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Janie Johnson #1
The Face On the Milk Carton
No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true?Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?
184 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1990
About the author
Caroline B. Cooney
121 books1,708 followersCaroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com
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June 11, 2008man, there are some HATERS on this front page...
listen. if you loved this book when you were in middle school, it sure as hell wasn't because you thought the literary style was articulate and composed. it was because you were in middle school, and therefore an angsty teen who wished you too could discover your lame parents weren't actually related to you by blood. everybody wants to find out they've been kidnapped when they're that age! it's WAY cooler than just being born into suburbia and would probably boost your status in the social food chain at least a couple points. or at least get you out of gym class.
as i remember it, things got pretty melodramatic in this book, which is not to say that ms. cooney didn't explore the complications of such a traumatic teenage discovery in a way i couldn't understand at that age. au contrair. i remember being very drawn in, and like, um, TOTALLY loving it. by the time there was a cute boy and a radio show (third book? thirtieth book? there were a LOT) i was daydreaming about seeing my face on the walmart "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD" board. (sorry mom. i do love you, srsly.)
so why all the critical reviews, guys? it's not war and peace, i'll give you that. personally, i'm just glad that i was reading this and not the petty whoreish trash they have out for young ladies these days (ie. "gossip girl"? "the clique"? "the A-List series"? "we all wear the same pants"? "glitter and STDs"? etc etc.)
listen. if you loved this book when you were in middle school, it sure as hell wasn't because you thought the literary style was articulate and composed. it was because you were in middle school, and therefore an angsty teen who wished you too could discover your lame parents weren't actually related to you by blood. everybody wants to find out they've been kidnapped when they're that age! it's WAY cooler than just being born into suburbia and would probably boost your status in the social food chain at least a couple points. or at least get you out of gym class.
as i remember it, things got pretty melodramatic in this book, which is not to say that ms. cooney didn't explore the complications of such a traumatic teenage discovery in a way i couldn't understand at that age. au contrair. i remember being very drawn in, and like, um, TOTALLY loving it. by the time there was a cute boy and a radio show (third book? thirtieth book? there were a LOT) i was daydreaming about seeing my face on the walmart "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHILD" board. (sorry mom. i do love you, srsly.)
so why all the critical reviews, guys? it's not war and peace, i'll give you that. personally, i'm just glad that i was reading this and not the petty whoreish trash they have out for young ladies these days (ie. "gossip girl"? "the clique"? "the A-List series"? "we all wear the same pants"? "glitter and STDs"? etc etc.)
June 25, 2020
so i had to read this for the "banned books" portion of my teen r/a class, and i am convinced that this wasn't banned by parents or terrible librarians, but by the students themselves who were like, "noooooo, don't make us read this!! it is soooo ba-zoring!!!"
because it is. truly.
this could have been a five page book. "oh shit, i was kidnapped when i was three?? let me ask my 'parents,' and if they are not forthcoming with the info, then i will go to the library and do some research."
end of tale.
but nooooooo...she backed off every time it could have gotten interesting. she was playing hard-to-get with this narrative.
"oh, i am here driving by the house of the family from which i was stoled. no, no - drive by real fast while i cover my face...i will reconsider this in the next chapter - and stop trying to have sex with me - jeez"
"ooh, i have found clues...but i will not think about these clues for three more chapters while i freak out about having been kidnapped and why are you on top of me again?? - dude!"
"ooh microfilm!! i am now dating my story in the past, but look - a news article about me, but I WON'T READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE BECAUSE THEN I WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE AS A CHARACTER"
and why was such a big deal made of her lactose intolerance and her avoidance of milk and ice cream at the beginning of this book, but her parents are always feeding her pizza? it's all dairy, bitches!!
ugh.
i love this lady because she gave me the christina trilogy, but this book was barf.
come to my blog!
because it is. truly.
this could have been a five page book. "oh shit, i was kidnapped when i was three?? let me ask my 'parents,' and if they are not forthcoming with the info, then i will go to the library and do some research."
end of tale.
but nooooooo...she backed off every time it could have gotten interesting. she was playing hard-to-get with this narrative.
"oh, i am here driving by the house of the family from which i was stoled. no, no - drive by real fast while i cover my face...i will reconsider this in the next chapter - and stop trying to have sex with me - jeez"
"ooh, i have found clues...but i will not think about these clues for three more chapters while i freak out about having been kidnapped and why are you on top of me again?? - dude!"
"ooh microfilm!! i am now dating my story in the past, but look - a news article about me, but I WON'T READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE BECAUSE THEN I WOULD MAKE TOO MUCH SENSE AS A CHARACTER"
and why was such a big deal made of her lactose intolerance and her avoidance of milk and ice cream at the beginning of this book, but her parents are always feeding her pizza? it's all dairy, bitches!!
ugh.
i love this lady because she gave me the christina trilogy, but this book was barf.
come to my blog!
August 25, 2009
Excellent concept, not-so-excellent execution. The plot idea is absolutely thrilling - suddenly realising that your parents are actually not your parents, but that you've been kidnapped, not knowing how to react, who to turn to or who to trust.
