13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson, is a story about discovering the world, and oneself.  When Ginny’s aunt passes away, she is surprised to receive an envelope with instructions for a trip to Europe.  She can only bring a backpack, no guides, no language books, no electronics - including cell phones, and no extra money.  

For someone like me, that sounds completely terrifying.  Ginny embraced it as well as she could considering she was seventeen years old.  That was the biggest hurdle for me to get over.  She was only seventeen and her parents let her go to Europe completely on her own with now way to contact her?  My parents never would have considered that.  

Ultimately, the tasks that Ginny must complete - all told in a set of thirteen blue envelopes, allow her to grow as a person, discover who her aunt really was, and learn about the world.  She faces challenges that would defeat a normal person but she did what she had to do and was better for it.  She survived.  

I highly recommend this to anyone who likes to travel -regardless of age.  It’s an adventure for Ginny and the reader as we wait to find out what her aunt has in store for her next.