Saturday, 9 June 2012

Review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson



13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Author: Maureen Johnson. Website, Twitter.
Published: 26 September 2006
Pages: 319

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
When Ginny receives 13 little blue envelopes with instructions to buy a plane ticket to London, she's soon on an adventure that will change her in more ways than one.

My Review:
This book follows Ginny (Virginia) as she follows her aunt's mysterious instructions, left in numbered envelopes, on an adventure across Europe.

Overall I did like it. I liked the main character of Ginny, and the sense of adventure. There were some extremely touching moments throughout thanks to a great little bunch of characters. It felt to me like it would make a great summer read and as Ginny travels, it really sparked the urge in me to get out and see more of the world!

So all in all it's a great little idea for a story, however I don't think it was quite pulled off in this book as well as it could have been. At times felt like a travel guide with bits of story squeezed in and as a Brit I found various flaws with the chapters set in London (inaccuracies which stand out to someone familiar with British life). The library copy I borrowed was also littered with spelling mistakes of place names (Leister Square?) which a previous borrower of this book had actually gone through with a pen and corrected. I don't know if these were corrected in later editions (hopefully they were).

If you like road trips, or are passionate about travelling in Europe, love a bit of adventure and dream of escaping then you'll enjoy this story.

Review: 3*
What to read next: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson, the sequel to this book.
Books like this: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty.

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