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    The Last Little Blue Envelope
    The Last Little Blue Envelope
    The Last Little Blue Envelope
    Ebook277 pages3 hours

    The Last Little Blue Envelope

    By Maureen Johnson

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson’s fun, romantic, and hilarious sequel to her breakout hit 13 Little Blue Envelopes gets a brand-new cover!

    Ginny Blackstone spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt 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 the adventure was supposed to end.

    Now a mysterious boy has contacted 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, and Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time there are no instructions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateApr 26, 2011
    ISBN9780062077134
    Author

    Maureen Johnson

    Maureen Johnson is the bestselling author of several novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, the Truly Devious series, the Suite Scarlett series, and the Shades of London series. She has also written collaborative works such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle and the Bane Chronicles with Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan. Maureen lives in New York and online on Twitter @maureenjohnson or at maureenjohnsonbooks.com. 

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    Reviews for The Last Little Blue Envelope

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    • 4/5
      The Little BookwormGinny never thought she'd see the last blue envelope from her summer trip to Europe at her late aunt's behest. Then suddenly it pops up in her e-mail, well a scan of the first page anyway, with a note from the finder that the last letter has instructions for her to find another piece of her aunt's artwork. So Ginny packs her bag and heads back to England to complete the task from the last little blue envelope.I was happy to learn that there was going to be a sequel for 13 Little Blue Envelopes. I wanted to know what was in that letter even if Ginny was okay with not knowing. Or rather she thought she knew and was okay with it. But I somehow don't think she really knew. But then I don't think a sequel was planned after the first book ended. ANYWAY, I'm happy to know what was in the envelope and I think Ginny was too.Once again, I found Ginny to be incredibly passive though she managed to show a little more backbone at the end of the story. So I applaud her for that. I wanted to see more of Keith because he is so funny in the first one, but right at the start, it was easy to see that that relationship was not going to go like Ginny wanted it too. I was irritated through most of the book by Oliver, the finder of the letters, but toward the end I felt sorry for him which is a bit amazing considering how he started out. I liked Ellis and I was glad she wasn't made into a villain. And the quest itself was fun. I always enjoy a good road trip and with a sort of scavenger hunt thrown in, it was really entertaining. I think the ending worked perfectly and I'm glad to have a definite end to Ginny's story.
    • 4/5
      This book was a perfect second part to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. It wrapped everything up, brought back old characters and showed them in a new light, while introducing some great new characters. Someone has found Ginny's last letter from her aunt, so she goes abroad over Christmas break to finish what she started the previous summer. As aunt Peg says, you can't go home again, and while Ginny visits some of the same European countries as she did before, the book doesn't seem repetitive or tired at all. It's just as eye-opening and suspenseful as the first. I felt a little more emotional distance between myself as a reader and Ginny this time, and in certain sections I feel like she didn't show any emotional response at all, which seemed unnatural due to what was happening to her. Which isn't to say I didn't tear up at the end! Overall, it was a great read, very amusing and touching.
    • 4/5
      This is a continuation of “13 Little Blue Envelopes”. Potential spoilers for the first book: Ginny didn’t get to finish her aunt’s “treasure hunt” when her backpack with the envelopes was stolen in Greece. She had one envelope left.. Back at home in the US, Ginny hears from someone who has that last envelope, and he’s in London. Ginny decides to travel back to London to get her hands on that last envelope and keep going. While in London, she looks up the boy she’d been dating, Keith. Ginny, Keith, and two others set off to follow the instructions on the last envelope that brings them to a few different European countries. I really enjoyed this one. It appears I read the first book 6 years ago!! I found it interesting that I commented in that review that I wasn’t a fan of Keith; still not in this book, either. However, I did like the new guy, Oliver, who was the one who found Ginny’s envelopes. Also enjoyed “travelling” around Europe with Ginny and her friends; I particularly enjoyed the B&B in… I think it was Belgium (cats!).
    • 4/5
      The Last Little Blue Envelope in some ways was even better than the first book.

      I loved the fact that there was a consistency of characters unlike in the first book, where Ginny travelled too much to have a consistent friend by her side.

      I had so much fun reading this book and I'm so sad that it ended so soon. I wish it hadn't.

      The only thing I did not like about this book was the ending. I wish there had been a better closure. It didn't feel like an ending, to be honest. It was as if the author just left it unfinished.

