Review Detail

Reader reviewed by Dede

This book starts out with a letter to 17 year old Ginny from her wild carefree aunt. Her aunt does what she wants to do and is quite the free spirit. The note has $1000 to buy a plane ticket for an impulsive journey to London. The aunt says she will supply everything she needs, but Ginny is only to bring what she can fit into a backpack, no guidebooks or aids, no extra money and no electronics - cell phones, laptops, etc. Who wouldn't jump on an opportunity like that! The letter tells her to go get a package from a favorite deli. She gets the package and inside are blue envelopes labeled 2-13, she is to open them one at a time in order and not open the following one until she's completed the "mission" in each letter. The thing is, Ginny's aunt has been dead for 3 months and the letters come as a surprise to Ginny. Ginny is a solid, shy good girl and she is a bit anxious about this trip but she goes. She is immediately out of her comfort zone as she goes from one place to another as per the envelopes, meeting very interesting people she wouldn't have normally met. You soon figure out that it's not so much the letters and tasks, it's about the adventure and you get excited to see what is in the next envelope. Ginny is not just on an adventure she is experiencing life , new places, and finding herself doing things she would not normally do. With the help of the friends she meets along the way, she stumbles along from one place to another, learning more about her aunt and herself with every letter she opens. There are many likeable and relatable characters in this book, many life lessons she learns, and a little love along the way. There is quite a surprise regarding the last envelope. This book is definatley a nice escape.