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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
I first read this book when I was in 5th grade and ended up loving it. It has everything- a lot of intrigue and mystery, people who seem like one person but aren't quite who they say they are, and family mystery. It's a great children's series!
Janie lives a really normal suburban life. However, one day in the lunch room, she sees her photo on the milk carton from which she's drinking! Part of the draw for me as a young kid was imagining how it might feel to find MY face on a milk carton (or a missing child's poster, as they don't really seem to print those on milk cartons anymore...). I also loved her drive and determination in wanting to track down her real family and find answers to all of her questions.
Janie lives a really normal suburban life. However, one day in the lunch room, she sees her photo on the milk carton from which she's drinking! Part of the draw for me as a young kid was imagining how it might feel to find MY face on a milk carton (or a missing child's poster, as they don't really seem to print those on milk cartons anymore...). I also loved her drive and determination in wanting to track down her real family and find answers to all of her questions.
I base my rating solely on how much I liked this book when I was a teen. I remember reading it and loving it. It was one of those books that I couldn't help but imagine happening to me - even though it's ridiculously improbable. I don't really remember exactly what it was about, or how it ended, but I do remember loving it.
I enjoyed the idea of this book but had trouble with the writing style. I also really disliked Jaine. I will however, be reading the next book to figure out what happens to her biological family.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Overall, just bad. I've read many self-published works better. The writing is just childish and awkward. The idea isn't terrible (that's what got the half star), but the execution is severely lacking. I lost count of formatting and grammar errors, which made the immersion even more difficult. The ending felt like a copout and didn't leave me satisfied.
Content Warnings
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really interesting premise, but not really done in the best way. The main character was very annoying, and the ending was disappointing to say the least.
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.
I remember reading this book and all of the subsequent ones in the series when I was a teenager. Going on that memory I originally gave this a 5 Star rating. This weekend I decided I needed a quick read and chose to borrow this from the local library... I kind of regret that memory shattering move. I found myself being irritated with all of the sexual angst the entire time I read. I don't understand the necessity, and it mostly seemed forced rather than realistic emotion. I still like the premise of the kidnapping and the mystery of how it happened and what Janie would do about it, but it's definitely not a 5 Star book for me any more.
Janie Johnson is having a regular high school day. She and her friends laugh about the kids whose pictures adorn the school lunch milk cartons. What a surprise, then, when Janie sees HER OWN FACE there. She remembers that picture and the dress she was wearing. She carefully tears the picture from the carton and stows it away. It's almost all she can think about as she goes through her day, not understanding why HER FACE would be on the carton. But when she begins to have flashback visions she begins to realize it must be so. But then, that would make her wonderful parents kidnappers...can that be? Janie struggles to decide if she should pursue the matter, while realizing she can't forgot or stop herself, either.
A very interesting look at a possible story for those pictures we all see of missing children...
Young Adult/Teen realistic fiction.
A very interesting look at a possible story for those pictures we all see of missing children...
Young Adult/Teen realistic fiction.
This book is about a girl named Janie who has the perfect life; supportive friends and caring, if slightly annoying, parents. One day, Janie looks on the back of a milk carton during her lunch period. There are always pictures of kids who are kidnapped, and that day, there was a picture of Janie on the back. Janie started having daymares about her before the picture on the milk carton was taken. Later on in the book, Janie gets the truth from her parents. Janie is so disturbed by the truth, she decides to skip school with her boyfriend, Reeve. This made me want to throw my book across the room because it irritated me on so many levels. It irritated me that a student like Janie wants to skip school. Before they left, Reeve asked Janie, ““You serious? Janie of the sweet, obedient personality wants to cut class?”” (Cooney 98). It also irritated me that Reeve went along with the idea so easily, and drove her to New Jersey. Reeve just got on the honor role for the first time, and then he decides to ruin it just because his girlfriend asked. Anyone can relate to wanting to skip school, but actually going through with it, irritates me to no end.