06.07.07
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
When Ginny receives a pack of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to journey through Europe on a scavenger hunt. She is given several destinations and instructions to open one envelope upon her arrival at each place. Throughout her adventures, she collects pieces of her aunt’s past and learns much about herself.
KayEJSHS said,
June 14, 2007 at 9:34 am
I liked this book! Not only is it a fun coming of age story, but you learn a lot about cities in Europe. During my daughter’s 16th summer, we drove cross country on a 5 week trip with no reservations and no real plans. I thought a lot about that trip as Ginny opened her envelopes and visited new places.
Melissa VHS said,
October 23, 2007 at 4:21 pm
I really loved this book. My parents would never let me go across Europe by myslef just to search for clues for a “hidden treasure.” I love the story because Ginny is taking all the trips that I’ve always wanted to. Each envelope leads to the next and each one is more revealing than the last. The book is very enticing and a very good read.
Courtney VHS said,
November 6, 2007 at 5:31 pm
I really liked this book but i was very disappointed that i never got to know what the last envelope said. I know that she had some clues as to what it said but it would have been nice to know what it said. My crazy parents would never let me go accross Europe, especially by myself. It killed me to read about all the places Ginny went. I want to go to London and Ireland so bad. My favorite part was probobly when Ginny stayed in the cafe where her aunt stayed and painted it.
Elizabeth VHS said,
November 6, 2007 at 5:36 pm
As far as this book goes, I give it a 7 out of 10. Would my parents ever let me go on a trip to Europe by myself? Never in a millon years! The craziest thing I have ever done is dated behind my dad’s back, so reading this book was a real adventure that I have yet to experience…
Bridgett VHS said,
November 7, 2007 at 1:54 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents would never let me go to Europe by myself, they want even let me go down the street to McDonlds. They bravest or crazies would have to be locking myself out of the house in hopes of not having to go to school. But at the last minute I thought of what my mom would do to me and I went to call her from a friends house.
Amanda EGHS said,
November 12, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I loved this book. It was an incredible story, and it was fun to read. I couldn’t put it down. I don’t like the ending AT ALL though. I would much rather have known what the last envelope said! So for that, I give it a 8 out of 10!
Rachel VHS said,
November 20, 2007 at 1:53 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
No way would my parents EVER let me go on a trip to Europe by myself. They don’t even let me go to the mall by myself because they think I’ll be kidnapped or killed or something else that is utterly ridiculous. They might relent and let me go to Europe if I was with a group of friends and trusted chaperones, but under no circumstances would I ever be allowed to go by myself. They believe me to be irresponsible and they say while they trust me, they don’t trust other people. But when I think about it, I wouldnt want to go to Europe alone. Being in a foregin country is nerve wrecking enough, let alone being by yourself. If I were to go to Europe I would definately want to be accompanied by my friends. For one, it would make the trip alot more fun, and also I believe the memories you made would ultimately be better.
I enjoyed this book alot. It was a nice, fun story but it wasn’t without its faults. The thing that most bothered me about the story is the fact that you never know what the last envelope says. That drives me insane! Its like promising someone a browine, making brownies, bringing them to school, opening them up in front of the person, and then proceeding to eat them all and not share. Its cruel and unusual punishment.
Melissa 2 VHS said,
December 17, 2007 at 1:41 pm
This book was good, especially the part when Ginny was at that kareoke. I didnt like the fact that they didnt tell you what was in the 13th letter, I wished they did. I know my mom would never, absolutely never ever let me go on that trip. She wont even let me stay home by my self alot of times.
Brittany VHS said,
December 18, 2007 at 4:03 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
The day my parents let me go to Europe, by MYSELF, is the day that the world is coming to an end. So that’s a large NO, I would never be allowed to go on such a trip. The farthest I can go on my own would be the closest movie theatre.
The bravest (AND craziest) thing I have ever done by myself was sneaking out at midnight to hang with my friends at the pool. We didn’t have the pool key at the time, so they made me jump the fence and unlock the door for them. The pool, by the way, was around zero degrees celsius( not literally), and in a bikini, I felt as if I were put in a freezer. Not fun, but extremely crazy.
Sissy SHS said,
January 23, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I read this book like a year ago, but I can still vaguely remember the overview of it!!!
This girl goes all over in her deceased aunt’s footsteps.
It’s nice to do that for someone.
Give them money, a chance to escape, to learn from themselves and well….others.
I think this book was pretty good, so I give it a 5.
Sarah SHS Doerr1 said,
February 6, 2008 at 9:02 pm
1.Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents would never let me go on a trip to Europe. Let alone by myself. I think if i ever even suggested the idea they would spontaneously combust! I have not done anything really crazy besides getting a myspace behind my mother’s back but that is about it. I wish i could go on an adventure like Ginny did. I think it would be a lot of fun. Adventure, excitement, romance now thats the life.
Lori EJSHS said,
February 7, 2008 at 8:51 pm
1.Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
xxx
My parents would never ever let me go to Europe by myself.. But even if I were able to go, I don’t think I’d want to go completely alone;; I’d want to bring a friend. Or maybe a bunch of friends… The bravest/craziest thing I’ve ever done would probably be the time I rode in the front row of the roller coaster Shei-Kra at busch gardens all by myself…
xxx
3. What do you think Ginny learned about herself on this trip? Do you think once she goes home she’ll be different in any way? How?
xxx
I think that once Ginny gets back home, she’ll be more confident in the things she does and she’ll have more self respect. Her trip has taught her that her aunt didn’t make her interesting; she just had to choose to do interesting things.
xxx
I really liked this book, although more could have been added to the beginning and end.. I mean, it doesn’t really say anything about her parents in the beginning, as to whether they approved of her little trip or she just chose to run off to England on her own.. Because by the way she described her mom, I doubt that she’d let Ginny go off to Europe guided only by Peg’s notes… And at the end I kind of wanted to know more about what happened with the whole keith issue, and what happened when she got home.. But.. Whatever.
