Review of The Last Little Blue Envelope

The Last Little Blue Envelope
by Maureen Johnson
Young Adult fiction
Pub date April 26, 2011

Fans of Maureen Johnson have expressed both delight and dismay at the prospect of a sequel to 13 Little Blue Envelopes, originally published almost five years ago. "More Ginny! More Keith! *squee*!!" say the optimists. "Maureen Johnson cannot possibly top the first book, especially since she didn't leave much in the way of loose ends," say the pessimists.

Well, pessimists, let me put your concerns to rest. This book is as good as and better than the first one. You thought the wild careening around Europe was done? Wrong. You thought the romance was played out? Wrong again. Ginny has a new haircut, a new outfit, and 304 more pages of hilarious experiences, observations, and adventures.

In the first book, Ginny finds herself alone in Europe with thirteen letters from her dead aunt. Each letter directs Ginny to a new location and teaches her a little bit more about Aunt Peg. But when Ginny is almost done with her journey, the last letter is stolen. Now, months later, a mysterious English boy contacts Ginny to tell her that he has found the thirteenth little blue envelope--and she has to come to London to get it.

Maureen Johnson's genius lies in her ability to make the most mundane parts of life completely hilarious. She and John Green share the honor of being the best dialogue writers in YA fiction. This novel has the added bonus of taking place mostly in England, so there is a plethora of funny nicknames and insults.

There's also a new character: Oliver, who is holding the last letter ransom. Tall, mysterious, and kind of dashing, he's the perfect addition to the cast of characters.

I just finished the book today, and already I want to reread it.

EDIT: Keith is in this book! He is as Keithy as ever. I would even venture to say that his car is a main character in this book too.