The Face on the Milk Carton

Module 8- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

Cooney, C. B. (1990). The face on the milk carton. New York: Bantam Books.

192 Pages
Ages 12-16

Plot:

Janie Johnson is your typical high school girl. She thinks too typical even and begins to imagine herself as someone more exciting and exotic: Jayyne Jonstone. However, when she discovers her 3 three year old self upon a missing persons report on the side of her milk carton, she no longer knows who she is at all. Its reported that she was kidnapped from a New Jersey shopping center at the age of three, but with her perfect parents she has no other reason to suspect she is anyone other than good old Janie. However, she begins to find small and unnerving discrepancies such as a lack of a birth certificate, the distinctive polka-dot dress from the milk carton photograph in the attack, and flashbacks of another life. Soon she is sure her parents are not really her parents and is forced to confront them. They tell her that they are actually her grandparents and that their daughter was lost to a cult and that to protect Janie they had to change their names and create this new story and life. When some facts still dont add up, Janie realizes that she was still taken from her real family by her grandparent's daughter and makes the toughest decision of her life; she calls her real mother.

My Impressions:

I picked this book because I remembered it and its sister novels being popular when I was younger, but I'd never got around to reading any of them. I was surprised by this book. First of all, I remember it being popular when I was in about fourth grade and I found the content of the book a bit heavy and sexually charged for this demographic. However, for a slightly older reader, I found the book to be a very suitable mystery read. I enjoyed the fully fleshed characters and the story was nicely paced without lulls. It not only shares a very intriguing mystery, but it also raises some difficult questions for the reader about how they would handle such a life-changing situation. I found it to be a great read and would recommend it for young adults looking for a good mystery read.

Reviews:

From Publishers Weekly

"THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON The picture of a missing child printed on a milk carton attracts the attention of 15-year old Jane Johnson. A glimpse of the girl's polka-dot dress causes memories to surface, and Jane begins to review her past and question her true identity. It is nearly impossible for Jane to perceive her loving parents as kidnappers; the task of gathering evidence and drawing conclusions proves less difficult than confronting the undeniable truth. As the novel ends, Jane has found the courage to contact her real parents, but Cooney cleverly leaves the events that follow to readers' imaginations. Although the book's plot is based largely on coincidences, Cooney's skilled writing makes even the most unlikely events seem plausible. The roller-coaster ride Jane experiences with her emotions is both absorbing and convincing. Strong characterizations and suspenseful, impeccably-paced action add to this novel's appeal. Ages 12-up."

Diane, R. k. (1990). The Face on the Milk Carton. Publishers Weekly, 237(2), 62. 

Library Suggestions:

I would promote this item as part of a collection of young adult mysteries. There is a reason this book has remained a popular read and a part of library collections for many years, and that is because it is a good book for a wide category of readers, offering both an engaging mystery as well as an examination of personal identity.