I can’t really think of anything to say in response to anyone else…
samanthashsdoerr7 said,
February 19, 2008 at 8:19 pm
1.Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents probably would not let me go to Europe by myself. However, if I went with a group of friends, I’d most likely be able to go. The craziest thing I’ve ever done would be jumping off my cousins roof into the canal, and then at my own house, jumping off the roof into the pool.
I liked this book a lot, i couldn’t put it down. But I didn’t expect the ending at all. I wish it could’ve ended differently, because it left you hanging. But overall, I enjoyed this book.
Jere EJSHS said,
February 19, 2008 at 9:41 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
I believe that my mother would absolutely never allow me to go on a trip to Europe by myself. I don’t think she would because that would be a lot of school that I am missing. I am only 15 years old and have never been farther than the state of South Carolina so I highly doubt my mother would allow me to leave the country alone and with no guidance, experience, or guide books. I believe the bravest thing I have ever done was to jump into a 12 foot deep pool with all of my clothes on to save my little cousin Dhakiya who at the time was only 5 years old and had no previous swimming lessons.
2.
I think the best surprise of Ginny’s trip was to find the café that her aunt had decorated and to learn that her aunt’s artwork made the café very famous. I think the worst part of the trip had to be when Ginny went to the wishing well that her aunt told her to go to in Rome and some of her stuff was almost stolen by the little Gypsy girls. I also believe that this was the funniest part in the book but I do also believe it was the worst even though eventually her stuff was stolen anyways but at least it was towards the end of her journey.
Jacki EJSH said,
February 20, 2008 at 3:19 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
“Are you nuts?!” that would be the response from my parents if I asked to go on a trip through Europe. Let me be the first to tell you that there have been several occastions when I was sent a letter saying, “Jacki! You have been selected from your high school to join us on a educational trip through Europe!” And of course my parents would be the ones saying, “You are not going on any trip without me!! It’s either that or no trip at all!!” Then they see how much it would cost then before you know it that piece of paper is crumpled at the bottom of my trash bin. And of course they allow me to fly by myself and go to town by my self but another country? You can just discard that thought from your head!!
Anyways, I believe that the most craziest thing I’ve ever done was when I was eleven years old and at my old house in Casa Grande, Arizona… It was a bright morning when i heard a cry from the kid next door. I jumped out of bed along with my older sister who was just as groggy as me, and sped to the front yard. There it was. Just sitting there staring at the poor innocent victim, who with no doubt was the young boy from next door. Throwing daggers at the boy was Duke. Duke was a massive Great Dane that was missing his left eyeball. Duke began to pase not losing contact with the shaking boy three feet away. I slowly creeped up to Duke, sweat slowly dropping from my face as the one hundred degree weather cast had come true. Dukes head snapped to me and my neighbor broke into a run into his house. Once you hook eyes with Duke there was no turning back, you were trapped. I slowly approached Duke and stuck out my hand ready for inspection when before I knew it there was a heavy weight on my chest! Duke had jumped on top of me and started to lick my face about to strip the skin from it’s bone! Duke had always been a wus but the new kid next door never knew that!!
theresashsdoerr7 said,
February 20, 2008 at 4:06 pm
2) What was the best surprise of GInny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
XXX
The best surprise of 13 Little BLue Envelopes was her meeting Keith in Paris because I think it added a little romantic touch to the novel. The worst surprise of the book was when her backpack got stolen, so she couldn’t read the 13th letter because I though it left the novel very open at the end (like there would be a sequel) and you never really fully understand her aunt.
XXX
I loved the book! I thought the whole idea of a high school girl traveling around Europe to follow her aunt’s footsteps and for her to except her death was all really interesting. I reminded me of my aunt who left for France with next to no money or any real plan, but she traveled France and learned a lot about wines and cooking and was even asked to help host a famous cooking event and everything worked out for her in the end and now she cooks in Denver woth a famous chefs’ daughter.
XXX
I have to agree with other readers, that the likelyhood that my parents would let me travel Europe by myself, with no plan or friends, ZERO! But it would probalby be the most exciting thing I would ever do!
jillianshsdoerr5 said,
February 20, 2008 at 8:58 pm
2. What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
I think that the best surprise in Ginny’s trip was meting Keith. Knowing absolutely no one in Europe (besides Richard), Ginny found someone she could trust and who would always be there for support. Plus she had never had a relationship with a guy before, and the fact that he was British made it more exciting to her.
The worst surprise of Ginny’s trip was when she got all of her belongings stolen on the beach. She lost pretty much everything she had brought with her except her passport and her ATM card which was useless then. She lost all of her little blue envelopes even the 13th one which she hadn’t yet opened. This made her uneasy about what her aunt wanted her to do to finish her task.
As for the book I think that it could have been better. The author had a good idea and all but a lot of points in the book completely lost my interest. I think she could have done much more with it, but it wasnt a bad book.
I actually connected with this book because my aunt has been ALL OVER Europe and she is always talking about taking me with her when I turn 18. She has been to everyone of the countries in the book and more so now im really excited to go after reading this book!
Brandi H said,
February 22, 2008 at 1:08 am
I lived in Europe for 6 years and absolutley loved it. I never really went on my own anywhere because I was too young, but I would love to now! My parents may have let me go to Europe if it were for a reason such as Ginny’s. I would love to just be adventerous. I actually think I’d have a hard time following the directions. The craziest thing I’ve ever done would be never have had skateboarded, but the first doing it, I decided to go down a HUGE hill. Of course it ended bad.
kaiteshsdoerr5 said,
February 22, 2008 at 8:45 pm
What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
I think that the best surprise that Ginny had on her trip was meeting Kieth. From not knowing anyone where she was at, she found someone that she could trust. The worst surprise of her trip I believe was when she had her bag stolen with everything in it including all of the letters in it also. With the exception of her passport and ATM card which she brought with her. But having the letters stolen caused her to not be able to finish the mission of the letters.
