The Face on the Milk Carton (The Face on the Milk Carton Series)

This was fascinating enough for me to finish it and be hooked in the suspense. However, I do not feel the need to get the rest of the books that follow the story because I feel it is not interesting enough to continue. I am satisfied with this book as it is and really enjoyed the plot twist.

I loved how the book dealt with all the emotional issues that the parents as well as the main character were going through. It kept me hanging throughout the book. I hated the way it ended and ordered the next book a few minutes after I finished the first. Needless to say I finished the second book that day also. Not often two books can hold my interest for so long. Caroline Cooney should take a bow.

This seems hastily written with no editing. The story jumps around leaving moments and thoughts unfinished. I was thoroughly confused what was going on for the entire book. And then the ending.... I was interested enough to at least finish it, but if it were any longer than 100 pages I wouldn't have.

this is a really good book..... in the beginning its tiresome and confusing throughout the book. it skips a lot. i advise people who want to stop reading it because of the boring beginning to not give up hope because the end is quite suspenseful. the book is very repetitive as far as emotions which makes it tiresome. this is a good book for readers who like to commit to books. i would reccomend this book and i did continue reading the series...:)

The face on the milk carton by Caroline b. Cooney is one of the most boring and annoying books I ever read. And here are the reasons why. First the characters. Janie nonstop complains and worries herself about being kidnapped. She has the right to be upset but the whole book was basically only that. And when she finnaly asked her parents about being kidnapped,it was about 50-60% into the book while she learned she saw herself in the milk carton around 5%.

Another reason why I don't like the book is that it ended in a cliff hanger. I spent the whole day reading that book and paying 10 bucks and the book ends when she calls her real parent's.

I downloaded this book because I thought the premise looked good and the reviews sounded so positive. Within the first few pages I had to go back to reading the reviews to see if I got the right book.
The actions are NEVER appropriate: Teenage Janie Johnston confronts her parents about who she really is and they tell her a major secret they've kept from her. What does Janie do? Jokes about being hungry, then wants to take a nap.
In another scene, 14 year old Janie and her new boyfriend are driving to see if they can find Janie's real parents. Without notice, her boyfriend pulls into a motel and gets a room so they can have sex. She doesn't react to the fact that she's never had sex before, this was a bad time to try, or how about asking... instead she just says "I can't do this" and they leave.

The writing style itself is terrible, with everything being overly explained and strange analogies every few paragraphs. The whole main part of the book just goes on and on endlessly with this girl doing nothing but worrying and walking around in a fog. There's no action except her silly friends getting annoyed at her.

And although the story line had promise- the writing style ruined it with choppy scenes and awkward moments where the main character goes out of her way to read about what happened to her, and then decides not to read at the last minute, choosing instead to look at the milk carton with her picture on it for the 100th time.

I rarely give up on a book before it's finished, but I really don't care what happens to this character and my faith in the author is so low that I doubt the ending will have made it worth it.

Don't buy this book.

Could you imagine being kidnaped? My guess is no. In this book you will find out what it feels like.

Jainie is just a normal girl living in a normal neighborhood just like you and me. Until one day she finds out she has been kidnapped. She can't believe it. With her neighbor Reves together they drive to her real mom's house, and she can't believe what she sees. Will she reunite with her real mom? You will have to read to find out.

I think this is a great book because, well something about an intense mystery is just good. There are some intense moments and some mysterious moments. This book will make you not want to put it down until you are done. All the happy moments in this book make it a really good book. With happy ,sad and love moments I really like it except for the love parts.

This is a great book because it includes happy, sad and love moments and plenty of mysterious and action parts, and it's just plan good. Nice job Caroline B. Cooney.

Janie Johnson is a sophomore in high school. One day at lunch she sees a picture of herself on a milk carton. The milk carton has a different pic on it every week of missing children. Janie's face is on the milk carton. Her friends didnt believe her. Throughout the story Janie starts remembering different things about her young childhood before she was kidnapped. She has no idea if these things are real or not. With everything that is happening to her, the boy next door Reeve becomes her best friend and she starts confiding in him. Telling him about the milk carton and everything she is going through. Janie and Reeve start to become really close. They start dating. But Janie goes through a lot. Struggling with this whole milk carton/kidnapping. It starts to consume all of her thoughts, everything about her. Even her relationship with Reeve. There is a big story behind the whole kidnapping situation. Its really sad.
So during this story the whole time, I am thinking why wont they just check the internet. Halfway through I realize they wrote this book in 90s. Before everybody had the internet.
I really liked Reeve's character he was so sweet, most of the time. But during the end. That was Janie's fault though. Why he became so enraged at her. There are a lot of sweet moments between the 2 of them.
The whole birth certificate/Hannah situation, just makes me so sad. How can something like this happen.
I still dont understand why Janie's parents didnt tell them about Hannah to begin with. Why did they let Janie believe for so long a lie. I just dont like when people lie about something so important.
I really loved this book. The characters were so easy to love. I love the topics of kidnappings, so this book was right up my alley. I like how emotional it was. Overall it was just a great story. I cant wait to read the next book. To find out what happens next.