Unfortunately Caroline Cooney's didn't quite have the skills to pull it off, and therefore the writing seemed occasionally choppy and the emotions unrealistic.
Still, the story itself was really interesting, so I definitely want to read the rest of the series.
Unfortunately Caroline Cooney's didn't quite have the skills to pull it off, and therefore the writing seemed occasionally choppy and the emotions unrealistic.
Still, the story itself was really interesting, so I definitely want to read the rest of the series.
August 23, 2021
3.5 Stars ⭐️
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
September 29, 2017
Why I love it: I was shocked to see that one of my favorite books from the 1990’s is a banned book. I guess with the subject matter, people don’t want kids reading this. Listen, I don’t want eight-year-olds reading this either. It’s geared for teens and sheds light on a very real subject matter: child abduction. Back in the late 1980’s, there was a lot of child kidnappings going on. So much so, the government came up with putting missing children’s pictures on milk cartons as a way to catch the kidnappers and bring the children home. This story is based on a real kidnapping. Filled with emotions and capturing what happens to the kids who got abducted, this is a great book. Again, this is shedding light on something American parents had to deal with and important for teens to read about.
My Rating: 5 stars
#BannedBooksWeek
My Rating: 5 stars
#BannedBooksWeek
June 29, 2011
Toward the end of the book Janie has the thought that this situation is going to go on forever. I'm with you, Janie. This book went on foreverrrrrrrrr.
I listened to the book on CD based on a referral from a 5th grader during my school visits, who told me this was an awesome book. And I'm glad he liked it.
For me, it was excruciating.
She loves her family, she hates her family, she loves her family. She's a wretched wretched girl because she allowed someone to buy her from her family with a sundae - I can't tell you how many times that was mentioned. She's not going to contact her birth parents, she'll drive to NJ to see their house, she's not going to contact them, she writes up a letter to them, she's not going to contact them, she puts the letter in an addressed envelope. Oopsy, she loses the envelope! She's not going to think about them, she thinks about them constantly, everything is okay mom and dad, my life is ruined. Blah blah blah blah blah. I was ready to slap Janie in the face.
And how does the book end? SPOILER! It ends with her mother dialing the number of her birth parents in NJ. I don't recall hearing that she was looking in a phone book or staring at a slip of paper with their number on it so how does she have their number memorized? Maybe I was fading in and out of consciousness at that point. Then she makes Janie talk to them - 'Hi, I'm your daughter.' I sure hope her mom dialed the right number!
I found this book to be extremely annoying. Janie's head was such a mess, but it wasn't an interesting mess, it was a let's-repeat-the-same-thought-over-and-over mess. And the back and forthing of her moods was about to give me whiplash. And then everyone is crying all the time. The similes were awful. I was thankful to get out of the first few chapters where the word milk was mentioned a hundred times.
And these kids were supposed to be high school kids? If she hadn't been making out with the boy next door I would have thought they were middle school kids because none of them seemed very mature. (Not that middle school kids aren't mature - I love you, my program teens!)
Product Description
No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true?
Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?
I listened to the book on CD based on a referral from a 5th grader during my school visits, who told me this was an awesome book. And I'm glad he liked it.
For me, it was excruciating.
She loves her family, she hates her family, she loves her family. She's a wretched wretched girl because she allowed someone to buy her from her family with a sundae - I can't tell you how many times that was mentioned. She's not going to contact her birth parents, she'll drive to NJ to see their house, she's not going to contact them, she writes up a letter to them, she's not going to contact them, she puts the letter in an addressed envelope. Oopsy, she loses the envelope! She's not going to think about them, she thinks about them constantly, everything is okay mom and dad, my life is ruined. Blah blah blah blah blah. I was ready to slap Janie in the face.
And how does the book end? SPOILER! It ends with her mother dialing the number of her birth parents in NJ. I don't recall hearing that she was looking in a phone book or staring at a slip of paper with their number on it so how does she have their number memorized? Maybe I was fading in and out of consciousness at that point. Then she makes Janie talk to them - 'Hi, I'm your daughter.' I sure hope her mom dialed the right number!
I found this book to be extremely annoying. Janie's head was such a mess, but it wasn't an interesting mess, it was a let's-repeat-the-same-thought-over-and-over mess. And the back and forthing of her moods was about to give me whiplash. And then everyone is crying all the time. The similes were awful. I was thankful to get out of the first few chapters where the word milk was mentioned a hundred times.
And these kids were supposed to be high school kids? If she hadn't been making out with the boy next door I would have thought they were middle school kids because none of them seemed very mature. (Not that middle school kids aren't mature - I love you, my program teens!)
Product Description
No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons. But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar--a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve years before from a shopping mall in New Jersey--she felt overcome with shock. She recognized that little girl--it was she. How could it possibly be true?
Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense. Something is terribly wrong. Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janie's parents? And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?
May 2, 2020
A long internal monologue that essentially goes “Should I or shouldn’t I?”
Turns out, she shouldn't.
Turns out, she shouldn't.
May 11, 2016
From what I can recall, I enjoyed it a lot when I was 11 or 12 . I remember reading this book very quickly and being quite creeped out at the premise!