I thought that the book was good. The thought of a high school girl going to Europe was interesting. Experiencing the different things people did was fascinating. The only bad part really about this book was that in some parts it just seemed to drag on, when you wanted to get to the next exciting thing.
Kaitlinshsdoerr4 said,
February 23, 2008 at 1:52 pm
1.No, my parents would never let me go to Europe by myself. I’ve gone to Missouri with my brother, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever done!
2.Finding the paintings would be the best. Finding that she had an uncle that her aunt never told her about. Because she was left in the dark and that would be pretty devastating to know.
3.that she doesn’t need her aunt to make her feel good. Yes I think hat she is going to be more independent. She won’t need her aunt to make her feel good.
alexshsdoerr6 said,
February 25, 2008 at 6:30 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents would most likely not let me on a trip to Europe by myself, maybe with a group of friends, but probably not. The craziest thing I’ve ever done was probably highlighting my hair pink. This book was really good, but I didn’t like the ending too much. I would love to go on a trip like this.
Allisonshsdoerr1 said,
February 26, 2008 at 10:06 am
What was the best suprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst?
Ginny’s best suprise was meeting Keith. She found someone she enjoyed being around. When she was away she missed him so much, and when she was with him, she had the time of her life. It was also special because it was her first relationship. Keith was someone who she could trust and who she would spend everyday of her life with.
On the other hand, when Ginny was so close to finding out the mystery of her Aunt, her bag was stolen. Her bag contained the last of the 13 adventurous letters. It was definetly a heart breaker. I was so disapointed because i wanted to know what the last of her Aunt’s journey contained.
Although she found out from Richard, i thionk it should’ve been a better ending.
shannonshsdoerr1 said,
February 26, 2008 at 10:13 am
Would my parents ever let me go to Europe alone? Definitely not. Would I want to? Definitely. While I growing up my dad was in his last couple of years of being in the air force. I was born in England but that’s the only time I’ve been to Europe. My sisters on the other hand lived in Italy for 9 years, and England for 7. Of course they never went off on there own like Ginny did they had rules and were disciplined like regular children. The craziest thing I’ve ever done alone is flying across the country when I was eight to see my aunt. At first I was terrified I hated leaving my parents to go on an 8hour trip alone with a layover in Salt Lake City with no one to talk to, but once I was on the plane the sturdiest treated me like I was a princess. OR so I thought a princess would be treated. Then when I got to seeing aunt we had a lot of fun. This relates to Ginny’s story because I would think that she wasn’t so sure about dropping everything she was doing, leaving almost all contact with home and flying to Europe just following letters that she didn’t know how the end result would be but because she did she learned a lot about her family and a lot about herself. I also think in the end she was glad she made the decision to go.
alexisshsdoerr5 said,
February 26, 2008 at 2:16 pm
What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
I think that the best surprise of Ginny’s trip was meeting Richard. I wasn’t expecting her to meet someone so early on in her trip that she could always go back to. Ginny found out that she could trust him, and I think that was comforting to her; she didn’t feel as lost in Europe as I think she would have been if she hadn’t met Richard.
The worst surprise of Ginny’s trip was definitely when her backpack got stolen. I’m not sure that she really cared about anything else in her bag, but the last letter held a lot of importance. Ginny did still have her passport and bankcard, which was good because those were probably some of the only irreplaceable things she had with her, besides the letter.
I was surprised, though, that Ginny didn’t have much of a reaction to the last letter being gone. I’m sure she must have been disappointed, but it didn’t show. The only details of her reaction were that she kind of just laughed it off. I was expecting Ginny to have more of a reaction like the Australian girl’s; I know that’s how I would have done it.
However, I think that losing the last envelope was for the better. This way, instead of being instructed what to do, she could have a chance to figure things out on her own. It made sense to me that the author would have this as the ending to the story because the purpose of Ginny’s whole trip was to learn about herself. Losing the last letter was a great opportunity to do that.
julianashsdoerr5 said,
February 26, 2008 at 2:22 pm
2) What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
I think that the best surprise was Ginny meeting Keith in Paris. It was cute, because she said she was shy. She finally met someone that she liked and liked her back. It was a big accomplishment for her, and she was not expecting it at all. They even met up in different countries in her journey around Europe. I think this will make her more outgoing and able to approach other people. I agree with Theresa, that it added a romantic touch to the novel.
The worst part of Ginny’s trip was that all of her things were stolen while she was at the beach. If I was in a foreign country, all by myself, I’d be scared, but she remained calm. That is really brave for her. She only had her atm card and her passport which helped a lot, but there wasn’t any money in the bank. It’s a good thing she could get in touch with Richard. He really saved her helped her and got her home safely. She also lost the 13th letter, and that’s pretty bad, because she will never know what her aunt’s last words were to her.
Overall the book was not all that interesting and was somewhat predictable. The book seemed to drag on and on. I agree with Jillian in the fact that the book had a good overall plot, but the author could have done a much better job writing it. The style the author wrote it in, just doesn’t meet my tastes.The book did have exciting factors to it, but once I was done reading I looked back and didn’t exactly enjoy it.
kaitlynshsdoerr5 said,
February 26, 2008 at 2:25 pm
1) Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My Responce:
My parents would think I was crazy to even ask a question like ” Can I go to Europe by myself?” They’d say no before I could even finish explaining. Even though this was a good book, I don’t really think any parent would let there child go to Europe by themselves, especialy with no prior plans. It was a little hard for me to take in the fact that Ginny was allowed; though it would be awesome to do something like this.
The craziest thing I’ve ever done was to go behind my parents back and do something they just finished telling me not to do.