      Though the journey up until then was absolutely enjoyable, entertaining and so much fun!
    • 5/5
      The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson is the sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes. Ginny thinks her adventure in London and Europe is over until she receives a note saying her backpack has been found, and along with it, the final envelope.Curious, Ginny returns to London to meet the boy with her backpack. Although it includes instructions that will lead Ginny to one more piece of her aunt's artwork, those instructions are held hostage by the boy who found the envelope. In order to complete her aunt's final wishes, Ginny has to trust the boy and take him along on the adventure.While the story lacks the treasure hunt adventure of the first book, Ginny and her companions make up for anything lacking in the way of plot. The boy who found the envelope, Oliver, to my mind was the most interesting and enigmatic of the ensemble. As he reveals pieces of the final letter, he also gives hints to his own personality and life story.Although the journey set forth by Ginny's aunt is complete at the end of The Last Little Blue Envelope, there's more here that I'd like to explore. I think Oliver could stand alone as a character. He has more stories to tell.
    • 4/5
      I love Maureen Johnson. Her books are quirky, insightful, and unexpected. Her online personality is so quirky it borders on bizarre (what am I kidding, she's well past bizarre). I always find anything she has written interesting, whether it's hilarious tweets, informative blog posts, an insightful novel, or passionate statements about the YA book world.Sooo...it's really no surprise that I loved this book. In 13 Little Blue Envelopes, we went on a journey with Ginny through her deceased Aunt Peg's letters. We got through 12 of them, not only learning about Aunt Peg, but gaining insight into life, love, and what it means to truly be alive. I adored that book and wasn't sure what to expect with The Last Little Blue Envelope. In the previous book, we had gone through 12 letters. Now, we only had one. What could possibly take so long, and how could it live up to the previous book?Well, I won't get into the details, but let's just say...it did. The Last Little Blue Envelope was as heartwarming and insightful (*I think that's the word of the day*) as the first. We learned more about Ginny and how the first experience had changed her. Then, we watched as she continued to change through her final journey with Aunt Peg. The concept that things are always changing and you can't have the same experience twice was explored. This was very literal in the sense that they revisited a few stops from the previous adventure, but it also related to people and relationships. Places change, people change, you change. And change isn't bad, it's just change. I'm not articulate enough to really say exactly how this book touched me, but let me just say I will read anything Maureen Johnson writes. Overall thoughts: Read it, I don't care if you buy, borrow, or steal. (Okay, that's a lie. You probably shouldn't steal it.)
    • 4/5
      When Ginny's bag was stolen in Greece, she lost the last letter with her aunt's instructions. Now it has been found - but the person who has it won't give Ginny the letter. He insists on coming along to follow the instructions.
    • 5/5
      I just love the idea of these books. I've always wanted something like what happens to Ginny to happen to me. It would be so exciting and fun to receive a bunch of envelopes and be led on an adventure around Europe.I think I liked this book even more than the first one. It's so easy to feel what Ginny is feeling. I was sad when she was sad, confused when she was confused, and happy when she was happy. Also, I just love Richard. What an awesome character he is. I feel so sad for him, because he's lost so much, but I love seeing how much he cares about Ginny. It was pretty cool to see how what had seemed like a happily ever after in the last book played out. It felt very real, and I thought a lot of the lessons Ginny learned this time around were authentic feeling. (not sure if that makes sense)The ending left me wanting more, but I doubt there will be another book. Overall, it was funny, cute, exciting, and surprisingly deep.
    • 4/5
      Those who read 13 Little Blue Envelopes will recall Ginny Blackstone's whirlwind summer in Europe, following the instructions set forth by her late Aunt Peg in the first 12 envelopes. Before Ginny had a chance to open the 13th and last envelope, however, her backpack containing that envelope was stolen in Greece. Now back home in New Jersey, thinking about her college application essay and contemplating her future, she gets an email from a strange British guy who reveals he has her stolen backpack! Ginny decides to fly back to London for winter break to retrieve the 13th envelope and to hopefully rekindle her friendship with Keith. She also finds out the guy with the last envelope, named Oliver, offers to help Ginny follow Aunt Peg's instructions in that last envelope--but with a catch! Once again a fun romp thru Europe (including Amsterdam and Dublin) as Ginny not only pursues the items mentioned in the envelope, but her sense of self as well.
    • 4/5
      When I first heard about this book, I was a little apprehensive- 13 Little Blue Envelopes ended so well, it didn't need a sequel! Oh, how very wrong I was.