September 21, 2015
My favorite book as a little girl! I always thought it would be scary to see my own picture on a milk carton and wonder if I'd been kidnapped. My daughter checked it out to read and I can't wait to see what she thinks of it!
February 6, 2019
Another young adult (younger even) read. Janie spots a missing child ad on a milk carton. It is her. How can this be so. Janie is in high school when she is meant to be enjoying life and finding her way, having her first boyfriend and having fun with girlfriends and sleep overs. Not all is as it seems and Janie delves into the mystery of her life. Things do fall into place easily in this short novel. Her neighbour and boyfriend Reeve helps her piece things together. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. I was a little old for this one, funny though as I borrowed it through my work university library. It is a diverse collection! Good for young readers.
July 7, 2014
I was in the sixth grade. We were having one of those Scholastic book orders that made reading so exciting. This book caught my attention. What could be more captivating than a book about a kid finding out they're kidnapped?!! I begged my mom to order it and she did. Shortly thereafter, the book was in my hands, and suddenly I was ashamed. I was a boy on the verge of junior high school. I watched sports, liked cars and video games. I was too cool for a book with a pig-tailed girl on the cover.
Some time later that year, this kid named Joey mentioned the book. He was cool. He asked if I'd read it. Was this a trap? “I have a copy—but only because my mom wanted to read it,” I said. He said he'd read the book and it was awesome, that I should definitely read it. Again, part of me wanted to read The Face on the Milk Carton, but I really didn't have time for it. I was going to get a Z shaved on the side of my head, work for Ferrari, and sing backup for Bobby Brown: I was way too cool for books.
I wish I'd listened to Joey. I probably would've liked this book more as a twelve year old than as a thirty-five year old. That being said, I was surprised by how much I did enjoy the novel as an adult. No, it's not some great work of literature. But what it is is captivating. I was enthralled by what Janie would do. I was pulled in, reading chapter after chapter in a single sitting. Was I captivated enough to read the rest of the books in the series? No. Nevertheless, The Face on the Milk Carton was a wonderful ride of adolescent “what ifs.”
One thing that surprised me about this novel was the amount of sex. Had I read it back in grade school as was the original plan, I probably would've been ashamed and confused by what I'd read. In my opinion, The Face on the Milk Carton is more a young adult novel than a child's story. Damn Scholastic for trying to corrupt my youth!
And what's up with Janie's lactose intolerance? It's constantly being mentioned. Girl cannot consume dairy without dire consequence. Apt condition to have given the title? Perhaps. But what kind of pizza is this girl eating? Does heated cheese somehow not qualify as dairy? How does the writer and the editors miss this contradiction?
Despite its flaws in logic and storytelling, The Face on the Milk Carton was a great adventure. I didn't learn anything, I wasn't moved by the condition of these characters, but I was entertained. And if that is the point of this book, then the author succeeded. Thanks, Joey. It took over twenty years, but you finally convinced me.
Some time later that year, this kid named Joey mentioned the book. He was cool. He asked if I'd read it. Was this a trap? “I have a copy—but only because my mom wanted to read it,” I said. He said he'd read the book and it was awesome, that I should definitely read it. Again, part of me wanted to read The Face on the Milk Carton, but I really didn't have time for it. I was going to get a Z shaved on the side of my head, work for Ferrari, and sing backup for Bobby Brown: I was way too cool for books.
I wish I'd listened to Joey. I probably would've liked this book more as a twelve year old than as a thirty-five year old. That being said, I was surprised by how much I did enjoy the novel as an adult. No, it's not some great work of literature. But what it is is captivating. I was enthralled by what Janie would do. I was pulled in, reading chapter after chapter in a single sitting. Was I captivated enough to read the rest of the books in the series? No. Nevertheless, The Face on the Milk Carton was a wonderful ride of adolescent “what ifs.”
One thing that surprised me about this novel was the amount of sex. Had I read it back in grade school as was the original plan, I probably would've been ashamed and confused by what I'd read. In my opinion, The Face on the Milk Carton is more a young adult novel than a child's story. Damn Scholastic for trying to corrupt my youth!
And what's up with Janie's lactose intolerance? It's constantly being mentioned. Girl cannot consume dairy without dire consequence. Apt condition to have given the title? Perhaps. But what kind of pizza is this girl eating? Does heated cheese somehow not qualify as dairy? How does the writer and the editors miss this contradiction?
Despite its flaws in logic and storytelling, The Face on the Milk Carton was a great adventure. I didn't learn anything, I wasn't moved by the condition of these characters, but I was entertained. And if that is the point of this book, then the author succeeded. Thanks, Joey. It took over twenty years, but you finally convinced me.
April 13, 2018
This book was about Janie Johnson, a high schooler who had lactose intolerance, serious red hair, secret admirers. Every once in awhile, the factory of milk cartons put up an image of children who gets kidnapped. And when Janie reaches out to try her friend's milk, the image on the milk carton was of her.
I like this book of its contrast, how while Janie was trying to figure out what happened to her, romance and true love also struck her. And sometimes she can't have both.
I can somewhat relate to Janie because sometimes when I concentrate so hard on something and work so hard on something, my head hurts and burns and I really need someone there for me, to understand me.
