Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes
By Maureen Johnson


Looking through a box of books received by my first block teacher, I came across a little book titled Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson. I started reading and was impressed with the unique plot of the narrative.

The first chapter begins with a letter from Ginny’s runaway Aunt Peg. Her aunt lived in New York City, until she up and left to travel in Europe. Ginny travels to New York City, to her Aunt Peg’s old apartment above a Chinese restaurant. There, she receives a strange package from her Aunt with thirteen little blue envelopes. The first envelope contains $1,000 and instructions to purchase a plane ticket to London. Ginny is forbidden to open another envelope until she has accomplished the task given in the previous one. Inquisitive to find out what each task is, Ginny takes the flight to London, knowing nothing about what she must do next. Instructed by envelope number two, she is to stay with Richard, a companion of Aunt Peg’s, and meets Keith, a playwright struggling to get by. The envelopes lead her all over Europe, each envelope containing a new city, a new friend, and a new adventure.

I appreciated all of the adventure in this book. In my opinion, travel is exciting, and Ginny travels all over. I adored the thrill and exhilaration of Ginny not knowing where she was going next. Living without a map, without a plan. She was taking risks, and she knew it.


This book is, beyond doubt, for readers of various kinds. It’s crammed with adventure, thrill, and even mystery. By the time I was on the third page, I was captivated! Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes is cultural and entertaining. Definitely a page-turner that you will not want to put down!