13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Johnson, Maureen (2006). 13 Little Blue Envelopes. New York, New York: HarperTeen. 

ISBN: 9780060541439

352 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 4 stars

Subjects: Death, Family, Europe, Travel, Grief, Mystery, Identity

Reader's Annotation

17-year-old Ginny receives letters with instructions from her late aunt Peg that lead her on a wild adventure across Europe that help her understand her aunt a little more and allow her to find more about herself in the process. 

Summary

Ginny is a 17-year-old who has always lived a peaceful life in New Jersey, content to let her aunt be the adventurous one in the family. Her artistic aunt Peg, known to disappear for lengthy periods of time, does so in Europe, but after three years, Ginny receives a call that reveals that her aunt died of brain cancer. Before she died, however, she planned one more adventure- but for Ginny, not for herself. Ginny receives a plane ticket and a thousand dollars and instructions limiting what she can take with her and how she must conduct herself on this adventure of her life that has her forging connections with strangers across the continent, learning more about her aunt, and finding out more about who she is. 

Notes

This theme of letter after the grave might resonate with teens who happened to catch P.S. I Love You (either book or movie), in that the letters encourage the protagonist to find herself after the death of a loved one. 

Awards

ALA Teens' Top Ten 2006

ALA Best Books for Young Adults 2005

New York Public Library "Best Books for the Teen Age 2006"

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2005

Fall 2005 Book Sense Pick

International Reading Association Young Adults' Choices 2007

Other Information

Girls will likely find this book easier to jump into because it is strong with female characters and it has a strong female voice. Anyone who has ever wanted to experience adventure and to pick up and go, however, will relate to this tale of travel, adventure, and love. 

Author Information

Maureen Johnson's Website

Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

Sittenfeld, Curtis (2005). Prep. New York, New York: Random House. 

ISBN: 9780812972351

448 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Level: 15-19

Stars: 3 stars

Subjects: Popularity, High School, Cliques, Relationships, Sex

Reader's Annotation

Lee Fiora, a fourteen-year-old, leaves her hometown of South Bend, Indiana for Boston's prestigious Ault School, not realizing the difficulties that lie ahead of her, including dealing with the disadvantages of not being wealthy, trying to fit in, a secret relationship, and difficulties with teachers and other students as she both tries to fit in and loathes the person she must become to do so. 

Summary

Female readers will immediately be taken in by 14-year-old Lee Fiora's account of her years at Boston's prestigious Ault School. She left her hometwon of South Bend, Indiana, without fully explaining to her friends or family why she so desperately wanted to get away. When she arrives at Ault, however, her low family income, self-doubt, and behavior immediately mark her as an outsider. She works hard to conform to the standards set by other students, but constantly finds herself on the outside, scorning other outsiders as well. She struggles with her roommates, her teachers, and her peers are carefully described in this narrative. Her dissatisfaction with Ault leads her to take action and causes her to be a public pariah scorned by all, leaving her to wonder if she did what she did because of what was wrong with Ault or what was wrong with her.

 

Notes

Readers familiar with books or TV shows such as Gossip Girl or The Clique will recognize familiar sterotypes of high school life. In this case, everything is exaggerated because in addition to going to school together, they also live together, and this brings with it a new set of issues. Younger and older readers will find a familiar voice in Lee Fiora as she explores her own insecurities and her identity as she struggles with fitting in, relationships, and school. 

Awards

New York Times "10 Best Books of 2005" 

Nominated for UK's Orange Prize

Other Information

There are rumors that this may find its way onto the big screen, although whether or not that will happen anytime soon is unclear. Sittenfeld has since published two further books, The Man of My Dreams and American Wife, both of which have strong female protagonists who explore their own identity as they make their way in the world. 

Author Information

Curtis Sittenfeld's Website