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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I've had this series on my shelf for several years, because all the books were really cheap ( like $.25 or $.50) at a book sale a long time ago. Plus this was on my teachers shelves in middle school and I almost picked it up but chose The Giver instead. So I've been seeing this book around for over half my life, and since they've been on my shelves, I decide "it's time to pick it up." And I'm glad I did. This is a short novel so it's really easy and quick to read. It was obvious that this was a YA because of the simplified writing. But I still found that I really enjoyed it.
I've never seen the movie, but I knew that it was about a girl who finds her face on a milk carton and finds out that she had been kidnapped at 3 years old. I am interested in stories and topics like these which is what made me want to pick it up. And really, I enjoyed it. I was able to finish it in just a few hours, both because it was an easy read and because the story intrigued me. I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series, except maybe the most recently released one which I don't own, the 5th one, depending on how I feel the story ended with the 4th. I want to watch the movie too, to see how similar it is to the book.
The book has a good premise, and it keeps you on your feet wondering whats next, but if you can't handle really simplified, almost childish writing, I wouldn't suggest this. That type of writing usually bugs me, but for this book, it was okay and actually worked well. I would recommend this for anyone who likes suspense and thriller and who wants to be able to read a book quickly.
I've never seen the movie, but I knew that it was about a girl who finds her face on a milk carton and finds out that she had been kidnapped at 3 years old. I am interested in stories and topics like these which is what made me want to pick it up. And really, I enjoyed it. I was able to finish it in just a few hours, both because it was an easy read and because the story intrigued me. I will definitely be continuing with the rest of the series, except maybe the most recently released one which I don't own, the 5th one, depending on how I feel the story ended with the 4th. I want to watch the movie too, to see how similar it is to the book.
The book has a good premise, and it keeps you on your feet wondering whats next, but if you can't handle really simplified, almost childish writing, I wouldn't suggest this. That type of writing usually bugs me, but for this book, it was okay and actually worked well. I would recommend this for anyone who likes suspense and thriller and who wants to be able to read a book quickly.
One day in the school cafeteria, a teenager picks up one of the milk cartons and sees her face staring back at her from a photo of a missing child. Her entire world is overturned. Her "parents" have secrets. What is the truth? Who is this real family of hers? Where does she fit in the world?
The premise of the story is fascinating, and the suspense is palpable.
However, at least with this novel, the author had NO idea what teens in the early 1990s were like. We weren't sipping from milk cartons -- we were hooked on Snapple. We didn't have friends with names like Adair, Sarah-Charlotte, and Reeve. I think maybe she watched too many soap operas! We sure didn't call our parents "Mommy" and "Daddy" at 15 years old. Another inconsistency -- and I found this one hilarious -- is that Janie, the main character, is supposedly lactose intolerant yet her parents buy her yogurt and frozen pizza, and order in or take her out for pizza pretty regularly. Some things were not researched well or thought through about this story. Also, Janie and her friends often speak like adults in the 1950s, not like teens.
And yet, I could not put it down and I want to continue reading the series.
As an adoptee who grew up with my biological family history held in tight secrecy, who later found my parents and extended family on both sides, stories like this are so relatable to me. What makes you "you" -- nature, nurture, your own determination? Where do you come from, and how does it affect how you see yourself, and your place in society?
I was trying to figure out, even though I like books where people find out a surprise origin story, why I had picked up on a book a few decades old. Then I realized that the author, Caroline B. Cooney, also wrote "Before She Was Helen", which was also pretty good -- and has SOME similar themes in that there are family secrets and suspenseful build up and a solidly good story idea. The good news is that the author's writing got better with age.
The premise of the story is fascinating, and the suspense is palpable.
However, at least with this novel, the author had NO idea what teens in the early 1990s were like. We weren't sipping from milk cartons -- we were hooked on Snapple. We didn't have friends with names like Adair, Sarah-Charlotte, and Reeve. I think maybe she watched too many soap operas! We sure didn't call our parents "Mommy" and "Daddy" at 15 years old. Another inconsistency -- and I found this one hilarious -- is that Janie, the main character, is supposedly lactose intolerant yet her parents buy her yogurt and frozen pizza, and order in or take her out for pizza pretty regularly. Some things were not researched well or thought through about this story. Also, Janie and her friends often speak like adults in the 1950s, not like teens.
And yet, I could not put it down and I want to continue reading the series.
As an adoptee who grew up with my biological family history held in tight secrecy, who later found my parents and extended family on both sides, stories like this are so relatable to me. What makes you "you" -- nature, nurture, your own determination? Where do you come from, and how does it affect how you see yourself, and your place in society?
I was trying to figure out, even though I like books where people find out a surprise origin story, why I had picked up on a book a few decades old. Then I realized that the author, Caroline B. Cooney, also wrote "Before She Was Helen", which was also pretty good -- and has SOME similar themes in that there are family secrets and suspenseful build up and a solidly good story idea. The good news is that the author's writing got better with age.
My teacher had read this to my class in 6th grade. I remember this story so differently. Reading it now as an adult, it was rather boring and Janie whined way too much. I couldn’t stand her. This book had a good idea but the follow through just didn’t work for me.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started a book club for students and faculty while we're under the remote learning regime at work. I'm not much of a genre person, so when everyone else wanted to read mystery, and I had to consider things that would work for teens while hopefully appealing to adults in addition to being quick, easy reads (because that's all most people can handle right now), my very first thought was this, from my own teenage years. I gave the club a couple of other options. Perhaps my telling them that this book's premise is "ludicrous" was a selling point.
I've been having a lot of trouble focusing on reading. I read this in one afternoon! I expected it to have aged badly, but what makes this assuredly ludicrous story work is what makes it so easy to read. The writing isn't overwrought (unlike too much of today's YA); instead, there's a rather elegant sparseness. Once, Cooney describes the weather as "sweater weather," and that's all, because that's all you need to know what she means. She extends this to her cast of characters, all of whom become real people with only a few words, and she remembers that her teenagers are indeed teenagers without trying too hard to make them hip. I forgot about that cliffhanger ending, which is just as well, because this remains a ridiculous and fantastic comfort read, and I intend to jump to the sequel pretty much immediately.
I've been having a lot of trouble focusing on reading. I read this in one afternoon! I expected it to have aged badly, but what makes this assuredly ludicrous story work is what makes it so easy to read. The writing isn't overwrought (unlike too much of today's YA); instead, there's a rather elegant sparseness. Once, Cooney describes the weather as "sweater weather," and that's all, because that's all you need to know what she means. She extends this to her cast of characters, all of whom become real people with only a few words, and she remembers that her teenagers are indeed teenagers without trying too hard to make them hip. I forgot about that cliffhanger ending, which is just as well, because this remains a ridiculous and fantastic comfort read, and I intend to jump to the sequel pretty much immediately.
In a lot of respects, this is pretty dated--like first of all does any school have milk in cartons anymore? and if they do, they definitely don't have missing children? The fat-shaming and food obsession actually isn't dated exactly--that shit's still all over contemporary YA--but it's still gross.
STILL at its heart there is just something so compelling about the core premise of this!
http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-78-the-face-on-the-milk-carton/
STILL at its heart there is just something so compelling about the core premise of this!
http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers/episode-78-the-face-on-the-milk-carton/