      I loved the direction Ginny took in this. I liked how the last envelope worked and that she had to backtrack through the highlights of the first book, but it never felt redundant or too focused on "this is what happened last time!" Also, I loved how she and Keith dealt with the sudden change in their relationship, and how most of the time, they just acted like they normally did. Ellis is probably my new favorite character in this- she's fun, she's not vilified as the "new girlfriend," and you feel that she's also uncomfortable about Keith and Ginny and what Ellis means. While Olivier was the more engaging character, it took a while for me to warm to him. I would have liked more hints into his personal reasons for getting the painting money earlier in the book, but the little details still work in the context of the book. It's a great read, and if you liked the first book, READ THIS ONE. RIGHT NOW. GO AND ORDER IT.
    • 4/5
      I wanted to love this as much as the first, it just didn't live up to my expectations. Keith is a dirt ball throughout the book. Oliver is a jerk who I immediately wanted to punch in the face. Don't even get me started on Keith's girlfriend, WAY too nice to Ginny and just found her boring. I was glad to finally see what was in the last envelope! I did enjoy Ginny reconnecting with Richard. Not terrible but not what I was hoping for. Still love Maureen Johnson and looking forward to reading more by her!
    • 3/5
      Not sure how I feel about this book. It was good but not as good as the original.
    • 4/5
      Johnson is so skilled at writing realistic, quirky characters (probably because she is such a quirky character herself). Ginny is back in this novel, off to Europe again to follow the instructions in the last letter left to her by her deceased aunt. At the end of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, the last letter was stolen from her. Oliver, a British boy, has it in his possession, but instead of simply giving it back to Ginny, he read it and extorts her to get half the value of her aunt's final painting. Like the first book, Ginny must travel around Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt set for her by her aunt. Keith, her almost boyfriend from the first book, and his new girlfriend accompany her and Oliver. Great characters and a quirky, romantic plot make this a very fun read.
    • 3/5
      The Last Little Blue Envelope is the sequel to 13 Blue Envelopes. When we last left Ginny her backpack was stolen with her Aunt Peg's last letter tucked away in it. After being okay with the fact that she will never know what that last letter said, she is suddenly back in the game. Someone has found the letter..she can continue on the adventure her aunt sent her on.What I like about the The Last Little Blue Envelope are the characters. Many of the old characters are back, as well as some new ones. I enjoyed The Last Little Blue Envelope more than the first book, and I think it's because of what the new characters bring to the story. What do they bring? I thought one brought mystery, and the other brought fun and enthusiasm. This second book brings more vitality to the story as a whole. I wondered why Maureen Johnson thought that 13 Little Blue Envelopes need a sequel, but I think her decision to continue Ginny's journey was a success. If you liked/loved 13 Little Blue Envelopes you will like/love the sequel.
    • 4/5
      Maureen Johnson: you are good.Seriously. Through the first section of this book I went through a whiplash-inducing "yay, revisiting beloved charact...WTF NOOOO...um, this sucks....oh wait, hmmmm...." schizophrenic fit. I didn't know whether Maureen was on crack, trying to make a joke or just plain insane. I couldn't believe what she'd done to Ginny! But, the back of my brain kept telling me to keep reading - and I am so glad I did!As for the whole Oliver thing. It took me awhile y'all. Over halfway through the book and I'm still waiting to see what the magic plot twist is that will make me go "okay - I like you now!" Then...all of a sudden...we have some HP action. Seriously, I would swear she wrote the scene with me in mind. "Okay you stubborn little twerp, you still don't like my new MC? *BAM! HARRY POTTER VOODOO!*" From that point on, it didn't matter. He could have been a serial killer. Harry Potter is the trump card and Maureen Johnson played it well. I knew there was probably still going to be some magic "AH HA!" moment with his character, but it didn't matter. I was sold. One of the coolest scenes ever.In the end, I couldn't have loved the book more, crazy-insane-plot-twist from the first book and all. It all just fit so well, and really highlights what a brilliant writer/creator Maureen is. I have long considered her the master of YA dialogue....and in this book proves to be a master of character and plot development as well. If you read the first book - immediately read this. If you haven't, you really need to pick up this duo; I promise you won't be sorry! Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      My Summary: Six months after the abrupt end of her European trip, Ginny receives a mysterious e-mail, sent by someone who claims they have her stolen back-pack... and more importantly, all 13 of Aunt Peg's letters - including the last one, which Ginny never opened. This stranger tells Ginny that they will be willing to give her back everything if she meets them at a cafe in London.Ginny immediately books a flight to London, arriving the day before Christmas Eve. She knows she must meet the stranger to get her letters back to complete her journey, but there's something else she has to do as well: revisit her feelings for Keith, the hot English guy who helped her complete the tasks in the first twelve letters.But nothing goes as planned, and soon Ginny finds herself on the weirdest trip of her life, along with 3 of the most unlikely people she ever thought she'd bring along.My Thoughts: I adored this book - probably a little more than the first. Maureen Johnson's writing is always extremely smooth and easy to follow, and the way she writes Ginny's story always keeps me hooked. The characters are always awesome as well; they're so real and easy to identify with - especially Ginny. I was so glad Keith was in this one as well, and I really liked Oliver - he was an asshole at times, but you couldn't help but feel bad for him.I loved that this book tied up a few of (what we thought were) loose ends from the first book, and the way the author incorporated them into this book didn't feel forced at all. And we finally got to read the last letter! I was also extremely happy with Ginny's decision at the end of the book - I would've done the same thing in her situation :)Final Thoughts: If you haven't read Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes yet, you should definitely do yourself a favour and pick it up... and you might as well buy the sequel as well, since you're going to want it in your hands as fast as possible. I definitely recommend it to fans of romance, and anyone who's ever wanted to go to Europe.
    • 4/5
      yeah for a sequel. I liked this book overall just as much as the previous title but I found myself more frustrated with Ginny. She seemed to loose her spine and just be an even bigger push over. I thought she should have been more forceful with Oliver and Keith. I thought she should have let her uncle in on this adventure. (He would have liked it.) Keith was a jerk half the time in this novel, Oliver too many issues. I think if he had been upfront about his end to Ginny she would have helped him out a bit. (Personally I would have pummelled him for some of his stunts.)I'm content where this ended. There's no more envelopes so I don't know if we'll hear about Ginny again and I'm ok with that.
    • 4/5
      In the sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Ginny returns to Europe to complete the quest left for her by her late aunt, this time with help from the guy she has a crush on, Keith, his new girlfriend, Ellis, and the mysterious and brooding Oliver, who found the last little blue envelope. It's a treat to return to these characters, especially Ginny, who's a little bit wiser this time around, and Aunt Peg, whose final letter provides an epic quest and a bit of soul-searching for Ginny and her friends. Johnson's treatment of place is captivating and transports the reader to an enchanting European winter. The group's often-hilarious adventures make the story move along quickly, but still allow plenty of time for Ginny to both grieve and celebrate her aunt's life. Overall, this is a delightful and satisfying end to the journey started in 13 Little Blue Envelopes.
    • 3/5
      It is almost Christmas and Ginny gets the best present she could imagine: someone found her aunt's letters and wants to give it back to her! So, she heads to London to find Oliver, who doesn't just want to give her back the letters, but also wants a piece of the profit from the last artwork her aunt left. Is it worth it to travel around Europe with a blackmailer in order to get the letter back? I liked the first one better...more adventurey, less angsty, but I am a sucker for any book where the main character travels abroad. As I finished the book I realized that this is a YA wannabe PS I Love You, which I also really enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      In her conclusion to 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Maureen Johnson wraps Ginny's story in a sparkly box, drops it on our front porch and flies away via umbrella.

      NOTE :: If you are reading this review without reading the first book, you will be spoiled, just a little bit.



      I was wondering how the thirteenth envelope would find its way back to Ginny. As it was, Ginny didn't need to find it, she basically figure out what she was suppose to do. However, its contents still hung over our heads, mysterious, giving us no closure. What did Aunt Peg have to say? Where would Aunt Peg have sent her next?