Overall, really enjoyed this book.
I like this book of its contrast, how while Janie was trying to figure out what happened to her, romance and true love also struck her. And sometimes she can't have both.
I can somewhat relate to Janie because sometimes when I concentrate so hard on something and work so hard on something, my head hurts and burns and I really need someone there for me, to understand me.
Overall, really enjoyed this book.
June 28, 2019
This book was literal shit printed on paper. Where do I start? The plot goes nowhere, the entire book is Janie/jaaneee/Jayyeniey/jaëyniãeye ALMOST doing things, almost confronting her parents after they tell her they are her grandparents. Jãęñēï was extremely annoying, always complaining about Sarah-Morgan-Charlotte-Margaret girl who is the worst friend on Earth, and Jâéyneigh loving Reeve but she also secretly thinks he is very stupid. Every five pages Janieyaigh gets a “traumatic flashback” of her eating ice cream. This book is pure pulp, plus why does the mom/grandmother/kidnapper hate overweight people so much like as if Cooney thought that was a personality trait? This is actual garbage, I wasn’t expecting a literary feat but also wasn’t expecting it to be this bad and slow moving.
March 9, 2021
Imagine being a happy 15 year old who has loving, understanding parents (which is rare, right? Come on, all 15 year-olds have nagging parents who don’t understand sh*t about being kids and force the poor souls to do inhumane stuff like cleaning their own rooms, making their beds, lowering the music volume, ah, pity!) and one fine day, you get to see a missing children news with your face smiling back at you, only to realise that your loving parents are not your parents at all, and that you were kidnapped from your real parents at a very young age. Darn! What would you do?
The story follows Janie Johnson on an emotional and angsty ride of finding out the truth behind her alleged kidnapping while realising most of her life was based on a lie. I found the concept quite intriguing, though not quite executed well. But that’s okay considering it was a super-short read!
3/5🌟.
The story follows Janie Johnson on an emotional and angsty ride of finding out the truth behind her alleged kidnapping while realising most of her life was based on a lie. I found the concept quite intriguing, though not quite executed well. But that’s okay considering it was a super-short read!
3/5🌟.
May 7, 2008
Rather contrived plot,it struck me as being the literary equivalent of a paint-by-numbers picture. It was almost as though the author sketched an outline and then proceeded to fill in the blanks (I know English teachers always harp about pre-writing with an outline but who really does that?)Besides, milk cartons haven't featured photographs of missing children for years so it is unlikely the current teen audience would grasp the reference.
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May 25, 2021Janie is lactose intolerant. She wasn't even supposed to be drinking that milk in the first place. But when she turns the carton over and sees the photo of a missing child printed on the side, it's a photo she recognizes.
It's her.
But her parents are so kind and generous, they can't possibly be kidnappers. This has to be a misunderstanding. But why is Janie suddenly having memories of another life with another family?
This gripping story will keep hold of your attention right through to the end. First in a series. --Beth M.
It's her.
But her parents are so kind and generous, they can't possibly be kidnappers. This has to be a misunderstanding. But why is Janie suddenly having memories of another life with another family?
This gripping story will keep hold of your attention right through to the end. First in a series. --Beth M.
January 27, 2023
When Janie sits down to eat, she offhandedly notices the "missing children" photo on her milk carton. No one ever really pays attention to those photos, but this time Janie is startled to see her own picture there.....
March 17, 2021
Although the plot made me raise my eyebrows - she sees a picture of her as a little kid on the milk carton as a "kidnapped" kid - I thought the story and the girl were just annoying.
I didn't understand Janie at all. She was whining and annoying - I have a teenager and she's got such a better head on her shoulders than this girl.
I also didn't understand the characters - Janie and Reeve didn't seem to really like each other and suddenly they do and then suddenly he's yelling at her in the car. Why is he yelling?? I just didn't understand their emotions and why they would suddenly lose it over something or start crying - which makes me think something was missing in the writing.
I thought it was a little convenient, too, the idea of how her kidnapping "might" have happened. And who, their sophmore year, still calls their parents "mommy" and "daddy". That's what I mean, Janie just didn't seem consistent or real, and neither did Reeve - the two main characters.
I didn't understand Janie at all. She was whining and annoying - I have a teenager and she's got such a better head on her shoulders than this girl.
I also didn't understand the characters - Janie and Reeve didn't seem to really like each other and suddenly they do and then suddenly he's yelling at her in the car. Why is he yelling?? I just didn't understand their emotions and why they would suddenly lose it over something or start crying - which makes me think something was missing in the writing.
I thought it was a little convenient, too, the idea of how her kidnapping "might" have happened. And who, their sophmore year, still calls their parents "mommy" and "daddy". That's what I mean, Janie just didn't seem consistent or real, and neither did Reeve - the two main characters.
January 19, 2022
THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON
Caroline B. Cooney
I am pretty sure that I read this years ago, and that it was just so much better then! It was published in 1996, so it has had lots of time to be read by anyone interested. I think that everyone wonders what they would do if they found out they were kidnapped. RIght? Isn't that what you worry about at night?