BrandiShsDoerr6 said,
February 26, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I lived in Europe for 6 years and absolutley loved it. I never really went on my own anywhere because I was too young, but I would love to now! My parents may have let me go to Europe if it were for a reason such as Ginny’s. I would love to just be adventerous. I actually think I’d have a hard time following the directions. The craziest thing I’ve ever done would be never have had skateboarded, but the first doing it, I decided to go down a HUGE hill. Of course it ended bad. I would much prefer to have a an exciting experience like Ginny.
benshsdoerr6 said,
February 26, 2008 at 3:04 pm
My parents would reject to me going to Europe by myself. They can trust me but they still wouldnt let me do it. Another question i want to answer is the crazy things you have ever done. I have done alot of stuff with fireworks, fire itself, and shopping cart races. It’s alot of fun. But towards the book, i didnt really like it. I wouldn’t have 13 little blue envelopes to follow around. This is not my type of book.
emilyshsdoerr6 said,
February 26, 2008 at 3:05 pm
In my opinion, the best suprise of Ginny’s trip is when Keith happens to be where ever she goes. The worst part would be when someone steals the very last envelope and she doesn’t know what it contained. I think this is the worst part because it leaves you hanging for a while about what may happen. I hope I get the chance to go to Europe like Ginny did but instead, with my best friend. It would be interesting to have to follow directions from someone who was very close to me, knowing what i might like and be nervous about doing.
codyshsdoerr said,
February 26, 2008 at 3:15 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself.
I lived in Italy for 5 years and I was born in Turkey. My parents would never even think about letting me go to Europe by myself. They don’t even let me cross the street by myself. Just kidding, I thought I might throw a little humor in. The craziest thing I’ve ever done is probably when I ate 10 worms for 50 dollars.
shelbyshsdoerr7 said,
February 26, 2008 at 4:03 pm
3. What do you think Ginny learned about herself on this trip? Do you think once she goes home she’ll be different in any way? How?
Ginny learned to gain confidence while being around guys, or people in general. i think she will be different when she goes home because she will be more thoughtful and independent. She always had someone around or with until she left on her envelope journey having no idea where she was going to go next. She had to learn how to take care of herself. For example, while she was at Richards house and he was working at Harrods she had to make her own breakfast and learn her way around England to get to the place he worked. When she comes home she will also probably be more outgoing. Ginny was very shy but learned during the the trip how to socialize with strangers. By doing this it boosted up her confidence. Ginny is going to be a completly different person when she comes home.
I thought the book was really good and it kept me reading until i was finished. When it got to the end I was sorta dissapointed to find out that she doesn’t get to read the very last envelope. BUt overall it was still a very good book.
I agree with Kaite when she says that at some parts the book seemed to drag on at times and you just wanted it to move on and get to the point. Even though I know authors like to go into detail about there books, too much is just overwhelming and makes you lose interest.
Bailey said,
February 27, 2008 at 10:24 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
If i asked my dad if i could backpack through Europe like Ginny did, he would laugh in my face. Although i was raised on the wild side, i’m pretty sure traveling throughout Europe alone, and without outside contact, is totaly prohibited.
BaileyEJHS said,
February 27, 2008 at 10:29 pm
The craziest thing i’ve ever done in the small portion of my life that i’ve lived, would have to be traveling with my sister to Georgia by plane. We werent accompanied by our parents, and we wer only 7 and nine so it was quite drastic. Ive been many places on my own, but not at a young age.
BaileyEJHS said,
February 27, 2008 at 10:37 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
If i ever asked my dad, at this age, to backpack through Europe like Ginny did, he would laugh at me. Although i was raised a wild child, my parents are normal (as in they are overprotective).
As for the craziest thing i’ve ever done, i’ll have to go with a plane ride to Georgia at age 7, although i was accompanied by my sister, she was only nine. I’ve been on many planes throughout my fifteen years of life, but the most confusing and scary adventure was when i went to go see my stepdad. My mother was three hours late to pick us up, and there was mad confusion. Hopefully, by the time I die I will have a much more intersting story.
AmandaEJHS said,
March 9, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
Never in a million years would my parents let me go on a trip to Europe by myself at my age as of right now. One of the craziest things I have ever done in my life was go bungee jumping when I was seven or eight years old. At first I was so scared but when it was over it was not that bad.
What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
The best surprise of Ginny’s trip was meeting Keith because he gave her loads of confidence and he helped her so much throughout the trip even though they fought sometimes. The worst surprise that happened of Ginny’s trip was when her bag was taken away at the beach because she did not have anything left but only her debit card which had nothing on it and her passport. She could not even read the thirteenth letter from her aunt.
I thought this was an okay book. On the positive side, this book did have great ideas in it and those ideas were pretty cute. On the negative side this book left me hanging at the end with not knowing what the last letter said and also what happens between Ginny and Keith when she goes back to the United States. Also, at first Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes was hard to get into and it dragged at some points throughout the book.
brittdoerr6shs said,
March 19, 2008 at 6:06 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents would never let me go off to another country by myself they would flip out. The craziest thing i have ever done was go to disney with my friends. I wouldnt go out and do anything alone i like having the company of my friends around with me when i go somewhere.
Lisa EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 7:40 pm
1.Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What is the bravest (or craziest) thing you have ever done by yourself?
There is definitely no way that my parents would ever let me go on a trip to Europe by myself. Actually, I just asked them and the answer was, “When you are 19 and have moved out, yes; otherwise, no way.” I think it is because I am a minor and may be kidnapped, or they just do not trust me in any way. Sadly, I do not have Ginny’s parents, who let her go on the trip to Europe. However, I could just run away from home, because I would love to go on the trip. Ginny was nervous and even thought that she should back out when she thought, “This had a very good chance of being a major mistake.” But, unlike her, I do not think I would back out. It would be the adventure of a lifetime. The bravest thing I have ever done by myself was just going out and becoming my own person. I know it is not very significant, but I did do it without anyone else’s guidance. It seems that Ginny might have done the exact same thing during her trip.