      In The Last Little Blue Envelope, we find some familiar characters and are introduced to some new faces. The way in which Aunt Peg's letters make their way back to Ginny is quite plausible. We're introduced to the mysterious and aloof Oliver and the fun and spontaneous Ellis, who accompany Keith and Ginny on the wild race to complete the request of the last letter.

      I wasn't sure how she would do it, but Maureen managed to pull out from - seemingly - thin air a great plot, with elements from the first novel that I loved so much, while still allowing this book to be its own story. We travelled to old and new places, gained new experiences and found the final piece to the puzzle of Aunt Peg. The ending came so quickly that it left me wishing there was another envelope hidden somewhere that would allow us to continue travelling with Ginny and the gang.

      If you enjoyed the first book, you'd definitely enjoy this one. There were more people involved and so, more relationships to explore, more complexities to deal with and more things to see. It really is true, "you can never visit the same place twice. Each time, it's a different story" and this one is a good one.

      [arc via NetGalley]
    • 4/5
      Summary: Ginny spent the summer before her senior year of high school on a madcap trip around Europe, following the instructions left by her Aunt Peg in a series of letters, only to have her backpack stolen before she could read the last one. Now it's Christmas Break, and she should be working on her college application essays, but then she gets an e-mail from someone named Oliver claiming to have that last letter. On a whim, she returns to England to meet up with Oliver, but it's not what she's expecting: he's got her letters, but the last one contains instructions to assemble one of Aunt Peg's last pieces of art, and Oliver won't give Ginny her letters back unless she agrees to split the profits from the sale. But Oliver's not Ginny's only surprise: her "kind of something" boyfriend Keith has moved on without telling her, but is still unwilling to let Ginny go gallivanting about the continent with only the mysterious Oliver for company. So it winds up being a party of four (Ginny, Oliver, Keith, and Keith's girlfriend Ellis) that sets off to follow the last of Aunt Peg's instructions, although what they find might not be what any of them expected.Review: I enjoyed this book quite a lot; more than I was expecting to, actually. It'd been about a year and a half since I read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, and while I enjoyed it well enough, I also had some problems with it (namely in the form of "where are your parents?!?" griping). That was also long enough ago that I'd forgotten most of the details of what happens in the first book; luckily, The Last Little Blue Envelope does a good job of bringing readers up to speed. (It also does a good job answering my "where are your parents?" gripe right off the bat by mentioning that Ginny's eighteen now.)I think the best way I can describe my reaction to this book is to say that it totally charmed me, even though I could logically sense that it shouldn't. What I mean is that it's contemporary YA, so I was expecting some heartbreak and some hijinks and some romance, and while there was all of that, it didn't come from the places I necessarily expected, nor did it resolve in a typical storybook way, but was all so smart and immediate and funny and emotionally honest that it totally won me over, even when the characters involved weren't being particularly charming (or even very nice) themselves. Johnson's characters feel and interact like real people (with the possible exception that Ellis was too nice, all of the time), so it was very easy to connect with Ginny, and to root for her. I also thought that this book was less focused than the first one on the "my dead aunt is giving me self-help seminars about personal growth" aspect of things, which I appreciated, since it made the plot feel somewhat less contrived. The ending was admittedly a little abrupt, but still surprisingly satisfying.On the whole, this book was exactly what I needed: fun, charming, easy to read, and engaging. 13 Little Blue Envelopes could have stood on its own just fine, but I definitely enjoyed the sequel as well. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Johnson does a nice job of summarizing what's come before, so this book could be read independently. (Or long enough after the first book that you've forgotten almost all the details, like the fact that Keith even existed, *ahem* self.) Recommended for fans of contemporary fiction who are looking for something light, and don't mind if their reading causes serious cravings for a European vacation.
    • 4/5
      I must admit I was reluctant to read this sequel because of my issues with the first book. Don't get me wrong, Maureen Jonhson is a good writer, it's just that I wasn't satisfied with the story and characterization. But I'm happy I read this because I really enjoyed it; Ginny has more personality, the story is interesting and funny at times, there's a purpose to her journeys, and in some way, there's a responsible adult who guides Ginny. However, I do wish Ginny called her parents to at least greet them, it's the Christmas season for Pete's sake. Also, Ginny is a bit boy crazy and falls in love too quickly, but I'm glad with who she ends with. All in all this sequel wrapped up Ginny's story in an effective way.
    • 4/5
      If you haven't read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, you'll want to start there first. Unfortunately, the title of the sequel is a mild spoiler for the first book, so if you do plan to read the first one, step away from this review now so you don't learn even more. M'kay?All right. I will continue. This book, which Johnson wrote at the behest of fans across the world, is the story of what happened to that final little blue envelope after the theft of Ginny's backpack in Greece at the end of the first book. Ginny receives an email from someone who claims to have the envelopes, and wants to meet her to talk it over and give them back. Torn about her future and looking for a distraction, Ginny returns to England, meets the guy who has them, and... learns there is a final piece of artwork to find. And the guy with the envelopes? He's demanding half the profits once the piece is found and sold--and he's holding the full contents of the final envelope hostage in the meantime. Ginny needs what he knows about the letter, and he needs what she knows about her late aunt.In typical Maureen Johnson style, the story unfolds almost casually as the characters interact with each other so realistically it's like watching a bit of reality television, or being there in person with your friends. Her writing style is so true to life and fluid that I often don't feel entirely impressed by her books while I'm reading them, but when I'm finished with the story, I find myself thinking about it and the people and certain moments along the way as they play like memories through my imagination. That's when I know I've truly enjoyed the book, even without realizing it.There's plenty of typical teenage drama in this book--angst, anger, joy, and complicated teen romance--but it works without coming across as overdone. The ending makes sense, and felt right. Certain things aren't entirely resolved, but taken just to the point that one might expect in real life, where sugar-happy endings aren't always guaranteed and healing takes time. Johnson really has keen insight into the emotional lives & brains of teens, and I'm fairly certain that with the contents of this final little blue envelope finally revealed, the end to Ginny's story will give fans of the first book the resolution they craved.
    • 5/5
      *Possible slight spoilers* - but nothing past page 50, honest.At the end of 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Ginny's bag - along with her letters from Aunt Peg and the final, unopened envelope - is stolen. Despite this setback, her trip to Europe was life-changing. In fact, it would be the subject of her college essay, if she could ever figure out what to write. Then, she received an email from Oliver, a young man who claims he found has that last little blue envelope. According to Oliver, Aunt Peg left another piece of art, and he will give Ginny her letter back if she gives him a finder's fee from the proceeds of the sale.I really enjoyed the first book about Ginny and her travels. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like the sequel as much, mainly because of the changing nature of Ginny's relationships once she finds out that Keith (her co-traveler in the last book and "sort of" but never official boyfriend) has a girlfriend, Ellis. All four of them - Ginny, Oliver, Keith and Ellis - are now on this trip, a dynamic that could have made for excruciating reading. But Johnson never makes it as melodramatic oh-woe-is-me that she could have. She realistically portrays Ginny's hurt feelings without making her maudlin or annoying. Once they leave on their trip, guided by Oliver and the last letter, I read nearly in one sitting. If you loved the first book, this is a good follow-up, but I think The Last Little Blue Envelope could stand decently on its own as well.
    • 3/5
      A sequel to "Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes" where Ginny Blackstone was sent on a mission across Europe via letters from her dead aunt. Now, however, it's Christmas holiday and Ginny returns to London after the last envelope, stolen along with her backpack in Greece, is found by a mysterious boy.
    • 5/5
      Ginny and The Crew are a delight to visit with once again and I could go on and on about Ginny's growing maturity and the relationships that seemed so natural, even with the large gap in publication dates between 13 Little Blue Envelopes and its long-awaited sequel.