Anyway, Janie was stolen by the daughter of her "grandparents". They were told she was their blood and then the crazy daughter left. Now Janie has seen her face on a milk carton for missing children. I think that her reaction borders on the implausible.
The book rather drags on and on with lots of side trails instead of dealing with the issue at hand. It wasn't my favorite.
2 stars
Happy Reading!
Caroline B. Cooney
I am pretty sure that I read this years ago, and that it was just so much better then! It was published in 1996, so it has had lots of time to be read by anyone interested. I think that everyone wonders what they would do if they found out they were kidnapped. RIght? Isn't that what you worry about at night?
Anyway, Janie was stolen by the daughter of her "grandparents". They were told she was their blood and then the crazy daughter left. Now Janie has seen her face on a milk carton for missing children. I think that her reaction borders on the implausible.
The book rather drags on and on with lots of side trails instead of dealing with the issue at hand. It wasn't my favorite.
2 stars
Happy Reading!
April 28, 2016
I can't believe I never rated this book! I read this in middle school and loved it!!!
March 9, 2008
This book was by far the best book I've ever read but has some adult content. Even though it does it is a great book. It's about a girl named Janie (Jennie) who sees her face from twelve years ago on the back of a milk carton saying she has been kidnapped. The whole book is about her finding out if her "parents" had actually kidnapped her and her finding her real family. I am reading the second book out of four now and so far it is amazing as well.
January 22, 2009
I loved this book!! It is about a girl who finds out she might have been kiddnaped as a little girl. it kept u on ur feet, begging for more and keeps you longing to turn each page!! Read it!
June 2, 2013
I read the book, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. It was published in 1990 by Dell Books for Young Readers. Cooney is the author of many other books that include Driver’s Ed and the sequel to Face on the Milk Carton, Whatever Happened to Janie? Now, I admit I’ve only read this one book by Cooney, but based on this first experience there’s no way that I would ever read any of her other novels. Frankly, I’m not even sure why a publisher would agree to print this book. Perhaps the more important question is why the school system feels like this is a book that children would benefit from reading. In my opinion this is a shallow and poorly written book.
The book is about a girl named Janie Johnson, a sophomore in high school that sees her face on a milk carton, and realizes that she’s been kidnapped. This is the first problem that I have with the book. Why is it that a kidnapping that occurred over twelve years ago is still being published on these milk cartons? Secondly, I find it very unlikely that this girl would be able to recognize herself after all of these years. After she sees this picture, she sets out trying to find out about her past and where she came from. Along with her on this journey is her neighbor, Reeve, a senior going to the same high school as her. Somehow this boy finds a way to put up with Janie’s constant nagging and crying about trying to find her real parents, which is essentially all that happens in the middle hundred pages of the book. This is the worst part of the book for me, because every two pages you have to read about her “daymares” which really don’t seem all that scary because they’re just flashbacks of her eating ice cream. Sounds like a pretty nice time to me, but for some reason for her that triggers some kind of panic attack and she freaks out. Despite all of her problems though, for some reason Reeve falls in love with her. These two love birds share a romantic kiss in a pile of leaves. “The kiss was long. And serious. Serious like my hair...” (47), this is my favorite quote from the book for its comical effect. I don’t want to spoil the book, but I’m just trying to spare any future readers of this book the pain of reading this book all the way through to the end. She eventually finds her real parents, and her parents that she’s had didn’t actually kidnap her. It was her parents’ crazy daughter that was a part of some cult that kidnapped her. So eventually Janie calls her real parents, and I kid you not this is how the book ends, “‘Hi. It’s...your daughter. Me. Jennie.’” (184). This is probably the most disappointing ending I’ve ever read. Nothing actually ever gets answered in the end. For all we know this isn’t even really her parents she’s talking to. After all this time that the reader’s tolerated Janie’s incessant whining about her parents we don’t even get to know whether she actually meets them. I guess it’s appropriate though, a disappointing ending to a disappointing book.
If you couldn’t already tell based on what I’ve already said about this book, I woulnd’t recommend this book to anyone. It’s classified as a mystery novel, but there’s hardly any mystery in it at all. A mystery is supposed to make you think and wonder what’s going to happen. This book doesn’t trigger any of these responses in the reader. That’s what makes it such a boring book in my opinion. The book is also way too shallow, and the plot is way too simple and predictable. In my opinion books are much more interesting when the information is much more than what you’re actually reading. In this book however, what you read is what you get, and when what you’re reading isn’t good you’re not going to enjoy it at all. These are just a few of the many issues that I have with the book. Once again I would highly suggest avoiding this book at all costs.
