13 Little Blue Envelopes

Why would anyone trust a dead aunt's letters with a trip across Europe? Because Ginny loved Peg, and because the letters are irresistible. Each envelope sends her somewhere new, from London to Scotland, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and the Greek islands, and gives her a task: find a certain artist, deliver a gift, spend money in a particular way. Ginny is shy and very uncertain, and the tasks force her to talk to strangers and take chances.

Along the way she meets a charming, unpredictable aspiring playwright named Keith, discovers parts of Peg's life that the family never knew, and begins to understand her aunt as a complicated person rather than a family legend. Johnson writes with wit and warmth, and the European settings are vivid without reading like a travel brochure. The romance is sweet and low-key. The grief is real but handled lightly, so the overall mood is hopeful.

The ending is a little open, but a sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, ties up the threads. Few books make a reader want to pack a bag quite so quickly, or capture so well the nervous thrill of travelling alone for the first time. About 317 pages in the HarperTeen paperback.