Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Book review: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Title: 13 Little Blue Envelopes
Author: Maureen Johnson
Genre: YA
Subject: Traveling
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release date: September, 2006
Length: 336 pages
I got this book: As a free Kindle edition through an action on Amazon

Summary:
Ginny receives a package with 13 little blue envelopes with instructions. The first one states she has to travel to London. Ginny is a shy girl who never travelled on her own before but she has the feeling she has to follow the instructions of this package that her deceased adventurous aunt left her, even if it sounds like the craziest thing she has ever done.

Personal opinion:
I wanted to read this book because the idea of travelling through Europe with only the instructions from the envelopes as a guide appealed to me. It sounds adventurous and something I would never dare to attempt, so the book called out to me. That being said, such a story wouldn't be very believable to begin with because what are the odds that such a thing would ever happen? Especially when you are only 17. I know that my mother wouldn't even let me go to England on my own when I was 18 and with me living in the Netherlands this is practically next door. This is not the case for Ginny who lives in the USA, and while her parents did protest a little, the beginning of the story felt a bit forced. But once I let go of the thought that the story had to be realistic, I started to enjoy it more. The little details about several European countries were fun to read and the story felt like an adventure as I hoped for. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. I think this book is for people who are looking for a light read and don't take the story too serious. If you are the type that wants a story to be believable, this might not be your cup of tea.


It was okay.

Purchase links: Amazon
Other reviews: None yet
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1 comment:

  1. I liked the jaunt around Europe, but wished I got to know more about Ginny. She sort of felt like a stranger to me. Luckily, I liked it enough to want to read the sequel and I've seen several reviews recently saying it has much more about the characters this time. (And I have to know what's in that last envelope!)

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