I thought this book was fantastic! The story was strong and the characters likeable.

Swearing: there wasn't anything over the top, some h*ll and d*mn and one use of as*

Violence: absolutely none, some joking hits. But that is all.

Sexual behaviour: very explicit, mentions wanting sex at a hotel. Also has a place known as the "Sexual Overlook" for teenagers. Definitley think about letting younger kids read this.

Summary: glorious book that I enjoyed thoroughly.

This book was intriguing, entertaining, and it kept you on the edge of your seat! The author did a wonderful job with the different characters and how they all played a different role in order to create the story. I think the plot was suspenseful, but at times a little too slow for my liking. For the majority of the book, it was suspenseful, but not to the extent that you got bored with the story. The author did an amazing job at describing how the main character, Janie, felt throughout the book. Although the book used a lot of descriptive words, it was easy to follow along with the story without getting confused or lost.

As I mentioned, I think there were parts of the book that were a little slow. This is the only reason I would rate the book four out of five stars. Also, since it was the first book in the series, it was introducing you to the characters for a while. I think that the following books are going to be much more entertaining because you already know the basic plot. To conclude, I would highly suggest reading this book. It was stupendous and it was plot-twists that you never saw coming.

Like many women of my generation, I originally read this book when I was in middle school, not too long after it came out. Along with Sweet Valley High and The Babysitters Club, this was one of my favorite go to reads. It was always easy to pick up, and seemed light hearted at the time. At this point, I probably haven't read this book in at least sixteen years, so I was curious to see how it would hold up when I compared it to my memories.

As a kid, I was fascinated by Janie's life and the disaster that was crashing down around her. I was the oldest of six kids and I'd be lying if I said I didn't envy Janie. It always seemed like a nice idea, to go from a huge family to a small one. Except, of course, Janie didn't know where she had come from, so she wasn't exactly relishing in it like I imagined I would have been. So to an extent, this was a fun escape fantasy for me when I was younger.

Reading it as an adult, I found I was much more affected by the panic that Janie was feeling. I remember one scene where Janie is so upset she throws up in someone's bushes. As a kid, I didn't understand this at all. But as an adult, I completely understand that feeling. Sometimes things are just so overwhelming that you get sick. And because I do understand that now, I felt that anxiety transfer over, with my heart pounding at times, genuinely feeling those same feelings. Scenarios that didn't seem to make a difference to me at all when I was younger had me in tears now. Maybe it's just that I understand the reality of threats of the world now, know that most kidnappings don't go like it went for Janie. Or maybe I can see myself more in her parents position rather than hers, and know that would be so heart wrenching. Either way, I was definitely more affected than I ever was in past readings.

On the whole, I think this one held up beyond my expectations. You never know how you're going to feel about a book you loved as a kid if you reread it as an adult, so I was glad this didn't seem silly when I explored it again. I think the author dealt with Janie's thoughts and emotions in a realistic way...assuming a kidnapping story would really go the way this one went. I think it's a natural reaction to wonder what you had done wrong, even though logically Janie wasn't responsible, I can see myself feeling the same way.

I'm looking forward to continuing the series again, and to the fact that there are several more books in it now, that were written after I lost interest initially. I've got the next one on my hold list at the library!

The Face on the Milk Carton
By Caroline B. Coonie
Date of review 9/20/02
I read the fascinating book, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Coonie. This book is about a girl who saw her face on a milk carton under the missing ad and realizes the parents she knows and loves must not be her parents. Could they have possibly kidnapped her? Janie is the main character; she is the girl who spots her face on the milk carton. While trying to keep it a secret, she tries to figure out this mystery but at the same time she tears her self esteem apart. Reeve is Janie's boyfriend and next door neighbor, he helps Janie out along the way because he is the only one who knows Janie's secret. Sarah-Charlotte is Janie's best friend who doesn't understand what is going on because she doesn't know the secret. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the people who Janie thought were her parents for all these years. Caroline B. Coonie's message in this book is not to take your life for granted. Janie was always trying to write her name differently because she thought her name was boring. When Janie figured out her name really wasn't Janie Johnson she wished it was. Caroline B. Coonie's style of writing is making you want to read more and more by making you hang in suspense at the end or even the middle of a chapter.