      Instead, I will say that Maureen Johnson continues her ability to write a humorous, zany, quirky book that still has a solid, thoughtful and heartfelt core (and cute boys).

      This book is a great one to check out. Especially en route for a trip during the summer. But even more so if you're stuck at home instead of traveling during the summer.
    • 4/5
      I'm a total Maureen Johnson fangirl so I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard she wrote a follow up to 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES. We were all left hanging a bit at the end of that story, since Ginny's backpack was stolen along with all of the envelopes including the last one. Ginny sold her Aunt Peg's paintings, said goodbye to her uncle and Keith, and headed back home to America.When we rejoin Ginny, she's staring down a college application essay and the dreaded question, "Describe a life experience that changed you. What was it, and what did you learn? (1,000 words)". While, of course, she had an amazing life experience, she just can't seem to figure out how to talk about it in a thousand words or less. Plus, then there's Keith. Do they have a thing or not? They used to IM all the time and now...not so much. As she dwells on her maybe-relationship and the essay she has to complete ASAP, she gets a mysterious email from someone in England who claims to have found her backpack and all the letters, including the last one. So, she jumps on a plane.A good travel adventure always rocks, and this story doesn't disappoint. Ginny heads back to her uncle's house, who is more than happy to host her, even if she did drop in at the worst possible time (Harrod's at Christmas). He's a sweet guy and a great sounding board for her, as she tries to puzzle out her life.I do wish that Ginny were a bit more forceful, more confident. Even though she's adventurous (she has to be to follow her aunt's nutty directions), she kind of sits back and lets those around her direct things. Like the writer of the mysterious email, Oliver. He won't give her the letter and blackmails her into signing a contract to split the monies from the sale of whatever art they find, and only reveals bits and pieces of the letters so they won't ditch him along the way. He comes across as kind of a jerk, and she doesn't stands up to him.Aunt Peg's instructions are as wacky as ever and lead Ginny and her adventuresome friends around Europe once again. Ginny gets another chance to really see through her aunt's artistic eye and finally say goodbye.Written in Johnson's quirky voice (which came through loud and clear in this novel. I think I picked up on it even more than before because I've been following her tweets.), THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE exceeded my expectations. Wonderful. Read it (but read 13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES first. You'll appreciate this one ever so much more.).
    • 5/5
      I didn't feel the same sense of adventure in this novel as I did the first, mostly because this book is focusing more (I felt) on the relationships of the various characters, as well as the characters themselves, then the actual adventure of it. I don't think this is a bad thing at all, the characters are wonderful and I enjoyed getting to know a couple of new ones in this book.

      I so want Ms. Johnson to write another book, can be a spin-off, but I just love being in Ginny's life, I love seeing things from her perspective, and I don't ever want to stop. How cool would it be to travel to college with her (I want her to go to Oxford, duh) and see if she could explore something more with the boy at the end of this book (don't want to give away anything).

      I will say that I predicted the ending in this book about a quarter of the way through but it was still expertly delivered, so I didn't mind at all. I hated Oliver through most of the book, but I started to hate Keith too, he turned out to be a bit more of an ass than I originally thought. I think Ginny can do way better and I hope she does (wink, wink). I adored Ellis, I mean, I was probably not supposed to because I heart Ginny so much but she was so fun, adventurous, and open. I adored that most about her.

