The Last Little Blue Envelope

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4.3 (3)

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Author(s)

Maureen Johnson

Publisher

HarperTeen

Genre(s)

General Fiction

Age Range

12+

Release Date

April 26, 2011

ISBN

9780061976797

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Ginny Blackstone thought that the biggest adventure of her life was behind her. She spent last summer traveling around Europe, following the tasks her aunt Peg 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 it was supposed to end. Months later, a mysterious boy contacts 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—one filled with old friends, new loves, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Ginny finds she must hold on to her wits . . . and her heart. This time, there are no instructions.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Finding the art and the artist

June 02, 2011 (Updated: June 02, 2011)

Overall rating

4.0

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When we left Ginny at the end of Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes, she had her bag stolen in Greece and had to come home to New Jersey, unable to finish following Aunt Peg’s posthumous 13 letters of instructions. Well, it’s several months later and Ginny is trying unsuccessfully to finish her college entrance essay “Describe a life experience that changed you. What was it, and what did you learn?” Checking her email, she sees several from Oliver273[at]easymail.co.uk, an unfamiliar email address. Opening it, she is shocked to see a copy of letter number 13. It seems that Oliver was in Greece, lost his luggage and purchased a bag from a street vendor. It happened to be Ginny’s bag, containing all of her aunt’s letters.

Letter 13 requires Gin to travel to several European countries to find three pieces of Aunt Peg’s artwork, which together make up one big piece of art. Oliver, since only he knows what the letter says, proposes that they form a joint venture to find the art and sell it, splitting the profits 50/50. Gin has no choice. It is either that or never finish Aunt Peg’s tasks and never see the letters again. She reluctantly agrees.

Joining in the search is Keith, Gin’s crush from the first book, who she hasn’t gotten over, and his current girlfriend, Ellis. This makes an interesting quartet and an interesting trip. Obviously, Oliver not appreciated by anyone, considered by all as an opportunist. The Last Little Blue Envelope is just a fun book. You’ll like the characters and the plot and while you may guess what the ending is going to be, you’ll have fun getting there. The book is a romp through Europe, meeting a few of the previous book’s characters, visiting some of Gin’s old haunts, but also getting into new situations. And along the way, you might find out that you learn something about yourself and life. If you liked 13 Little Blue Envelopes, you’ll like The Last Little Blue Envelope. If you haven’t read the first book, read it and continue on to the second. Or just read it by itself. Enjoy yourself. Happy reading!

Ed Goldberg Top 50 Reviewer 133 reviews

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User reviews

3 reviews

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0(3)

Characters

4.3(3)

Writing Style

4.7(3)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

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The Last Little Blue Envelope (A Room with Books review)

August 16, 2012

Overall rating

4.7

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The Last Little Blue Envelope had the potential to be an odd an unnecessary extra bit tacked on to a story ended nicely, but it so wasn't. I absolutely loved it. The adventure wasn't quite as grand as 13 Little Blue Envelopes, but was an enjoyably wacky journey all the same.

I loved all the little one-liners and understated jokes. It wasn't shoving hilarity in my face, but it also wasn't too serious. It's not often I find a book with such fantastic understated humor. The littlest things had me cracking up and I found myself bothering the Fiance more and more because I simply had to share the laughs with someone. It would have been rude to keep them to myself. (Instead of bothering people with snippets from the book you should just tell everyone you know to read it, though.)

I really enjoyed reading about Ginny. She was so easy to relate to and I found myself wishing I could just be in her shoes for a bit. Why can't I have such fantastic adventures? At times, I wanted to grab by the shoulders and talk some sense into her, but I'm pretty sure I would have acted the same were I in her shoes. Though Ellis and Oliver were both pretty integral parts to the story, I didn't really feel much for them. It just didn't feel like their personalities were quite finished making them easily blend into the background. I did feel something for Kieth, but let's just say they weren't really warm and fuzzy feelings.

My main complaint would be that it was a bit predictable. I'd figured out a major plot point within the first fifteen pages. The whole conflict was a little odd as well. It just kept getting shoved under the rug confusing me each time.

Final thoughts: This is a great book if you want to "see" the world. There's sexy British accents, beautiful green outdoors, and rain-soaked London streets. This is definitely one of the best follow-ups I've ever read.

Jasmine Top 50 Reviewer 326 reviews

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The Somewhat Unnecessary Sequel

June 21, 2012

Overall rating

4.3

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When I saw that Maureen Johnson had written a sequel to the heartwarming 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I was excited but also surprised. The first book was so good in every way, and even after Ginny lost the last little blue envelope, I didn't feel that we needed to know what it said. In the Q&A with Johnson that is at the end of the paperback of the first book, she says that Ginny already knows what is in the last envelope, and I felt that the readers did as well. I didn't, and still don't, think the sequel was necessary.
That aside, the sequel itself was pretty good. It kept me reading constantly and honestly wanting to hear what happened to the characters. There were parts, mostly encounters with Ginny and people in the previous books, such as Richard and Mari Adams, when I got very emotional and felt close to the characters. In some ways I was glad to see Keith's bad attitude and indecision between Ellis and Ginny because I believe it is very true to who he is. However, I was also a little disappointed that Ginny lusted for him for such a long time. I also thought Oliver's character and his relationship with Ginny went very unexplained, even in the end.
The story is still pretty good, and Aunt Peg and Ginny's character stay strong as they do in the first book. If you've read 13 Little Blue Envelopes, I would definitely say this book is worth reading as well, although it does not provide much closure in the end, which insinuates that another book may be coming to the series.

Melissa