The most important event in this book is when Janie eats a peanut butter sandwich and needs milk afterwards. So Janie steels Sarah-Charlotte's milk and drinks it even though she is allergic to milk. That is when Janie notices the picture on the milk carton and wishes she had never drank that milk. The second important event is when Janie and Reeve skip school to drive to New Jersey to see if the people who are her parents (according to the milk carton) are really her parents. Janie discovers they look just like her. My favorite line from this book is "Janie held Sarah-Charlotte's empty milk carton and stared at the photograph of the little girl. I was kidnapped." This line is my favorite because it starts the mystery and story line of the book. My favorite character is Reeve. I like Reeve because he is very funny and friendly. He is always making jokes or helping someone out, like Janie.

The book, The Face on the Milk Carton was one of my favorite books, it will keep you reading until you finish the book, and when you do, you'll have to go back for the two sequels, What Ever Happened to Janie, and The Voice on the Radio. The reason I liked this book so much is because it keeps you wondering the whole time, what's going to happen to Janie? Did her parents really kidnap her? A mystery reader would definitely like this book because the whole book is an unpredictable mystery. Even if you don't like mysteries this book is still a good book for you. It's exciting, interesting, and much more. This book is an important book to read because it teaches you friendship, and how to deal with difficult situations. To find out what really happened to Janie, read The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Coonie, you're sure to like it!

No one ever paid close attention to the missing children on milk cartons, until one day fifteen year old girl, Janie Johnson looks at a picture of missing little girl and realizes it `s her! There is only one difference on the milk carton her name, Jennie Spring. Other questions start to arise after this incident. Why has she never seen her own birth certificate? Who are her real parents and did her parents kidnap her? Janie tries hardly to ignore theses thoughts, but cant. She begins to have many flashbacks where she begins to remember her real family. Janie finally confronts her parents and finds out that her parents aren't her actual birth parents they are her grandparents and her actual mother is Hannah, the daughter of her current parents. Her parents explain how they lost Hannah to a cult, but she then showed up with Janie at their house. To protect Janie they changed their names and moved around. But, there is still one more unsolved question, Why was she on the milk carton. Reeve, Janie's boyfriend helps her by driving to meet her real family in New Jersey. All her memories turn out to be true as she sees her siblings. Janie doesn't have the courage to go confront her actual family. Janie finally phones the spring family to reveal she is their long-lost daughter

I really enjoyed "The Face on The Milk Carton." It was a suspenseful page-turner and makes you really think about how important it is to have family. The plot is very original and mind-blowing. The fast pace plot keeps you on your toes, so you never get bored of the book.

What would you do if you were enjoying a peaceful lunch on a normal day when you spotted your own face on the back of a milk carton? Seeing your three-year-old face right under the big, black, bold letters MISSING would forever change your life. Well, that is exactly what happened to Janie Johnson. Janie had loving parents who did not seem like the kidnapping type, a stylish best friend, and a cute hunk as her neighbor. But then this milk carton came along and told her that the life that she loved was a lie and had been a lie for twelve years!

She wants answers, but she doesn't know whom she can trust. As she uncovers clues about her past and three year old Jenny Spring, nothing makes sense to Janie. How can she go from being an only child to being a child with a houseful of siblings? She has two families that want her. Neither family is positive on what happened except they both want Jenny or Janie back.

Janie/Jenny doesn't want everyone to know about this mix-up, but it seems like everyone wants to know her story anyway. Reeve, her hunk of a neighbor, knows all of Janie/Jenny's secrets. He would never tell them, but one night the pressure got to be enough. Once he started telling stories about Janie on the radio he couldn't stop and everyone wanted to hear "another Janie." Reeve knows that Janie/Jenny would never forgive him if she knew he told. Will Janie/Jenny find out, or will Reeve get away with his sinful deed?

I would personally recommend this series for anyone, female or male. It will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time! It is serious, but loveable at the same time. There's also a romance winded in with the plot that is so emotional you won't want to stop reading! I finished reading this series in three days, so it was THAT good! There are twists and turns every time you flip the page! Caroline B. Cooney did such an amazing job on these books! I would rate them up at the top with The Lord of the Ring's and the Harry Potter series. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! READ HAPPY!

