Ginny still has doubts every once in a while of what the heck exactly is she doing in Europe. Will Ginny ever come to terms with the fact that she IS capable of everything her aunt had once done?
13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES is more than a fun ride through several European countries. It's a journey of self-discovery for Ginny, as a shy girl learns exactly what she is capable of. For those of us who do not have a wild aunt who will send us on an adventure through Europe, we can live through Ginny. I have read this book twice, and both times I could not put it down, preferring to lose sleep rather than wonder about what happens to Ginny.
Julie W. (cloverluv) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 129 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This book...for as exciting and promising as the back cover made it sound, it was disappointing.
Seeing Europe through the eyes of an unappreciative 17-year-old was not near as interesting as I thought it would be. It was an extreme let-down because the idea of this book and the premise had such promise...
It is extremely hard to describe this book. I proclaimed it "not that great" about half way through, but I wanted to get to the end because I had a lot invested in it by that time.
I guess the short story is that the book was just that: "not that great." The main character was not lovable in any way, she was devoid of personality, and with the exception of Richard, not one of the other characters in the book had any real "soul" to them that made them someone you wanted to read about.
I guess the conclusion is that this book was a stinker, and one that made me mad too. Books that do that make me upset.
Sorry for the scatterbrained review, but this is how this book left me feeling. Scatterbrained, drained, and unsatisfied.
Seeing Europe through the eyes of an unappreciative 17-year-old was not near as interesting as I thought it would be. It was an extreme let-down because the idea of this book and the premise had such promise...
It is extremely hard to describe this book. I proclaimed it "not that great" about half way through, but I wanted to get to the end because I had a lot invested in it by that time.
I guess the short story is that the book was just that: "not that great." The main character was not lovable in any way, she was devoid of personality, and with the exception of Richard, not one of the other characters in the book had any real "soul" to them that made them someone you wanted to read about.
I guess the conclusion is that this book was a stinker, and one that made me mad too. Books that do that make me upset.
Sorry for the scatterbrained review, but this is how this book left me feeling. Scatterbrained, drained, and unsatisfied.
Lynda S. (bookworm88) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
A book about a teen girl who goes on a worldwide scavenger hunt, when a reletive leaves her a letter. GREAT READ!! You will not want to put it down for a seconed.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book and wanted more!
Tiffany L. (tlees5) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 119 more book reviews
I loved this book, read it in a day!
Diana L. (dianasdolls) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 43 more book reviews
Pleasant book featuring a self-deprecating, shy teenage girl's trip around Europe while she follows the instructions in her late aunt's envelopes of the title. The main character is likable, but the supporting characters are only sketched-in. The interesting locations are light on description, but seeing as this is a novel and not a travel guide, that's okay.
Kathy N. (addicated-to-reading) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 150 more book reviews
Don't read much YA but this one sounded interesting. Some of the characters were well developed and I liked the premise. It was almost a traveloge of a bit of Europe but not the usual tourist sites. I did like it and then read the last book in the series. Would recommend it for light reading.
Jami R. (jamijolinda) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 8 more book reviews
I love this book!! It reminds me of the relationship between my aunt and I. This is such a fun book you wish you were there for the ride!!
Jennifer H. (jennylou73) -
This book reflects on the kind of person i want to be: BRAVE, TRUSTING, LOVING and HONEST. There wasnt a time in this entire book when i felt Maureen Johnson was being corny or fake in her writing. Her characters have enough backbone that there easily could have only been Ginny and Keith. I really enjoyed this book and its solid tale of a girl that starts to see that sometimes, impulse is the only way to act.
I thought this was a great book. It was written well, and i would recomend it for mainly girls ages 13-17!!!!!
Deborah B. (nhrn1) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
Quick read and fun story!
Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book 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 Ginny can only open one envelope at a time, after she's completed each task in the previous letter.
Through the letters, Ginny learns more about what drove her Aunt to flee to Europe in pursuit of her art, and about her Aunt's last year of life, since Aunt Peg has passed away from a brain tumor by the time the first envelope arrives--and Ginny never got to say good-bye. Through her adventures, Ginny learns a lot about herself. Her own strength and ingenuity, her ability to forgive, and that she, too, can be an interesting person.
Some of the tasks seem impossible; find the one café in all of Paris where her Aunt spent a month sleeping behind the bar and decorating the café to pay her rent. Others are easier, at least on the surface; find a starving artist and be his mysterious benefactor. Readers will both laugh at some of Ginny's mishaps and cringe at some of her mistakes as the envelopes lead her around Europe.
Peopled with a strong cast of supporting characters--the cute playwright she meets in London, the annoying family of Americans with a "schedule" in Amsterdam, the crazy artist friends of her Aunt--the novel unfolds at a fast pace, while never losing its poignancy as Ginny retraces the steps of the Aunt she loved. Ms. Johnson has written an excellent and entertaining novel that I highly recommend.
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 Ginny can only open one envelope at a time, after she's completed each task in the previous letter.
Through the letters, Ginny learns more about what drove her Aunt to flee to Europe in pursuit of her art, and about her Aunt's last year of life, since Aunt Peg has passed away from a brain tumor by the time the first envelope arrives--and Ginny never got to say good-bye. Through her adventures, Ginny learns a lot about herself. Her own strength and ingenuity, her ability to forgive, and that she, too, can be an interesting person.
Some of the tasks seem impossible; find the one café in all of Paris where her Aunt spent a month sleeping behind the bar and decorating the café to pay her rent. Others are easier, at least on the surface; find a starving artist and be his mysterious benefactor. Readers will both laugh at some of Ginny's mishaps and cringe at some of her mistakes as the envelopes lead her around Europe.
Peopled with a strong cast of supporting characters--the cute playwright she meets in London, the annoying family of Americans with a "schedule" in Amsterdam, the crazy artist friends of her Aunt--the novel unfolds at a fast pace, while never losing its poignancy as Ginny retraces the steps of the Aunt she loved. Ms. Johnson has written an excellent and entertaining novel that I highly recommend.
Jessica S. (jessnoelle07) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 21 more book reviews
This book vaguely reminded me of the movie P.S. I Love You, however I think the book came before that movie. But all aside, I thought this was a great book. She is a wonderful writer, and while reading I felt as though I was there with Ginny to every place she went. I escaped overseas with her, all the while in the comfort of my pajamas. LOL. This book presents a good message although, life is not to be spent wasted. You should make the most of it, and never take it too seriously. You should do spontanous and crazy things. I would mostly recommend this is ecleptic persons and teenagers.
Samantha T. (sammyg) -
This book is a very good, quick read. I really enjoyed it and could not put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next. Ginny annoyed me sometimes by the way she acted but overall it was a good read.
A fun, quick read with heart.
Andrea J. (PaperbackDiva) reviewed 13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelopes, Bk 1) on + 44 more book reviews
nice story for a girl
