The Last Little Brilliant Adventure

The Last Little Blue Envelope
By: Maureen Johnson
Reported by: Julianna Helms

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. 

-Summary from Goodreads
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A wonderful journey full of startling discoveries, heartbreaking truths, and a gorgeously interwoven fairytale-ish ending, The Last Little Blue Envelope does not disappoint fans of 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

My favorite thing about Maureen Johnson is her realistic, wonderful sense of humor. Ginny is a likable character who I've come to love through her mistakes and encounters, journeys and findings. With a cast of characters full of both old and new loves, Ginny's last adventure made me smile and laugh, shout with outrage, and smile all over again. 

I had a few confusions with this book, mostly circulating around the plot. There were twists and extraordinary experiences, but there was also times when someone seemed out of character. Their actions felt abnormal, and there wasn't really anything important enough to keep me hooked to the story. This is a very character-driven book. Without Ginny, I don't know if I would have kept reading. Some plot holes could've been easily avoided, and there was a few times when I couldn't help shake my head at the thoughtless behaviors. I would have liked more character development on some of the secondary characters, but truly, it's the ambition and ferocity in Ginny--not the story itself--that kept me turning the pages and devouring this book.


Maureen Johnson sets a high bar of expectations each time, and she has yet to let me down. With simplistic and thoughtful prose, she delivers another novel that won't leave an impression of wow, but will certainly leave an impression of jubilation.