I agree with Amanda’s opinion that the novel was just okay. Since she had her thirteenth envelope stolen along with her backpack Corfu, I felt that the whole book was left unfinished. “Everything was gone. All her swampy clothes. And all of the envelopes. Including the last, unopened one,” said the narrator. Again, just as Amanda had said, the novel did drag on throughout various parts.
Melanie EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 9:07 pm
My parents would never let me go to Europe-let alone explore it-by myself. My parents have a hard enough time letting me go to the movies by myself.
A couple of times Ginny nad no where to sleep and did not know wheter she had enough money to get by. I would not be allowed to go to Europe or any other foreign place following a trail of envelopes. I don not know if I would even want to go like Ginny did.
The craziest thing i have ever done was go on one of those like bouncy chairs (the ones that pull you close to the ground and then WHOOSH!!! you go flying).
I was so scaredc to go on it. My cousin had to drag me over and oush me down. I thought i was going to die but it turned out to be really fun.
Emilyshsdoerr6 said that the best suprise was when Keith ended up going wherever Ginny was and that the worst suprise was when Ginny’s bag was stolen. I agree. Keith showed up in some European country becasue his play was cancelled-the same country that Ginny was in.
The fact the Ginny watched her bad being taken away was the worst part. She was so close to the reding the last envelope when it got stolen. Because the last letter was stolen, she ws left in the dark until she finally told Richard the Peg loved him, she knew that that what was what the last stolen letter had told her to do.
jasja EJSHS said,
March 19, 2008 at 10:07 pm
3. What do you think Ginny learned about herself on this trip? Do you think once she goes home she’ll be different in any way? How?
I think Ginny learned a lot about herself. She realized that she can be confident in herself and is not as boring as she thought that she was. Once she goes home she will deffinately be different. Ginny will be more outgoing and not as shy as she used to be because all the experiences she had helped her to be her own person.
In response to what Courtney said, I agree. I thought this was a very good book, but I was disappointed that the book did not reveal what the last envelope said. I t did give some clues as to what it might have said but it would have been nice to have known all of it.
AmberEJSHS said,
March 20, 2008 at 7:50 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
No Way! My parents would never let me go on a trip to Europe by myself, especially not backpacking through the country without any guides or maps. Knowing me, I would get lost in a heartbeat! Other than my poor sense of direction my parents would not let me go because they would say I am too young, immature, and I am a very sheltered child at that. I think they would just be scared to let me go, as most parents would be. I have been farther away from home than lots of people, I went to Canada last summer which was hard enough for my parents, and Europe would be out of the question for them, so there would be no way I would step foot on that plane!
An experience I’ve had in my life when I had to be brave would be when I had my appendix taken out. In 5th grade I had appendicitis and had to have surgery. It was probably close to the scariest thing of my life! I am deathly afraid of getting my blood drawn, and needles, and believe me I had to get pricked so many times, I had to get my blood drawn, and I had about a million IV’s coming out of me! It was so scary for me, so that would be the bravest thing I’ve done even though in my mind I was terrified.
Now the craziest thing I’ve done was when I was at Cypress Gardens last year and I convinced my brother to ride a ride with me. I am not one who usually rides roller coasters, but this was a spinny ride (the ones that make most people get dizzy and want to throw up!) and I like those ones. So I thought it looked pretty cool, and we got on it. Next thing I know the whole ride is spinning so fast and going in circles, flipping me upside down every couple of seconds! I was screaming my head off!!! But it was a really cool ride and I am glad I did it; it was definitely pretty crazy though.
KaitlynnEJSH said,
March 21, 2008 at 11:25 am
This was a really book. It’s not to long and not to short.I think that it’s really cool that her parents let her go all the way to Europe by herself.I was disappointed with the ending though, and sometimes in the story you start to get confused about where she is or what she’s really doing. Other then that, this is a really good book that most people would like.
Kaitlynn2EJSH said,
March 21, 2008 at 11:37 am
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
A: In my dreams. No my parents would never let me go on a trip to Europe by myself, though I wish they would. The craziest thing I’ve ever done by myself is going to Orlando with just my friends for an entire day without my parents. It was so much fun
Kaitlynn2EJSH said,
March 21, 2008 at 11:41 am
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
A: In my dreams. No my parents would never let me go on a trip to Europe by myself, though I wish they would. The craziest thing I’ve ever done by myself is going to Orlando with just my friends for an entire day without my parents. It was so much fun
XXX This was a really good book. It does get confusing in some parts of the story and it does drag on and on sometimes.Other then that I think most people will enjoy this book.
Erin EHS said,
March 21, 2008 at 4:58 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
I highly doubt that my parents would let me go on a trip to Europe by myself. The only possibility of them allowing me to do that would be if a relative wanted me to, like in Ginny’s case. However, I don’t think that will be happening any time soon. So for now, the bravest/craziest thing I’ve ever done was a mission trip to Haiti. My friends were uneasy that I was going; they were convinced that I would get hurt or sick. I was also a little scared about the Haitian voodoo practices, and whether or not I would get sick from eating the food there. Of course there were also problems with “where am I going to sleep, go to the bathroom” etc. However, after the first day in Haiti, I was completely at ease and in love with the people, culture, and country. I adapted to everything quickly (if I hadn’t the trip wouldn’t have been as fun as it was) and took away many great memories from my experiences there.
In Amanda of EHS’s response she says “The worst surprise that happened of Ginny’s trip was when her bag was taken away at the beach because she did not have anything left but only her debit card which had nothing on it and her passport. She could not even read the thirteenth letter from her aunt.” I disagree with this a little. I think that having her bag taken away was actually a good outcome for the story. The fact that Ginny learned to let go and loosen up helped her to get past her stolen bag that contained the last envelope. I think that she had already experienced so much and come so far in her life on the trip, that she had discovered what she was supposed to learn. Her experiences were enough to make up for the lost envelope.
