I had been following Maureen Johnson on twitter for a while before I read her work and this was the first novel of her's that I decided to read. I found it for a penny on Amazon so couldn't really complain over the price and as it turns out I can't complain over the book either.

THE NOVEL:
Ginny is a high school student who's coming to terms with the absence of her eccentric Aunt Peggy. Aunt Peg is a free spirited artist from New York City who disappeared and was never heard from, until she sent Ginny a parcel containing thirteen envelopes that each contain instructions for her to follow. Ginny can only open the envelopes in succession of each other and she must do what each of the letters say. Through her Aunt's instructions, Ginny finds herself on a plane from New York to London before going into France, Italy, Greece, Amsterdam and a host of European cities in order to find out what her aunt wanted her to learn about life.

OPINION:
I read this novel within two days, it's aimed at 13 years and up (because there is a little teenage situations such as drinking etc that might not be appropriate for younger audiences), it's also available primarily on Amazon as I've yet to see it in a UK bookshop. The writing is very clear and straightforward but Johnson describes all of the cities wonderfully well. She's from New York herself so she's been able to add very accurate detail about her city as well as the foreign cities. It reads almost as fictional travel guide given how much detail is involved, from everything to what's inside the Louvre to the streets of Edinburgh.
The characters are also fleshed out and very believable. You want to find out what happens to them and become drawn into their world as they accompany Ginny on this adventure.

THE AUTHOR:
Maureen Johnson is a New York Times best selling author, she has seven books published in total with more due out in the future. She's originally from Philadelphia but as mentions resides in New York City.

She can be found online at : www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com / twitter : www.twitter.com/maureenjohnson

BOOK BASICS:
Pages: 320 (very easy to get through)
ISBN: 0007319908
Publisher: HarperCollins Childrens
Amazon Price: £0.01 - £3.99