The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney, is my favorite book because a fifteen year old girl, Janie Johnson, learns a secret that could change her whole life. First of all, I like this book because if Janie had not done something against her doctors recommendations, she would have never learned this horrifying secret. This might have helped Janie, but it might have put her in great danger. One windy October day in Connecticut, Janie was eating a crisp, crunchy peanut butter sandwich. She was craving a milk, but she was lactose intolerant and was not supposed to drink milk. Janie couldn't bare it any longer. All of her friends drank milk ever day, so she decided she would take a chance of getting sick. As she was chugging down the white, runny milk, she notices a little three-year-old girl on the side of the milk carton. She was wearing a pink polka dotted dress. This small girl was kidnapped from a shopping mall in New Jersey 12 years earlier. What made Janie notice this little girl? She recognized her from somewhere. She was the child! Secondly, I like this book because Janie's family seemed so normal, but they really have a lot of secrets they have been hiding from their daughter... or is she their daughter? Janie wouldn't speak all day. She was too busy thinking. When she got home she couldn't find any baby pictures of herself. This made her suspicious. Another reason I like this book is because events happen that lead me to think different things. Then the book comes out and tells you really what happens. Janie went up to the attic to look for baby pictures or her birth certificate. While she was up there she noticed a large, black trunk. All of her family's stuff was labeled with the first letter of their name. This trunk said "H." She had no idea who "H," was. Her mother's name was Miranda and her fathers name was Frank. She tried to open the lock. It was so rusted that it fell to the ground. Inside was the dress shown on the carton, and a lot of geography papers. The name at the top of the paper was Hannah. Who was Hannah? Had her parents ever mentioned her, or had she not been listening? Read the rest of a great book, The Face on the Milk Carton, to find out about the mysterious girl named Hannah.

Janie, a fifteen year old, finds a picture of herself one day on a milk carton. Even though Janie is only about three years old at the time, she recognizes herself by the dress she is wearing in the picture. Ever since that startling moment, Janie has tried to search for clues as to what happened to her and why is she missing. Janie discovers a trunk in her attic; in it she finds the dress from the picture and many other clothes. Then, she starts having flashbacks about times when she was little. Janie begins to remember sitting in a high chair and their dog, Honey. For a long time, Janie has wondered why they don't have her birth certificate and in the hallway, they don't have pictures of her until she is five years old. Janie finally gets enough nerve to ask her so-called parents about her past. Her parents, who are really her grandparents, tell her about her real mom and how she joined a group called a cult and was matched up with a man and had Janie. The cult was a dingy place because they didn't feel the need for things like clothes, so they just wore some cloth. They also felt no need for accessories, neither for the home or themselves. It was not a good place to raise Janie, so her real mom made a visit to her parent's house and decided to leave Janie with them, Janie's grandparents. They soon had to move around to find a safe place to raise Janie. Whenever they moved somewhere new, they felt it was too dangerous for Janie to even go outside to play. Janie's grandparents even changed their last name so they couldn't be found by the cult and to try to keep Janie safe. Still after all of the explanation, Janie feels that she is still missing something. Janie finally realizes how to clear her mind from everything going on.

Marquis Frazier

June6, 2005

5th period

Beg. Comp.

Who's The Real Parents? I just can't imagine knowing that my parents really aren't my parents at all. Author Caroline B. Cooney writes about a young teenage girl named Janie Johnson that went through just that. "The face On The Milk Carton" tells how a young girl's life was changed because she found evidence that proved that her parents might not be her real parents after all. The evidence that Janie has gathered up makes this book interesting because of the measures that she goes through to prove her dark secret. Sarah- Charlotte is one of the other characters that make the book even more interesting. Sarah- Charlotte is one of Janie's best friends. When you have a person in a story that has the same type of attitude as you, that makes you cling to that person more no matter what gender. She has the type of attitude that says if you're my friend you would tell me everything or you really not my friend. This story will have your mind working over time because you would want to put the evidence together as well and you will be wondering what's going to happen next. All the characters in this book add different attitudes and with different attitudes come different problems. I encourage you to read this book because it adds entertainment, gets you in the mood of being grateful for your parents, and it will have you wondering about other people in the world that goes through the same problem. On a scale form one to five I rate this book as a five because of the plot and the characters attitudes, so when ever you bored, walking, or just need something to read "The Face On The Milk Carton" is the book for you.