      I loved this book, can't wait to read everything Maureen Johnson has ever written. I am going to, trust me. I loved these two books and I will re-read them over and over.
    • 4/5
      Ginny is prepping for college and life after high school when she receives an email from someone who claims to have found her stolen backpack and the letters from her now-deceased aunt. With little ado, Ginny finds herself back in Europe, once again following the mad instructions of her aunt and back amongst the friends and family she discovered on her last journey. But as Ginny follows the directions of the last little blue envelope, she'll discover that going back to the same places doesn't always bring the same experiences.The Last Little Blue Envelope is a wonderful sequel and Maureen Johnson's quirky wit and great skill continue to shine. While characters that I was very attached to in the previous novel reappear, none of them remain static and everyone grows. Ginny, who truly came into her own in the last novel, also continues to grow up in different ways from the last novel. Of course, it's not all serious character growth. There's mad antics and cross-Europe capers that provide a lovely bit of humour and will spark wanderlust in any reader. A great follow-up that will make any fan of the first novel very happy.
    • 4/5
      Someone has found Ginny's backpack with the letters from her aunt. But the 13th letter describes one last work of art, and he won't return the letter unless she agrees to give him half the money. So she flies back to England to meet him and to touch base with Keith, and another adventure begins.An appealing follow-up.

    Book preview

    The Last Little Blue Envelope - Maureen Johnson

    Prologue

    It was that time of day again. Time to stare at the question, the two lines of black on an otherwise blank page.

    Question: Describe a life experience that changed you. What was it, and what did you learn? (1,000 words)

    This was the most general college application essay, the one that required the least research. Ginny had completed all the other steps—asking for transcripts, groveling for recommendation letters, two sittings of the SAT, one AP exam, four essays on various subjects. This essay was the very last thing she had to do. Every single day for the past three weeks, she opened the document and stared at the question. Every day, she started to type the answer, then erased what she had written.

    She took a deep breath and began to type.

    My aunt Peg died last May. At least, that’s when we found out about it. She left the country two years before, and we didn’t really know where she was. But then we got a call from a man in England who told us she had died of brain cancer. A few weeks later, I got a package that had thirteen blue envelopes in it. . . .

    How exactly was she supposed to explain what happened over the summer? One day, thirteen little blue envelopes containing strange and very specific instructions from her aunt showed up, and then Ginny—who had never been anywhere or done anything—was suddenly on a plane to London. From there, she went to Paris, to Rome, to Amsterdam and Edinburgh and Copenhagen and across Germany in a train and all the way to Greece on a slow ferry. Along the way, she had met a collection of stone virgins, broken into a graveyard, chased someone down Brick Lane, been temporarily adopted by a strange family, been fully adopted by a group of Australians, made her stage debut singing Abba in Copenhagen, been drawn on by a famous artist . . .

    . . . it was a bit hard to summarize in one thousand admissions-committee-ready words.

    She looked at the calendar she had made for herself out of sticky notes on the wall next to her desk. Today’s note read: Sunday, December 12: FINISH ESSAY!!!!! NO, SERIOUSLY, THIS TIME FINISH THE ESSAY!!!!!! And a few lines down, the due date: January 5. She pulled it off the wall and tossed it into the trash. Shut up, note. She didn’t take orders from anything that had a glue strip.

    Ginny put her feet up on the edge of her desk and tipped her chair back. She had always thought applying to college would be exciting. Living away from home, meeting so many new people, learning new things, making a few poor life decisions . . . the thought of it had kept her going all through high school. But after last summer, college didn’t seem like such an adventure anymore. She started idly scrolling through the websites of the colleges she was applying to. All of them were trying to sell her a future in the same way they might try to sell her some mascara (Longer, fuller lashes! New formula! Look! Close-up of unnaturally long lashes, thick with something) or a weight-loss product (I lost 25 pounds! Image of woman twirling around in dress next to picture of her former self).

    The photos were all the same, for a start. Here was the one with the smiling and carefully composed group wandering down the tree-lined path in the sunlight. The close-up of the person at the microscope, the wise professor leaning over his shoulder. There was the one of cheering people in matching shirts at a basketball or football game. It was like there was a checklist that all the schools had to follow. Have we included ‘professor pointing at blackboard full of equations’? Do we have ‘classroom of smiling, engaged students staring at nothing’? Worse than that were the catchphrases. They were always something like: We give you the keys to unlock the door of success.

    She dropped the legs of the chair back down to the floor and flipped back to the blank page and the question.

    The letters arrived last May . . .

    . . . and were promptly stolen by some dudes on a beach a few months later.

    Ah yes. That was the other problem with this essay—the horrible ending. In August, she was on the Greek island of Corfu, standing on the white sand of a gorgeous beach. The only envelope she had left to open was the very last one, and she decided to do this just as soon as she had a little swim. She had been on a ferry for twenty-four hours, baking in the sun on the deck . . . and the water here was so very, very beautiful. Her friend Carrie decided to swim naked. Ginny went into the warm, clear waters of the Aegean wearing her clothes. They left their backpacks in the care of their three male friends, who fell asleep on guard duty.

    High above, on the white rocks overlooking the water, two boys on a scooter stopped and surveyed the scene. Ginny was bobbing up and down in the waves and watching the ocean meet the sky. She remembered the sound of Carrie screaming and yelling. She remembered climbing over some rocks to find Carrie dancing around in a towel, naked and crying and saying something about the bags being gone. Ginny looked up to see the scooter ripping away from the scene, back up the rough path, back to the road above. And that was it. Letter number thirteen had been ripped right out of her life by some petty thieves who wanted her crappy backpack.

    Lesson learned? Do not go swimming in the Aegean and leave the single most important document in your life in a bag on the beach. Take that, College!