ChristianEJSHS said,
March 23, 2008 at 9:12 pm
NO! They don’t trust that I won’t drive a truck off a cliff somewhere in Europe. The bravest thing I’ve ever done is flown to Europe last summer–with my family. I went on a bus with a crazy driver and we almost went off in cliff in Greece for real, I was stuck in the back with a creepy old woman trying to sell me jewelry out of her purse. The trip was really cool though, and I actually visited some of the places in the book like the Roman Colosseum and Greece which were amazing.
The best surprise of Ginny’s trip was finding her aunt’s paintings and finding out that Richard was her uncle. It was kind of like her adventure didn’t have to end and she would always have another connection to her aunt to visit again if she wanted. The worst part of her trip was probably losing the 13th envelope. She ended up finding closure, but it would’ve been nice to know what the letter actually said. I liked this book OK, it was a little slow at times and didn’t have any Jedi in it. Otherwise, it was a good book.
HailEJSHS said,
March 24, 2008 at 9:27 pm
2. What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
Throughout Ginny’s trip she had man surprising discoveries. However, i believ her best surprise of the trip was meetin her uncle. Even though Ginny was a little shocked at first, (everyone would be), in the end she relizied how much she had cared for him. I believ Ginny needed her uncle. After loosing her aunt Ginny needed someone who was just as close to her and she was.
Ginny’s worst surprise was when she had met Beppe, whom she was suposed to buy cake for. Her aunt specifically told her to do that and it had eneded in disaster. The boy was not who she had thought he would be. Threfor Ginny was mad at her aunt for making her follow through that task.
This book i enjoyed very much. I liked learning abou the different countries. I am going to visit that part of the world in 2009, so it gets me excited, and I am ready to visit that area!
AveryEJSHS said,
March 25, 2008 at 8:55 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
Would my parents ever let me go on a trip to Europe by myself? No. Would my parents ever consider letting me go on a trip to Europe by myself? No. In my family, a request to do something like that would call for a moment of silence, and then perhaps laughter. This isn’t to say that their point of view is completely unjustified. They are capable of making numerous valid points.
For example; I have no family or anyone I know living in Europe. There would be nobody to look after me. I am only 15 years old, meaning most likely not prepared to take care of myself, especially if left without any constant home or reliable source of money. My parents have always been the kind of people who need lots of planning, and a definite plan before they allow anything to be set in stone. This made it a bit surprising for me when I read about Ginny, and how her parent basically let her run off to Europe on a whim. From a letter from an… extravagant aunt. It’s simply not an option.
As for myself, I wouldn’t call myself a particularly brave person, or a person who’s been given much of a chance to do crazy things and explore. When I was a kid, probably 7 or 8 years old, my sister and I flew alone from Florida to Boston to visit my aunt and uncle. This was a bit frightening at the time, but not crazy or brave. But it was something that, other than my sister, I did alone. I was alone in the fact that I had nobody who I was accustomed to taking care of me by my side.
Ashleigh EJSHS said,
March 25, 2008 at 9:32 pm
I really liked this book. No, my parents would NEVER even CONSIDER letting me go to Europe by my lonesome. My mom is really attached to me, as I am to her. We would go crazy without each other. The only way she’d let me go to Europe is if she came with me. She’s not very trusting, either. She wouldn’t go on some wild adventure with only 13 envelopes holding our future; especially when they’re from her unique sister who’s been dead for months! Though, I wish very much that I could go to Europe. That’d be my dream vacation! It just seems so… special.
The bravest thing I’ve ever done by myself is getting my tooth filled. I used to be deathly afraid of the dentist. My parents would have to hold me down and I’d have to take a muscle relaxer. The first time i went by myself, I felt so brave and accomplished… It also made my parents pretty happy to not have to hold me down the entire time. Now, I am simply dropped off at the dentist. I’ve come a long way since I was younger.
The craziest thing i’ve ever done? Probably not doing any homework in geometry for a month straight. Got in a lot of trouble for that one, and i’m still paying for it!!! I dont know what i was thinking! Now, I have to do three months of ‘intensive’ tutoring just to bring my grade back up to passing.
bich EJSH said,
March 25, 2008 at 10:15 pm
If I were to honestly answer this question to the scenario of how my life is now then I would have to say that my parents wouldn’t let me go to Europe. Especially all by myself, so no, I believe that is totally out of the picture. It would be insane to even think that question out to myself! The answer that I would receive from my parents would be, blinking eyes, which would mean, are you nuts? That would just be a stupid question to ask my parents. They never even let me go out of their sights most of the time. Since I was little my mother never let me sleep over at a friends house. Even if that friend was a best friend that I knew since kindergarten and if my mother had known the mother and father. They are crazed about keeping their little girl safe. I am the only girl in my family, I have two older step brothers, and two younger brothers, therefore I am the most protected. Therefore, even after putting thought into the question of having my parents agree on letting their only girl go to Europe alone remains at a no.
I have done quite a few crazy things in my life. However each and all of them are not at all very bad. One of the craziest things I think I did was this summer in Vietnam. I met up with a friend and we got on his motorcycle. One this motorcycle we rode out to the country. The roads were horrible made, and pretty much in ruins. There were holes in the ground, and puddles of water from the rain earlier. We both kept on going, swerving from one part of the road to the next. During this whole time I was grabbing on to my friend for my dear life because neither he nor I had any idea exactly where our designation was. I had to hold on to him because the motorcycle was bouncing up and down and swerving left and right from the hideous road. Once we got there my butt was numb and his waste was tight. We got there in the afternoon, then afterwards, once night fell we had to drive home. I think that was the most craziest and bravest thing I have done because I could of fell or the motorcycle could of tipped over. I was scared with all of the bumps and holes but I did enjoy it as well. The experience was thrilling, I would defiantly do it again.