The book is about a girl named Janie Johnson, a sophomore in high school that sees her face on a milk carton, and realizes that she’s been kidnapped. This is the first problem that I have with the book. Why is it that a kidnapping that occurred over twelve years ago is still being published on these milk cartons? Secondly, I find it very unlikely that this girl would be able to recognize herself after all of these years. After she sees this picture, she sets out trying to find out about her past and where she came from. Along with her on this journey is her neighbor, Reeve, a senior going to the same high school as her. Somehow this boy finds a way to put up with Janie’s constant nagging and crying about trying to find her real parents, which is essentially all that happens in the middle hundred pages of the book. This is the worst part of the book for me, because every two pages you have to read about her “daymares” which really don’t seem all that scary because they’re just flashbacks of her eating ice cream. Sounds like a pretty nice time to me, but for some reason for her that triggers some kind of panic attack and she freaks out. Despite all of her problems though, for some reason Reeve falls in love with her. These two love birds share a romantic kiss in a pile of leaves. “The kiss was long. And serious. Serious like my hair...” (47), this is my favorite quote from the book for its comical effect. I don’t want to spoil the book, but I’m just trying to spare any future readers of this book the pain of reading this book all the way through to the end. She eventually finds her real parents, and her parents that she’s had didn’t actually kidnap her. It was her parents’ crazy daughter that was a part of some cult that kidnapped her. So eventually Janie calls her real parents, and I kid you not this is how the book ends, “‘Hi. It’s...your daughter. Me. Jennie.’” (184). This is probably the most disappointing ending I’ve ever read. Nothing actually ever gets answered in the end. For all we know this isn’t even really her parents she’s talking to. After all this time that the reader’s tolerated Janie’s incessant whining about her parents we don’t even get to know whether she actually meets them. I guess it’s appropriate though, a disappointing ending to a disappointing book.
If you couldn’t already tell based on what I’ve already said about this book, I woulnd’t recommend this book to anyone. It’s classified as a mystery novel, but there’s hardly any mystery in it at all. A mystery is supposed to make you think and wonder what’s going to happen. This book doesn’t trigger any of these responses in the reader. That’s what makes it such a boring book in my opinion. The book is also way too shallow, and the plot is way too simple and predictable. In my opinion books are much more interesting when the information is much more than what you’re actually reading. In this book however, what you read is what you get, and when what you’re reading isn’t good you’re not going to enjoy it at all. These are just a few of the many issues that I have with the book. Once again I would highly suggest avoiding this book at all costs.
March 26, 2008
Phillip Ye 3/20/08
Mr. Nourok Writing Arts 903
Final Draft Book Review
The Face on the Milk Carton
By Caroline B. Cooney
At first, I thought this book was just going to be about a girl, who got kidnapped, and some detectives went and tracked down clues to find her. It made me think this book was no different than any other normal mystery book but I was terribly wrong. This book was a lot more than just a mystery!
This book is basically about a girl named Janie and she lives her life as an average teenage girl. One day, she sees a picture of her younger self on a milk carton. It says she was missing. The picture was her a few years ago, but she realized she’s all fine and okay right now. That led Janie to question her past, the life she is currently living and even if her current parents are her biological parents.
This is truly a thrilling novel. It is shocking and once you grab hold of it, you refuse to let go. This book is part of a series and this is the first one. I recommend this book to people who basically just enjoy reading good books.
Sincerely,
Phillip Ye
Mr. Nourok Writing Arts 903
Final Draft Book Review
The Face on the Milk Carton
By Caroline B. Cooney
At first, I thought this book was just going to be about a girl, who got kidnapped, and some detectives went and tracked down clues to find her. It made me think this book was no different than any other normal mystery book but I was terribly wrong. This book was a lot more than just a mystery!
This book is basically about a girl named Janie and she lives her life as an average teenage girl. One day, she sees a picture of her younger self on a milk carton. It says she was missing. The picture was her a few years ago, but she realized she’s all fine and okay right now. That led Janie to question her past, the life she is currently living and even if her current parents are her biological parents.
This is truly a thrilling novel. It is shocking and once you grab hold of it, you refuse to let go. This book is part of a series and this is the first one. I recommend this book to people who basically just enjoy reading good books.
Sincerely,
Phillip Ye
May 2, 2012
This is the novel I've been teaching my high intermediate learners of English as a second language for the past eight weeks. I've never read this author before, and I probably won't read anything by her again if given the choice.
I had a hard time relating to the main character/narrator in any way, but the book contains lots of new vocabulary for the students. They were unhappy that there were no pictures.
Although I really didn't enjoy reading this, I did kind of like the way it ended. I feel like Janie finally started to act like a person at the end.
I had a hard time relating to the main character/narrator in any way, but the book contains lots of new vocabulary for the students. They were unhappy that there were no pictures.
Although I really didn't enjoy reading this, I did kind of like the way it ended. I feel like Janie finally started to act like a person at the end.
September 11, 2017
This book was TERRIBLE but these were my biggest annoyances.
The Plot:
The premise is very interesting and seemed simple enough. Janie sees her face on a milk carton, so she must have been kidnapped. It's a bit dated, obviously, but still sounds like a cool idea. However, the author does almost nothing with that idea for the longest time. Janie sees it, keeps the carton, and then does nothing except fret, fall in love with her neighbor, get mad at her parents, not want to leave her parents, rinse, repeat.
It just seemed so unbelievable that someone who even suspects that they might be kidnapped would be terribly concerned over their high school crush. In Stranger Things, Nancy even says how weird it was that last week she worried about what shirt she should wear for her boyfriend but now that she's fighting monsters, who the fuck cares?