Caroline B. Cooney is a wonderful writer. Yet, The Face on the Milk Carton, was one of her best. She makes Janie, the main character, alive, like a real 15 yr old girl going through real changes. This story was filled with suspense, and has you flipping its pages constantly.
Janie Johnson is the main character in this story. Briefly, she surprises herself at lunch when she finds that she is �the missing child� on a milk carton. Confusion runs through Janie�s head as she searches for the answer to this mystery. Eventually, she finds herself questioning her family, friends, life in general and if the life she thought was hers, is real. Until, she finds the answer and has to make the biggest decision of her real or non real life.
Janie�s life changed throughout the book, which is something I enjoyed. This story was very suspenseful, how it leaves you on the edge of every chapter. I can�t help but continue reading, to answer the many questions I get. The book was also very well written, by the author Caroline B. Cooney. Cooney adds plenty of details, and makes sure it�s filled with educational vocabulary. The story was very imaginative throughout it all. And It isn�t a question if I would recommend it or not, in fact, I think everyone should get a chance to read, and learn about Janie Johnson.
Overall, this book was very suspenseful from beginning to end. You follow a girl, and how a drastic change upsets her, so she thought, �perfect� life. It�s extremely hard to set this down. But when you do set it down for the final time, all you want to do is start over again.

Caroline B. Cooney, The Face on the Milk Carton.
Fiction
Janie Johnson was a typical shy high school girl. She loved life and all her friends, until one day something changed it all.
No one paid any attention to the missing faces on the milk cartons until Janie Johnson picked up a carton and noticed on the back was a little girl in tight pigtails with red hair and a polkadoted dress. Janie had a dress just like that and she used to wear her hair like that all the time, she read on. A 3-year-old girl that was kidnapped 12 years ago in a shopping mall in New Jersey looked exactly like her. As Janie starred at the picture she noticed something really strange. The girl in the picture was her, but that could never be true.
Janie then started asking question to her parents, if they were her parents. Janie asked questions like where her birth certificate was, or how come she didn't have any baby pictures. Nothing made sense and nothing was coming together. She couldn't believe this.
As the questions developed the pieces weren't coming together.
Where Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really Janies parents? And if not. . . Who is?
This book was a very interesting book. This book made me keep reading on because I wanted to see what happened to Janie and if the Johnson's were really her parents. This made me feel sad because I could never imagine something that like happen to me.
I think this book was a very good book. I recommend it to anybody who likes mystery and fun books.
Taryn M.

In this suspensful,gripping and creepy novel readers will not know what to expect for the protagonist, Janie Johnson. Janie is a 15 year old girl who lives in Connecticut with her "loving" parents. She is lactose intollerant so she isn't allowed to drink milk. One day at lunch time during school she is sick of not being able to drink milk like everybody else. Janie grabs her friends milk carton and drinks all of it. She notices the picture of the missing child on the back of the milk carton. (Faces of missing children are on the back of milk cartons). The picture is of a three year old girl with her hair pulled back in pig tails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar, who was kidnapped from a shopping center in New Jersey. It looked exactlty like Janie - 12 years ago. How could it be true?

Janie's parents would never kidnap her, would they? Throughout the whole novel Janie uncoers more and more evidence, but nothing is making any sense. She trys to figure out the truth behind the story.

Caroline B. Cooney is the author of this mysterious novel. She engages the reader with her descriptive detail. The reader can visualize the each scene in the novel. I recommend this book to all young adults. It's a real Page turner, both gripping and suspenseful. This book has everything and its an easy read. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did, and figure out what really happened to Janie Johnson.

By Elizabeth Leeper

This was a very good book which I enjoyed very much. Janie is a 16 year old and a Sophmore in High School. One day at school Janie was having lunch and she stole her friends milk and looked on the back of the milk carton and what she saw was a polka dot dress it looked familiar to her because she remembered that dress. When she got home she went straight to the attic and there she saw the polka dot dress in a trunk. At that same night at the dinner table she questioned her parents why they stole her and they wouldn't tell her. One day at school she decided to skip and go to New jersey and find her real parents. She had a friend that went with her and his name was Reeve and when they got stuck behind a bus Janie looked across the street and she saw her old address. They went home but they were in big trouble because their parents were worried about her. Well the end I can't tell you so you'll have to figure out what happens by reading " The Face of the Milk Carton" by Caroline Cooney.

I enjoyed this book because it had many sudden turns. It took me only about two days to read this book becuase you are so attached to it and you can never put this book down.

I hope you people out their read this book because you'll love it and never want to put it down.