Love me some Maureen Johnson. I'm a big fan -- discovered her through 13 Little Blue Envelopes. So I expected to like this much-anticipated sequel. And I did.
SPOILER ALERT (if you haven't read the first book, you might want to just go do that now instead of going on.)
At the end of 13LBE, Ginny has accomplished a great deal -- not the least being learning a little something about herself. Someone has stolen her backpack from a beach in Greece and now all the envelopes are gone, including the last unread one.
Back home in New York, Ginny struggles with impending life after high school, pines for Keith (the boy she met in England during her adventures), and wishes she knew what was in that last envelope. So when she hears from a boy named Oliver who has found her backpack -- and the envelopes -- she's excited enough to hop back on a plane to London to retrieve them.
But Oliver has a plan. He tracked Ginny down by reading all the letters, including the last one. He knows her recently deceased aunt's artwork sold for some nice bank and he wants a "reward" for returning the envelopes to her. So he's holding the last envelope, and its contents, hostage to ensure he gets a piece of the prize.
Another whirlwind tour of Europe ensues, made even more complicated when Ginny discovers Keith has a new girlfriend, and the two of them accompany Oliver and Ginny on the journey to solve Aunt Peg's final mystery.
I always go into sequels with high hopes, especially with stories I really adore. This sequel stands on its own, beautifully wrapping up the story begun in 13LBE. The two books could easily have been released as one long story.
Like it's predecessor, The Last Little Blue Envelope is for grades 8 and up.
Love-love-loved it.
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