13 Little Blue Envelopes (Little Blue Envelope, #1) in Our Shared Shelf

Aug 17, 2012 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

When we meet Ginny, she is in New York. She has just received a package of envelopes from her Aunt Peg. We know her Aunt Peg had been a great friend to Ginny in the past, had eventually moved away from New York and remained out of contact, and gotten sick and died. The package contains 13 blue envelopes each containing a letter from beyond the grave, each with an instruction from Aunt Peg. The only way Ginny can open a new envelope is to complete the task in the one before it. The rules: no maps When we meet Ginny, she is in New York. She has just received a package of envelopes from her Aunt Peg. We know her Aunt Peg had been a great friend to Ginny in the past, had eventually moved away from New York and remained out of contact, and gotten sick and died. The package contains 13 blue envelopes each containing a letter from beyond the grave, each with an instruction from Aunt Peg. The only way Ginny can open a new envelope is to complete the task in the one before it. The rules: no maps, no technology, no contact with the States, and she must rely completely on the money Aunt Peg provides for her. With that she is off to London and on to so much more.

(For the record, I picture Aunt Peg looking like Justin Timberlake’s character from the SNL Target sketches… but… that’s neither here nor there, and certainly not appropriate for the age of Aunt Peg, BUT WHATEVER, BOOK, I DO WHAT I WANT.)

I’m giving this book 4 star with the caveat that I have my Teenage Perspective Goggles on since that is the intended audience. I should add that I don't draw a line between adult fiction and YA fiction regularly- in most cases a story is a story at any age. But I know for certainly my reactions would be different were I younger, and because it is YA fiction, that is how I feel it would be fair to judge it. And teenage me would have been ALL OVER THIS. ALL OVER IT, I TELL YOU. Teenage me would have found Keith mysterious and charming instead of totally annoying, irrelevant, and uselessly confident in himself; teenage me would have longer for an Aunt Peg of my own, instead of questioning how she can cleverly use whimsy as a way to cover up her selfishness and irresponsibility; teenage me would have felt like Ginny was really brave for going on this adventure alone and trusting in her aunt who despite everything had let her down rather than wonder why Ginny wasn’t asking more questions of the adults around her; teenage me would have gotten all philosophical and filled with important ennui about making the most of like, how stuff is fleeting, how you must leave a legacy and believe in something instead of feeling like the story tried way too hard to be important and young and hip and missing the mark entirely.

The story works for a young person. It really does well for its intended audience. There is a lot of heaviness to it that is treaded up lightly in a way I think most young people have the capacity to handle. Not that young people are idiots, but there is a lack of pragmatics within the book. In the end we walk away with an understanding that sometimes things don’t make sense and there is simply nothing you can do about it. We also walk away with the sense that everything has a purpose. It’s a mixed message, for sure, and Johnson misses the mark for Adult Alex completely, which is why as an adult I would like to give it 2.5 stars. The story was silly, sycophantic, and the characters really under developed, and I struggled to understand the point of some of Ginny’s adventures to the degree that I wasn’t certain if that was the intention or sloppy writing. By the end, when we see it all in completion, I was honestly so unaffected that I didn't care. The direct approach to what Aunt Peg was trying to accomplish would have been so much more efficient... but then...

I also think that a teenager would understand it perfectly and be able to make sense out of it all, to combine the whimsy with the purpose, because teenagers have the ability to be whimsical in that special brand of believing that everything is possible. Because maybe an adult would only muddle it up the direct way. So in that regard, kudos. ...more

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Apr 28, 2014 Erin rated it liked it

Shelves: 2014

I really wish Goodreads allowed half stars. This book would be a 3.5 for me. I had some trouble believing that Ginny's parents would be fine with sending her off on this adventure without having some way to get in contact with her. I enjoyed the writing, though. I'll be reading the sequel when I get the chance. ...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was a light, delightful little book! A young woman receives 13 mysterious envelopes from her deceased Aunt and takes an adventurous trip around Europe. It brought back my days of studying abroad and the wonderment in exploring new countries.

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Apr 23, 2008 Alexa Hamilton rated it really liked it

Shelves: teenbooks, lightreading, book-club

I sat down yesterday with my dinner and read this book cover to cover. In the book, Ginny travels to Europe after she receives instructions in letter form from her recently dead aunt. While the premise could make the book awful, the dead aunt's letters are poignant and nutty, just like she is remembered by her niece, and Ginny is a regular girl on a wacky trip. It is a case of a book with a cool premise actually being a cool book, a quick read, and a great way to get away from your life for a co ...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Maeve rated it it was amazing

Shelves: teen-ya

I was oscillating between 4 and 5 on this one, but being a travel junkie and recognizing the intended audience of the book I decided to be generous. Let's see if the sequel holds up! ...more

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