Caroline B. Cooney

A photograph of a missing girl on a milk carton leads Janie on a search for her real identity.

The Face on the Milk Carton

julia

I think I had been planning to read this book since elementary school, but I never got around to it. I really enjoyed this story. It was very suspenseful and Janie seemed very real to me.

Lacy W

3.5 stars

I remember reading this when I was in high school, maybe even middle school. At the time, I had no idea it was an actual series. I'm sure I was pretty irritated with the ending but honestly I can't remember if I was or not. But I'm irritated at the cliffhanger now. Because that means I have to place the next book on hold on Overdrive. 

Anyway. This book is about Janie. She discovers she is the missing child on a milk carton. Back whenever this book was written, they put missing children on milk cartons. I feel like that is kind of disturbing to have a child missing for years on a carton of milk you are trying to drink. But that is just me. 

I could tell that this book was indeed middle grade. The writing was very simplistic and the secondary characters weren't super fleshed out. Janie herself could have used a little more work. Her mind was more of a child then of a 15 year old girl. She was very indecisive about what she wanted to do after she discovers this secret. It got old after a while. I had to keep telling myself  what would you do in a situation like this?

Regardless, this wasn't a terrible book. Just your average middle grade book. I assume that the characters will get more fleshed out and Janie will get more mature as the series continues and as she gets older. I'm curious, though, as to why this was considered a banned book. Anyway, if you are looking for something in between series, this is a good place to start.

Laura Yaneth Martinez

Heba Alsibai

I enjoyed this book. The writing was good and the story kept me wanting more. I will be reading the next book I want to know what happens.

Lysh (She/Her)

The premise was so promising! I'd never considered an overarching plot like this and have never heard of it being done before. Alas, the book was a bit of a flop for me. It wasn't edited closely enough for my liking. I found several awkward phrases or grammatical errors throughout. I also wasn't a fan of Cooney's writing style. She used great figurative language, but the flow of the text was completely off. It stumbled at every new plot point and included too many quick or convenient connectors. The love story part of it wasn't needed and wasn't even cheesy. It was distasteful and I was actually put off by this whenever it came up. I so wanted to love it, but didn't. I was left disappointed. Lucky it was a library book!

The Face on the Milk Carton

Reviews