Self-effacing Ginny, 17, heads off to Europe with a giant purple-and-green backpack and an intriguing itinerary: she must follow the instructions set forth in a series of 13 sealed envelopes provided to her by her recently deceased Aunt Peg, an artist and free spirit. Ginny's journey starts in London, where she falls in with Keith, a scruffy but appealing performer who, as the designated love interest, is destined to pop up throughout the novel. Zig-zagging from Edinburgh to Rome (task: "Ask a Roman boy out for cake") to Paris (find the tiny café Peg spent a month decorating and painting) to Amsterdam and beyond, Ginny follows her aunt's footsteps while learning to rely on her own pluck and imagination. Readers will findGinny an excellent traveling companion: her wry observations reveal a keen eye for the defining details of the backpacking experience. Letter by letter, country by country, Ginny comes into her own as she begins to accept the loss of her beloved mentor. Her realization that she is indeed an adventurer, even without Peg's presence, is the emotional ballast that provides gravity to the novel's delicious fairytale ending. Equal parts poignant, funny and inspiring, this tale is sure to spark wanderlust. Ages 12-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

Seventeen-year-old Ginny had always admired her aunt Peg, a free-spirited artist who often disappeared for months, most recently to Europe. Now Aunt Peg has died of brain cancer, and in a characteristically cryptic gesture made before her death, she arranged for her niece to receive a plane ticket to London, where Ginny will begin a series of adventures. Guided by Peg's friends and the instructions in each of 13 letters her aunt wrote, Ginny sets off across Europe. Staying with Peg's contacts or in hostels, Ginny begins to peel away some of the mythic layers surrounding her aunt, even as she falls into thrilling escapades and a blossoming romance. Johnson's plot stretches plausibility. Would Ginny's practical mother really have agreed to such a solo, undefined journey? But readers will probably overlook any improbabilities and willingly accompany Ginny through her sensitive, authentically portrayed experiences--uncomfortable, lonely, giddy, and life changing--as she pieces together family mysteries and discovers herself.

When she receives a package of thirteen envelopes from her late aunt, timid seventeen-year-old Ginny heads off on her own to London and is sent on a scavenger hunt throughout Europe. Though it seems unlikely that someone as shy as Ginny would ever take this trip, her travels are entertaining, edifying, and an emotional roller coaster.

Aunt Peg was full of wonder, and 17-year-old Ginny always felt more interesting around her. When Ginny receives a letter from Aunt Peg containing $1,000 and instructions for a mysterious journey, she is propelled into a series of experiences that will change her life. She receives a package containing 13 little blue envelopes, to be opened one at a time and only when she's completed the task in each letter. She goes to London, Scotland, Italy, Rome, Paris and elsewhere, ultimately realizing that she can be interesting by herself; she doesn't have to be with Peg to feel interesting. The envelopes draw Ginny around the world and the reader along with her, the letters providing a nice change of pace to the third-person narrative. Johnson's writing is sophisticated and humorous, her characterizations pitch perfect. Aunt Peg seems as real as Ginny, though we find early on that she has died and exists for Ginny only through her letters and memory. A sure hit with fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. (Fiction. 12+)

Gr 8-10-This whirlwind adventure begins as Ginny, 17, reads a letter from her free-spirited, unpredictable Aunt Peg, who has recently passed away. She is given several destinations, four rules, and the instruction to open one envelope upon her arrival at each place. Thus begins a rapid tour of Europe as the teen struggles to accomplish the tasks established by her aunt. The motivation: Ginny wants to understand the woman's wanderlust and, possibly, she just wants a connection to her beloved relative. Throughout her adventures in Rome, Paris, Greece, England, and the Netherlands, the teen collects pieces of Peg's past and learns more about her rapid departure. She also learns much about herself. The reason Ginny is sent to meet certain people is not always clear; sometimes she (and readers) wonder about the point of the exercise. Overall, though, the novel drives home the importance of family, love, and the value of connections that you make with people. It is a quick read that will interest high school girls.-Emily Garrett, Naaman Forest High School, Garland, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Shy, seventeen-year-old Ginny is on a journey of self-discovery. Her favorite, artistic, quirky Aunt Peg recently died from a brain tumor. Two years earlier, Peg secretly packed her bags, closed her apartment, and traveled to Europe, leaving no forwarding address and becoming incommunicado. After Peg's death, Ginny receives an envelope containing $1,000 with instructions to purchase a one-way ticket to London and to pick up a package on the way to the airport. The package contains thirteen numbered envelopes, each containing directives, written by Peg during her illness, for Ginny to follow in numerical order. In what is essentially a re-creation of Peg's own journey, Ginny must give ú500 to a struggling London artist of her choosing, ask a Roman boy to have cake, and visit people, museums, and countries that shaped her aunt. During her travels and while performing these non-Ginny acts, she makes new acquaintances and encounters love, self-awareness, and several surprises. Teen self-discovery fiction is plentiful. This new twist generates excitement, but unfortunately it does not quite deliver. Aside from Aunt Peg, characters-including Ginny-are flat and dispassionate. There is little spark in what are supposedly unique people and locales. Interactions are brief and typically disconnected, and many lead nowhere. Nothing is explored in depth. Some descriptive language cannot compensate for lackluster action. The denouement and the book itself cry out for emotional outbursts. Middle school, high school, and public libraries choosing not to purchase this book will not miss it.-Ed Goldberg.