Burned
young_adult
Series · young adult
13 Little Blue Envelopes
The 13 Little Blue Envelopes series by Maureen Johnson has 2 known books (2 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Last Little Blue Envelope.
- Books
- 2 known books (2 novels)
- Published
- 2
- First published
- 2005
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Young Adult
- Last checked
Start here: 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
13 Little Blue Envelopes
13 Little Blue Envelopes, published in August 2005, opens Maureen Johnson's duology at 317 pages, sending seventeen-year-old Ginny Blackstone on a scavenger-hunt tour of Europe guided by thirteen envelopes left behind by her late Aunt Peg, each openable only after completing the task in the one before it.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of 13 Little Blue Envelopes - Book 2:
The Last Little Blue Envelope
The Last Little Blue Envelope followed nearly six years later, in April 2011, at 305 pages, resolving the cliffhanger the first book ends on -- the two are best treated as one story split across a pair of volumes rather than a standalone plus sequel.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Last Little Blue Envelope
About the 13 Little Blue Envelopes series
When her free-spirited Aunt Peg dies of cancer, seventeen-year-old Ginny Blackstone receives a mysterious package: thirteen blue envelopes, each one to be opened only after she completes the task set out in the one before it. The envelopes send her, alone and with no set itinerary, on a scavenger-hunt tour of Europe -- London, Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Rome, Greece -- following the trail her aunt once walked herself, with each stop peeling back another layer of who Peg really was and why she left home so suddenly years earlier.
Maureen Johnson wrote 13 Little Blue Envelopes before backpacking-Europe YA was a crowded genre, and its loose, unplanned structure -- Ginny has no phone, no fixed plan, and often no idea what she's doing next -- became a template a lot of later travel novels borrowed from. The sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, picks up after the original ended on a genuine cliffhanger (the thirteenth envelope goes missing before Ginny can open it), and sends her back to Europe with a boy who claims to have found it, forcing her to reckon with unfinished business from the first book while retracing Peg's route one final time.
At its core this is a coming-of-age story about grief, independence, and what you inherit from the adults who shaped you, dressed up as a whirlwind European travelogue.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the 13 Little Blue Envelopes series?
Two: 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005) and its direct sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope (2011).
Does 13 Little Blue Envelopes end on a cliffhanger?
Yes -- the thirteenth envelope goes missing before Ginny can open it, which is the central problem The Last Little Blue Envelope resolves.
Do I need to read The Last Little Blue Envelope right after the first book?
It isn't required, but the second book picks up directly from the first book's unresolved ending, so reading them close together makes for a smoother experience.
Is 13 Little Blue Envelopes a true story?
No, it's a work of fiction, though Maureen Johnson has said her own travels through Europe informed many of the settings Ginny visits.
If you like the 13 Little Blue Envelopes series
Reading order last verified .