    Her eyes drifted away from the essay to the little red light in the corner of her screen. The light that symbolized Keith.

    Keith was the actor/playwright she met when she was following the directions in her third letter, the one in which she had to give five hundred pounds to a starving artist. She found Keith’s play in the basement of Goldsmiths College and she bought all the tickets for the entire run, making him the first person to ever sell out the tiny student theater he was working in (also accidentally ensuring that no one would ever see his show). He was intense, hilarious, bizarrely confident, handsome . . . in a scruffy-poor-London-art-student way. But most mysterious of all, he was fascinated by her. He called her his mad one.

    To be clear—and she reminded herself of this fact daily—Keith was not her boyfriend. They were kind of something. That was how they had left it, in those exact words. Their relationship was deliciously and frustratingly ambiguous, always flirty, never defined. When Ginny first returned to America, they were in touch every day. The time difference made it tricky—he was five hours ahead—but they always managed it.

    Around Thanksgiving, he got into some show he called a panto, so between rehearsals and his school schedule, his time online had decreased dramatically. For the past few weeks, Ginny had perched herself at her desk every night, waiting for that little light to turn from red to green, signifying that he was online. It was seven thirty now, which meant it was twelve thirty in London. Tonight was probably going to be one of those nights he never came online at all. She hated those nights.

    She checked her email instead. There were several messages, but the one that caught her eye was from someone named oliver273@easymail.co.uk. Someone else from England was trying to reach her—someone she didn’t know. She opened it.

    What she found was a picture. A big blue square that filled the screen. It took her brain a moment to realize that it was a scan of a piece of blue paper with very familiar handwriting. It took almost a full minute more for her to fully accept what she was seeing.

    #13

    Dear Ginny,

    Let me tell you about the division bell. The division bell will tell you a lot about England. You like to learn about England, right? Of course you do.

    See, in Parliament, when they have a vote, they shout aye or no. The Speaker says, I think the ayes have it or I think the noes have it, depending whichever side is at its shouty best. Sometimes, though, when it can’t be determined which side has won, they have to have what is called a rising vote. A rising vote means just that—you have to rise up and stand on the yes side or the no side so you can be counted. There is an adorable, kindergarten-like quality to this, right?

    Following on the kindergarten theme . . . sometimes members of Parliament are out at recess when these votes happen. Instead of being in the sandbox, though, they are usually at the pub. So, local Parliament pubs are sometimes outfitted with a division bell, which rings when one of these votes is about to take place. When it rings, the members hurry back and stand on the yes or no side.

    The division bell is ringing for you today, Gin.

    You’ve done a lot in the last twelve envelopes, if you have in fact completed all that was contained in them. For all I know, you’ve read these letters from your sofa in New Jersey. But I trust you. I think you’re exactly where I suggested you should be: on a ferry in the Greek Islands.

    If you really wanted to, you could go home right now. Maybe you’ve had enough. Or . . .

    . . . or you could go back. Back the way you came. Back to London.

    Do you want to go on? Ding, ding. Yes or no?

    I’ll be honest with you, from here on out, things get a little weird. If you are ready to stop, do it. Take it from someone who knows—if you feel the need to go home, listen to that need and respect it.

    Think it over on the beach for a while, Gin. Should you decide to go on, you can go to the next page and . . .

    At this point, the letter stopped. At the bottom, below the image, was a short message:

    Sorry to interrupt. You don’t know me, and likewise, I don’t know you. As you can see, I possess a letter (actually, a series of letters) that seem to belong to you. But since this last letter contains very important information, I have to be sure that I am speaking to the right Virginia Blackstone. If you think this letter belongs to you, please let me know. My name is Oliver, and I live in London. You can reach me at this address.

    For a moment, she did nothing. No movement. No speaking. She waited for the information to sink in. This was a page of the last letter. This was a task undone. This was the universe more or less demanding that she return to England at once and finish what she had started. This was fate. This was her brain going into hyperdrive.

    The old Ginny had never traveled and knew no one in England. Old Ginny would think, plan, be cautious. But new Ginny needed a distraction, and a reason to see her kind-of-something non-boyfriend . . . and she knew someone who knew how to make unlikely things happen.

    She got up and started to pack.

    Delusions of London

    Ginny tried to process what she was seeing. She had been drifting in and out of sleep, so the line between dream and reality was a little unclear. She blinked a few times and looked out the window again.

    Nope. This was not a dream. They were really there. Two massive, inflatable snowmen—fifty feet tall or more—hovering two stories up, their leering smiles pointed toward the street below. Big, white monsters of cheer, floating like clouds. It was unclear whether they had come for good or ill, whether they were ascending or descending. They were as wide as the road and blocked out the sky.

    She pointed at them dumbly.

    Those are the giant snowmen of Carnaby Street, her uncle Richard explained. Festive and disturbing, just the way we like it here. Don’t look them in the eye.

    Ginny and Richard were in a black cab making its slow way through the streets of London. They turned onto Regent Street—a seemingly endless line of stores large and small. The sidewalks were packed to capacity, easily five to ten people across. Strings of lights poured down over storefronts, waterfalls of them in red and silver and blue. Overhead, intricate patterns of lights and wire had been webbed between every streetlight, forming pictures of musical notes and sleighs. The bleary film of exhaustion over Ginny’s eyes added to the sparkle.

    It was probably a mistake coming this way, Richard said, looking out the window at the traffic. But I thought you should see Oxford and Regent streets during the holiday rush. I don’t recommend actually shopping here. Today’s bad enough, but tomorrow, Christmas Eve . . . it’s going to be a mad day for us.