The Characters:
I didn't like the characters, partially because they were so badly written. Everyone's interactions and relationships just felt so false. Janie's friends may as well not have existed for all they added to the plot. Reeve was ~kind of~ important but only because he could drive (and be a love interest).
The worst part was how Janie and her parents talked and interacted. It was so unreal.
"You were her little girl, by the man who had been chosen as her my by the Leader."
"Mate?" repeated Janie. "What an animal term for the love between husband and wife!"
I mean...what teenager, past the 1950s maybe, would talk like that? So much of the dialogue was just info-dumps and very contrived. This may be a personal preference, but it really bugged me that she would refer to her parents as "Mother" and "Daddy" (although sometimes she called her mom "Mommy"). It felt inconsistent, besides being just kind of weird.
The Writing:
The writing was aggressively bad. Like, I am so grateful that most YA novels that are published now seem to have much higher standards.
This bit is an instance of jumping around pointless and bad writing:
Not only did Reeve come out his door in time to see her drive, but so did his older sister Lizzie. Lizzie was not one of Janie's favorite people. Lizzie had occasionally baby-sat for Janie in the past, but not because she liked kids. Lizzie rarely did anything except for the money. Lizzie was supposed to be safely in law school now, being as brilliant there as she had been in Princeton. Janie did not consider Lizzie's absence a loss to the neighborhood. How annoying to see Lizzie home.
Besides the obvious of how many sentences can you start or include Lizzie's name, what is the point of this? Oh man, Lizzie didn't love little kids and wants money. What the fuck did she do to you, Janie? Maybe she isn't glad to be home living next to you? There's this whole background set-up of how Reeve is terrible at everything, especially grades, which really means nothing later. It's just filler, as is this entire paragraph. This whole paragraph could have been contained in one sentence, maybe two.
There's also this gem:
She got halfway there and had to finish her thoughts. Had to write. It was like a druggie stabbing his vein.
And this:
"You talked about me last year to Sarah-Charlotte?"
"Yeah. Now, do you feel like kissing me?" She did. They did.
And it was good.
AND THIS:
"Can you imagine the publicity?" said Janie. "All those horrible newspapers in grocery store racks. Talk shows where everybody else on it has trans-bi-cross sexual habits." She shuddered. "I can hardly wait to be among them."
The Plot:
The premise is very interesting and seemed simple enough. Janie sees her face on a milk carton, so she must have been kidnapped. It's a bit dated, obviously, but still sounds like a cool idea. However, the author does almost nothing with that idea for the longest time. Janie sees it, keeps the carton, and then does nothing except fret, fall in love with her neighbor, get mad at her parents, not want to leave her parents, rinse, repeat.
It just seemed so unbelievable that someone who even suspects that they might be kidnapped would be terribly concerned over their high school crush. In Stranger Things, Nancy even says how weird it was that last week she worried about what shirt she should wear for her boyfriend but now that she's fighting monsters, who the fuck cares?
The Characters:
I didn't like the characters, partially because they were so badly written. Everyone's interactions and relationships just felt so false. Janie's friends may as well not have existed for all they added to the plot. Reeve was ~kind of~ important but only because he could drive (and be a love interest).
The worst part was how Janie and her parents talked and interacted. It was so unreal.
"You were her little girl, by the man who had been chosen as her my by the Leader."
"Mate?" repeated Janie. "What an animal term for the love between husband and wife!"
I mean...what teenager, past the 1950s maybe, would talk like that? So much of the dialogue was just info-dumps and very contrived. This may be a personal preference, but it really bugged me that she would refer to her parents as "Mother" and "Daddy" (although sometimes she called her mom "Mommy"). It felt inconsistent, besides being just kind of weird.
The Writing:
The writing was aggressively bad. Like, I am so grateful that most YA novels that are published now seem to have much higher standards.
This bit is an instance of jumping around pointless and bad writing:
Not only did Reeve come out his door in time to see her drive, but so did his older sister Lizzie. Lizzie was not one of Janie's favorite people. Lizzie had occasionally baby-sat for Janie in the past, but not because she liked kids. Lizzie rarely did anything except for the money. Lizzie was supposed to be safely in law school now, being as brilliant there as she had been in Princeton. Janie did not consider Lizzie's absence a loss to the neighborhood. How annoying to see Lizzie home.
Besides the obvious of how many sentences can you start or include Lizzie's name, what is the point of this? Oh man, Lizzie didn't love little kids and wants money. What the fuck did she do to you, Janie? Maybe she isn't glad to be home living next to you? There's this whole background set-up of how Reeve is terrible at everything, especially grades, which really means nothing later. It's just filler, as is this entire paragraph. This whole paragraph could have been contained in one sentence, maybe two.
There's also this gem:
She got halfway there and had to finish her thoughts. Had to write. It was like a druggie stabbing his vein.
And this:
"You talked about me last year to Sarah-Charlotte?"
"Yeah. Now, do you feel like kissing me?" She did. They did.
And it was good.
AND THIS:
"Can you imagine the publicity?" said Janie. "All those horrible newspapers in grocery store racks. Talk shows where everybody else on it has trans-bi-cross sexual habits." She shuddered. "I can hardly wait to be among them."
