The Face on the Milk Carton

Caroline B. Cooney

Jul 2009 · Sold by Laurel Leaf

About this ebook

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?

Ratings and reviews

Confused, scared, depressed, alone. Janie Johnson was a very happy and nice girl before the heart breaking news she discovered. She has lots of friends like Sarah-Charlotte and Reeve. She daydreams about getting her driver license soon just like any normal 15 year-old. Dealing with high school life is tough, then having to come home to either disappointed parents or very proud ones. What a life! This stubborn girl is from the amazing book, The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. This mysterious and suspenseful book sets place in Connecticut where some crazy things happen to Janie Johnson. This story lures you in and leaves you on a few cliff hangers. The description is very well put, so well that it seems as though you are part of the book. This is one exiting novel that much adolescence should read. Reeve is the crazy friend that does whatever, whenever. Mom and dad are the worried type parents. All of them are a major part in Janie’s life. Janie seems to have some-what of a wonderful life. She lives in a good neighborhood, next to her friend Reeve. Many of her friend’s think she and Reeve should go out so she sometimes seems uncomfortable talking to him. During lunch, Pete, another one of Janie's friends, mentions that the pictures of missing children on the milk cartons are scam and fake. After finishing her peanut butter sandwich, Janie wants to wash it down with milk although she is lactose intolerant. She takes Sarah-Charlotte’s milk and notices that the picture of the missing child was her! She remembers the picture from the dress with the itchy tag in the back. Many thoughts ran threw her head. Could her parents have kidnapped her? Who are her real mom and dad? Janie went to find out. One day while her parents weren’t home Janie decided to go find any evidence of her as a very young child since her parents say they never bought a camera for Janie until she was five. She went to the attic and found some photos and records of a girl named Hannah. Hannah? Was that their daughter before Janie? During dinner one night, Janie’s parents admit that they are not Janie’s parents but that they are her grandparents. In find of her real mother, Janie goes to New Jersey to try to find her mother with Reeve. Will they succeed? Janie’s life has now turned into the ultimate mystery. This book is very suspenseful and interesting. Parents and teenagers will enjoy this book if they are into realistic fiction. If you like books like chasing redbird and absolutely normal chaos then you will absolutely love this book. The characters seem so real, especially the character Janie. This is one amazing book I hope you can read.

This book is a helpful and popular book in my school. It makes you think, and also satisfies the urge to explore the possibilutues of adoption, lost identities, and secrets. I know that I sometimes wanted to have a completely different family, and reading this book helped me move on from that fase. "The Face on the Milk Carton" is a great book for kids that are my age! I stayed up all night reading this book, not wanting to put it down, because of the edge of your seat suspense. The suspense in this book was very interesting, how it kept pulling you back into the book. I do have to say though, in the beggining there was some times that I felt that the book got a litle boring at times. But, overrall, I loved this book and can't wait to see what Caroline comes up with next.

It's interesting premise is ruined by bad pacing and a very uncomfortable teen "romance". It could be an ok read if you are not bothered by phases like trans-bi-cross sexual habits and other uncomfortable moments that come from the main teen characters instead of the mystery.

About the author

CAROLINE B. COONEY is the bestselling author of more than thirty young adult books, including the million-copy plus bestseller, The Face on the Milk Carton. Her newest novel written for adults, Before She Was Helen, has been nominated for the 2021 Edgar Allen Poe Award.