Lindsey EJSHS said,
March 25, 2008 at 10:56 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
My parents would never let me go on a trip to Europe by myself unless I was under constant adult supervision. My parents barely let me go to Wal-Mart by myself as it is.
The craziest thing I have ever done by myself was about three years ago. I used to spend my summers in Wisconsin with my grandparents and cousins, and they have 80 acres of land that are filled with trees and paths for four-wheelers and mini-bikes. My parents sent me up to visit my grandparents for a few weeks, and I decided to bring a friend. About two days into staying in Wisconsin, my grandparents got tired of having to sit home and watch us every night. They made us promise that we wouldn’t get into any trouble, and then they left to go to a few casinos. My friend and I instantly jumped up and ran outside as soon as my grandparents’ truck was out of sight. We rode around on the four-wheeling tracks until it was pitch black outside, and then we decided to start a fire to keep ourselves somewhat warm. It was so cold outside that we thought it was almost impossible to have a huge fire. However, we were wrong. We started the fire in a pit, but around the pit was a bunch of dead leaves. The leaves caught on fire, and eventually there was a pretty big fire. We ended up having to call 911 to have the firefighters come and put out the fire. Needless to say, my grandparents weren’t too happy with us.
Makenna EJSHS said,
March 31, 2008 at 7:11 pm
1.Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
Would my parents ever allow me to go to Europe alone? There is no way! My parents are your typical over protective parents who freak out when you mention going to the gym alone, there is no way they would even consider letting me go across the ocean by myself. If I were to ask such a question, my mother would look at me like I was crazy. My dad would laugh at me. I was surprised in the book when Ginny’s parents just let her go to europe with only her (eccentric) aunt’s letters as guidance. They didn’t even put up a fight or argue about the money or anything.
I am generally not a brave or crazy person. I am scared of practically everything. The only brave thing I can think of that I have accomplished alone would be when saved my sister’s life. Hayley and I were little, around the ages of 7 and 9, and outside playing. Hayley had sat down by a tree to count because we were playing hide and seek. I happen to hear a strange rattling noise before I scampered off to hide. I glanced down to my sister’s side and saw a huge snake coiled up in the grass next to her legs. I remembered my mom telling me to not panic if I saw a snake, and I didn’t want hayley to panic. I just calmly told hayley that we needed to go inside and she should walk towards me very slowly. She was young and didn’g even think that there was any danger. Right after she got up the snake striked at the space were my little sister had previously been sitting.
This was brave to an extent. It required a different bravery than Ginny needed to travel to Europe on a whim.
Angela EJSHS said,
March 31, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself? Heck no, my parent’s barley let me leave the house by myself and even if I do I have to have my cell phone attached to my hip and answer every single one of their calls. If I don’t they will freak out and think something is wrong or I’m doing something that I shouldn’t. So, would my parents letting leave the country without any parental supervision is completely out of the question. That question would honestly be a complete waste of breath with my parents. Just the other day I was going to a completely supervised event and they asked me to give them everyone’s phone number that I thought that I was going to see that day. I think that in a lot of ways this book is extremely unreal because, I can’t even name one parent that I know that would even consider letting their teenaged daughter leave the country by themselves. Not to even mention the fact that there was no way to get into contact with her aside from letters and postcards and those take weeks to mail from overseas. I just don’t understand how a parent could get though everyday not knowing of their child way okay over a thousand miles away. This thought just blows my mind.
Now what is the craziest thing that I have ever done? This actually happened this past summer. I have a huge fear of heights, it’s not even funny. My family and I went to Tennessee this summer and there were all of these places to go and things to do. Then my Dad said something about how he saw a skydiving place and how we should go. You also have to understand that I have this kind of mental list of thing to do before I die and skydiving is on that list. Even so, I was scared out of my mind. Then I was ready and pumped to do this and we get there and it is an indoor skydiving place. This lifted a he weight off of my shoulder but, I was still a little bit nervous. I went inside and indoor skydived and it was still pretty extreme. So, I guess that skydiving is still on my things to do before I die list.
rachelshsdoerr5 said,
March 31, 2008 at 9:59 pm
First of all, my parents would never in 5 million years allow me to go on this trip. I know because my mom gets nervous when i leave my block. I’ve sencerley never done anything exciting, daring or exotic enough to write about. I’m a huge chicken. I’de be too scared and lost the first day todo anything. I’de be back home by day 2, i really would.
KristenEJSHS said,
April 1, 2008 at 8:25 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself
My parents would never let me go to Europe by myself. They do not even like me going to the mall by myself. I would never ask my parents if I could go. I know their answer already would be no. They would not want me to go because there would be no adult supervision. Also, because it’s to far away from them. They want me near them incase anything were to happen they would be there to fix it. I think it would be fun to go to Europe by yourself. Especially if your friends went with you. It would be even more fun. Imagine all the adventures you could have. I wish I could go to Europe by myself, maybe when I get to college that would be an option. It certainly is not right now.
The craziest thing I have ever done is sneak out of my friends and my hotel room at night and go walk on the beach. It was for one of my birthday parties. My parents rented me a hotel room and them one. They said that we were locked in at eleven o’clock and couldn’t leave. However, we wanted to go walk on the beach and go to the pier. So we quietly snuck out the back door. We got back at one in the morning. Thankfully my parents never found out or I would have been in big trouble. It certainly wasn’t the bravest thing to do in the world. It was crazy and fun though. I would do it again anytime.
Elle EJSHS said,
April 15, 2008 at 5:37 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
If I were to ever bring up the idea that of taking a trip to Europe by myself with my parents, I think they would be mixed about it. I know my mom may encourage me to go, but she’d probably suggest I bring some friends. My dad would say no in a heartbeat because he’s been a little overprotective of me lately. Despite what my parents say, I wouldn’t mind a trip to Europe period. I’ve always wanted to travel the world [or at least get the heck out of Florida for a good amount of time] and there’s a lot in Europe that I’d really like to see. I’d particularly want to visit Italy since my mom was born there. If I were to go alone, though, I’d probably get lost because my sense of direction isn’t exactly the greatest there is.