December 28, 2009
In the novel The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney is about how a girl named Janie was stolen when she was three, but she never knew. Until one day, she sees a milk carton that has a girls face and says that she is missing. She realized that the little girl in the carton was her.She soon has thoughts about if her parents are really her parents or the kidnappers.She soon discovers many things that she wished she had never known.She found out that her parents had a daughter and she ran away to New Jersey.So the parents went to New Jersey and got her daughter who was really Janie.Because of all that confusion Janie skipped school with her boyfriend named Reeve. They both deiced to go to New Jersey because thats where her real parents live, and find information about her real parent. Janie found out that she has three brothers. They both seen enough and soon came back to Janie's house and her parent that were worried sick because they were afraid that Janie might run away as their daughter had once done.So Janie decides to tell her parents about the ride to New Jersey.Later on Janie's parents decide that Janie should call her real parents and tell the the truth of what had really happen.At the end Janie's mom call to New Jersey and once a women picked up the phone, Janie said,"Hi. It's... your daughter.Me.Janie."
This book is awesome because it tells a story that connects to the real world.i recommend this book to any one because it's a wonderful book to read and interesting.
Rating:*****
This book is awesome because it tells a story that connects to the real world.i recommend this book to any one because it's a wonderful book to read and interesting.
Rating:*****
July 2, 2017
1 star. The author had a good idea I suppose.
I was actually looking forward to this book because of the premise. A seemingly normal life is completely overturned when the MC finds herself on a milk carton that shows pictures of kidnapped children.
But reality was a slap in the face.
I seriously was bothered by the amount of time it took for her to confront her parents about the milk carton thing. When she finally does I was really disappointed in the MC. I was incredibly surprised that this was on the summer reading list though, I seriously don't think the teachers have ever read it. At one point in the novel, the MC and her "boyfriend" go to New Jersey because . The characters are afraid of what their parents will think of the whole, I skipped school with a high schooler of the other gender thing. Luckily for an innocent child, the author decided against it. I'm seriously disappointed that a book like this made it to the summer reading list. After a point, the book just got boring for me, and I searched up the plot on wikipedia. I'm sorry, no I didn't actually finish the entire book.
I was actually looking forward to this book because of the premise. A seemingly normal life is completely overturned when the MC finds herself on a milk carton that shows pictures of kidnapped children.
But reality was a slap in the face.
I seriously was bothered by the amount of time it took for her to confront her parents about the milk carton thing. When she finally does I was really disappointed in the MC. I was incredibly surprised that this was on the summer reading list though, I seriously don't think the teachers have ever read it. At one point in the novel, the MC and her "boyfriend" go to New Jersey because . The characters are afraid of what their parents will think of the whole, I skipped school with a high schooler of the other gender thing. Luckily for an innocent child, the author decided against it. I'm seriously disappointed that a book like this made it to the summer reading list. After a point, the book just got boring for me, and I searched up the plot on wikipedia. I'm sorry, no I didn't actually finish the entire book.
December 5, 2020
Trigger warnings: kidnapping (in the past), mentions of cults.
So this was published in 1990 and, uh, IT SHOWS. This story feels so indescribably 80s. None of the teenage characters talk like teenagers. They barely even talk like people, to be honest. There's a good two pages of the story at one point where they have a roll of tape and they're debating what prank to play with it, and it's all stuff like "tape the chairs to the desks in a classroom", which is honestly the kind of prank that 9 year old boys would play rather than a group of 16 year olds, even 30 years ago.
For a book that's less than 200 pages long and that's ostensibly about a girl realising that she was kidnapped as a child and that her parents aren't her parents, it takes a long-ass time to actually get around to that part of the story. Also, if I had to read about Janie flicking her hair in everyone's faces one more time I was going to reach into the freaking book to cut it off.
Also, the fact that when they go to the library, they have to use both a card catalogue AND microfilm made me lol and thank God for the internet.
So this was published in 1990 and, uh, IT SHOWS. This story feels so indescribably 80s. None of the teenage characters talk like teenagers. They barely even talk like people, to be honest. There's a good two pages of the story at one point where they have a roll of tape and they're debating what prank to play with it, and it's all stuff like "tape the chairs to the desks in a classroom", which is honestly the kind of prank that 9 year old boys would play rather than a group of 16 year olds, even 30 years ago.
For a book that's less than 200 pages long and that's ostensibly about a girl realising that she was kidnapped as a child and that her parents aren't her parents, it takes a long-ass time to actually get around to that part of the story. Also, if I had to read about Janie flicking her hair in everyone's faces one more time I was going to reach into the freaking book to cut it off.
Also, the fact that when they go to the library, they have to use both a card catalogue AND microfilm made me lol and thank God for the internet.
April 22, 2017
I did not expect the book to be like this.
I was really disappointed in this book.
The book was very boring and I felt like there was way too much romance and sex talk rather than an actual mystery about Janie's "kidnapping."
I didn't really like this book that much.
I was really disappointed in this book.
The book was very boring and I felt like there was way too much romance and sex talk rather than an actual mystery about Janie's "kidnapping."
I didn't really like this book that much.
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