    By us he meant Harrods, where he worked. Harrods was the biggest, baddest, most famous store in London. Richard ran a department that mostly dealt with rich and famous people. He was the guy who had to make the arrangements when the Queen wanted to go shopping, or when TV stars or rock musicians or people with titles needed to send out a bunch of complicated baskets full of improbable things. Since Christmas was the hardest time of year for him, it was probably not the best time to have his American niece drop in, but he didn’t seem like he minded. When she had called him and asked if she could come over for Christmas, he’d accepted instantly.

    It had been a tricky negotiation on the New Jersey side of things, but she approached it with a confidence that she had never known before. She pitched the idea to her parents: Going to England was an extremely educational and culturally expanding experience, and she could spend it with her relative. Wouldn’t that be better than sitting around in Jersey for the two weeks that school was off? One phone call from Richard, with his smooth do-not-worry-I-will-take-care-of-everything delivery, sealed the deal. Everything was easier when you had a responsible adult with a fancy accent involved.

    Ginny had uncovered the fact that she even had an uncle late in her stay in England over the summer, when Richard revealed that he and Aunt Peg had gotten married right before her death. Richard definitely didn’t look like he was someone she would be related to—this tall, suited English guy who knew exactly how wide ties, collars, and lapels were currently being worn, probably down to the millimeter. Yet he was so warm and easygoing, so weirdly apologetic about everything. And handsome, with his softly curling dark hair, his wide eyes, and arched brows. Even his gently receding hairline added to the soft openness of his face.

    I’ve arranged for a proper roast dinner on Christmas, he went on. I’m not making it. That would be a disaster for all concerned.

    Roast dinner? she repeated. The jet lag was just creeping in at the sides of her thoughts, making everything a little hard to process.

    Oh, roast dinner . . . that’s the best part of Christmas. You have your turkey, your roast potatoes, your carrots, that one Brussels sprout, the bucket of gravy . . .

    The cab driver was nodding along to this with an expression of almost religious contemplation.

    . . . anyway I ordered the whole thing from work. I’ll bring it home with me tomorrow. They do a good job in the food halls. And I have some time off in a few days. We should go and do some more holiday things. Are there places you want to see? Tower of London, or . . . I don’t know. Do you want to ride on the London Eye? I’ve never done that. I never go anywhere that visitors might like, except for Harrods. Do you want to go to Harrods? Please say no. You’ve been there, anyway. Anywhere else . . .

    Ginny nodded contentedly. As they drove farther north and east into Islington, she started recognizing more and more. There was Angel Tube station, here was the street full of shops, the little pub on the corner. . . .

    It’s right here, second one in with the black door.

    Richard was talking to the driver. She had fallen asleep again, her face mashed against the window. They had arrived at the house with the six steps leading up to it, the lightning bolt–like crack running down them. The plant pots were still there, full of twigs and dusty soil. She immediately reached for her purse, but Richard was ahead of her, holding out a few twenty-pound notes to the driver.

    Stepping out of the car snapped her back to reality. It wasn’t that it was any colder than it was at home, but there was wetness in the air as well. Richard’s house still had that strange, blank quality, that feeling like it had been furnished from an office-supply warehouse. The plain pine furniture, the low, industrial carpet. There was a large new television but not much else of note in the living room. It had the air of a house that was waiting for its occupant to show up. There were no decorations.

    The kitchen was in a mild state of disarray—take-out containers, bottles stacked on the counter waiting to be recycled, piles of bags sitting on top of the trash. All the signs of a man on his own who had been running nonstop for weeks.

    I’ve got to get back to work, he said. I’m sorry you’re going to be alone for the rest of the day. Here’s your key—you probably remember, the square one is for the top lock. Genuine Harrods key chain, enjoy that. And there’s plenty of food. . . .

    He indicated the kitchen with a general sweep of his hand. Ginny caught the little silver glint of a wedding ring on his left hand. She had managed to miss that ring when she first met him. God, she’d been clueless the first time she was here.

    I’ll be fine, she said. Promise. Sorry I’m busting in when you’re so busy.

    Don’t be. I’ll be back around eight. Maybe nine . . . but I’ll try for eight.

    As soon as he was gone, Ginny dragged her suitcase up the steps. It was not an elegant trip, banging and clunking, smacking into the wall. The door to her room—Aunt Peg’s room—was open and waiting for her. It would always be strange coming into this room. The pink walls had an odd glow in the pale morning light. The glint of the wrappers and various pieces of trash that Aunt Peg had collaged on the walls stood in stark contrast to the large poster print of A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, Aunt Peg’s favorite painting. Richard had stacked towels and extra blankets on top of the patchwork quilt Aunt Peg had sewn.

    Ginny dropped the suitcase under the window and sat on the floor with her back against the bed, looking up at the walls, the ceiling, taking it all in. There were two things she had to accomplish while she was here. Thing One: Get the letter. That was all arranged. She would meet Oliver at a coffee shop tomorrow at two and he would hand it over.

    Which meant that she had today to accomplish The Other Thing.

    In the two weeks that she had planned this trip, Keith had spent less and less time online. Their conversations, when they had them, had been short. Normally, this would have devastated her, but since she was on her way back to England, she had decided to use this to her advantage. The thing about her Keith seemed to like the most was the fact that she sometimes just turned up out of the blue, with some very unlikely story. So she hadn’t mentioned that she was coming. Today, she was going to appear on his doorstep.

    This was a maneuver that required preparation. She had managed, through some creative questioning, to find out that he would be at home this afternoon. The timing was right. She also brought the proper tools. She reached over and unzipped the suitcase. Her favorite outfit was on top—a new black dress with white dots. With

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