As far as crazy things I’ve done go, I’m not sure which one would be the craziest. Though there was this one time over the summer when I was sleeping over my friend Heaven’s house. When I was there, my friend Catee called me at around 10 at night to tell me to go to her house since they live in the same neighborhood. So I ran a couple blocks to her house while it was pouring rain. At around 11, I had to go back to Heaven’s house so I told Catee to walk me back. While we were walking back with other people, the sky lit up green and all the lights on the street turned off. As soon as that happened we ran back to Heaven’s house and scared the heck out of her and her siblings when we rang the doorbell. Electricity eventually came back at around 12:30 am. Sure, that’s not totally crazy, but it was sure freaky.
Hayner VHS said,
April 22, 2008 at 3:30 pm
My parents would never let me go to Europe by myself…..
They would send me with somebody, but the freak out if I go anywhere by myself for more than a few hours!
This book was really interesting- I really hated the ending though. She should have gotten the guy.
I thought the family she stayed with that was all wacky and super-touristy was pretty freaky. The whole facade of being nice and then at the end of the week ‘Here’s your bill!’ was just… Wrong.
Sora VHS said,
April 22, 2008 at 3:44 pm
1. Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
If I was a little older, maybe my junior or senior year maybe. Ok, I’m lieing they would never let me go to Europe by myself. Only if MY aunt died and left me envelopes full of hints and money would I go without my parents knowing. The braviest thing I’ve ever done by myself was when I was thirteen years old, living in my apartment complex which mixed with a bunch of lakes. A little giorl about seven years old fell into the lake while I was nearby. Their was an alligator in the LAKE! It was starting to get closer when I yanked her out of the lake!
Amanda EJSHS said,
April 29, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Seventeen year old Ginny was shy and didn’t believe in herself very often, except for when she was around her Aunt Peg. Her Aunt Peg was an outgoing, creative artist who Ginny felt different around. It came as a big surprise when Ginny found out that her Aunt Peg disappeared without a trace and without even the slightest clue as to where she went. Months later Ginny found out that her aunt died from a disease. She then receives a letter from her aunt telling her to go to a restaurant in Manhattan where she and her Aunt Peg often went to. There she received thirteen mysterious, clue-filled letters in blue envelopes with different illustrations on them. Each letter contains a task that Ginny must complete before she can open the next envelope. The letters took Ginny on a European adventure and provided her with all the money she needed. On her own, Ginny had to figure out the clues to find a restaurant her aunt decorated, help a starving artist, and many other things. Along the way, she found out that she has an uncle (because her Aunt found love when she stayed there and got married) and met many other interesting people, including a zany British performance artist named Keith, who she fell in love with. In the end, the clues led Ginny to where her aunt’s hidden paintings were. They sold them and made a ton of money. The letters that Ginny’s Aunt Peg sent her changed her life. The trip to Europe helped Ginny overcome her natural shyness, believe in her own strength and independence, and meet her uncle and first love, and become rich. It was an adventure she’ll never forget. I thought it was quite an unrealistic story but i still greatly enjoyed the novel.
KaylaEJSHS said,
May 13, 2008 at 5:59 pm
2) What was the best surprise of Ginny’s trip? What was the worst? Why?
I think that the greatest surprise of the whole adventure Ginny went on was the fact that she found out she had an Uncle. I mean it was awesome that she met Keith and they have a ‘something’ that added a whole layer of Romance to the story which really helped it along. However, finding out that Richard was her Uncle was mind blowing, I had not seen it coming to be honest. She might have lost her aunt but that summer she found out she gained an Uncle who really cares about her, and who she can share the pain of losing her Aunt with.
Now the worst surprise that she faced was when she went to Amsterdam following one of the notes, only to find the man she was supposed to meet didn’t live there anymore. She was alone and lost in a different country, with only the close on her back. That had to be one of the worst moments of the trip for her. She found her self confused and emotionally stressed, not having any ideas of where she should go or who she could turn to for help.
KoreyEJSHS said,
May 20, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Would your parents/guardians ever let you go on a trip to Europe by yourself? What’s the bravest (or craziest) thing you’ve ever done by yourself?
So I am not really too sure if my parents would let me go to Europe by myself. It would definitely take them a huge amount of time to decide. Part of me thinks maybe they would let me go, but on huge conditions, because of pretty much going somewhere where you know no one. Also that the language may be a big issue, especially if you were in trouble and had nowhere to go. Then to think a little harder I really do not think they would go let me travel overseas all by myself. Mainly because of all the bad things that could happen to a girl my age in some foreign place. I just don’t know it is a pretty insane decision. Or I could just ask my parents you know to get the hard details. I rather just guess what they say, it may be more interesting, or ruin my plans if later I plan to go somewhere by myself.
As for the craziest thing I have ever done by myself is hard to pick because there is just so many options. Then again not really because most of them I was with a friend. It would have to be the one during hurricane season. So my family and I are eating some lunch during some disastrous hurricane that I decide I should go Surfing. So my mom takes me down to my Grannies’ house and lets me go surfing. Yeah I thought she was insane too, but she let me even by myself. When I got onto the beach it looked like there were some guys in the water but not many. Also it was rainy so hard you could not even see anything and the waves were somewhere around 12 feet high. It took so long to paddle out and then once I got out it was pouring even harder that I wished I had I pair of goggles to see. So I caught a couple of waves then rode one wave in. Then when I got out pretty much everyone was out to. They thought I was crazy to go out because I was so small and they were shocked to find out that I was not I guy like they thought I was a girl. When I got back to my Grannies I found out that I was surfing when there was a tornado a street down during the hurricane. For all that work it was worth it because it was so intensely fun and I am so glad I went for it and was not a chicken, because when do big waves come around like that in Cocoa Beach, Florida.