I read this book because I'm a Nerdfighter, and the Nerdfighters have started a Blurbing Book Club where we are to come up with a blurb for the book in 10 words or less--the winners will get prizes--yay prizes!
Maureen Johnson has actually written a lot of books for young adults (including the awesome Keys to the Golden Firebird) and this is one of her strongest. The main character is Ginny, a 17-year old with an artist aunt who is important to her but often absent. During her last disappearance to Europe, Ginny's aunt is diagnosed with brain cancer and dies. But in a typical move, her adventure-loving aunt leaves her 13 envelopes with very specific instructions to open them in order and follow the instructions before opening the next one. These instructions send her on a merry chase through London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, and Greece. She finds herself tracing the steps her aunt took, finding the people her aunt met, and trying to piece together what it is her aunt wanted her to learn. While Ginny struggles to find answers, she starts to ask questions about herself and her own priorities.
All in all, it is a fun, fast read with lots of great travel descriptions. And in case you're wondering, my blurb for the Nerdfighters was:
"An archetypal artist challenges her hesitating niece to seek adventure."
To read more blurbs, go to: http://nerdfighters.ning.com/main/search/search?q=blurbing+book+club.
I read this too and I really liked it... travel is one of my favorite things to read about. I was also intrigued by the relationship between Ginny and her aunt... the ending was pretty suprising, which is always good.
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