The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney - A Review

The Face on the Milk Carton is the first book out of five written by Caroline Cooney for the Janie Johnson series. It's on the suspense category. The book is about Janie Johnson, a 15 year old orange-haired lass who found out she was kidnapped when she was little after seeing her photo at the back of a milk carton. I've seen this before on one of Blur's mtv which showed a photo of a child at the back of a walking milk carton. I don't know but I guess that's the best way to find a lost or kidnapped kid in the U.S or other parts of the globe per se because everyone practically consumes milk/part of almost each and every household.

Going back, Janie tried to rummaged their attic for any sort of evidence that would support she's not her parents real daughter. She found the same exact dress hidden in one of the dusty boxes, the same one she saw the kid wearing (which she presumes to be her) at the back of the milk carton. Janie thought how com her parents were a little older that the rest of her friends. Janie had a boyfriend, her next door neighbor Reeve with whom she confided everything about her suspicions.

One time Janie confronted her parents about what she found out. Her parents said that she was their daughter's child named Hannah. During the hippies era Hannah went away with a cult called Hare Krishna, bore a child who happened to be her. Hannah went home one day back to her parents abode with her but later on decided to go back to the cult. Mr. and Mrs Johnson (the parents Janie grew up with) decided to move so Hannah won't find her daughter. Her parent's just wanted what's best for their grand daughter basically.

Janie is apprehensive as there's this long term memory that lingers to her everytime about a child with her happy family, ice cream, happy parents etcetera. Janie then researched about the Jenny Spring kidnapping which happened to be what's written at the back of the milk carton. She drove off to New Jersey with Reeve to the Springs home and saw how the Spring kids looked just like her, the hair color and all.

How did this book ended? Janie was reunited with her Spring family, she forgave her Johnson parents for what happened but she later on found how her disappearance changed her Spring family so much and the rest is on the next book What Happened to Janie?

Ok, it was a nice read actually. It kept me reading because I too got curious if Janie was indeed kidnapped or what really happened to her as a kid. This book made me think what if you grew up with parents you've known all your life and turn out to be kidnappers? I think the best way to figure that out is to scour for baby photos, baptismal, school, or any sort of photos with your momma holding you as a baby at the hospital or simply a birth certificate with your name on it. How to figure if it's valid? Go to the city hall and make sure you're a registered individual. This is really happening I suppose as this novels won't be around if not. I mean I've read a lot about kidnappings because let's face it, some parents are not always auspicious to have their own child so being immensely deranged they resort to kidnapping. I guess this is extremely painful for the child no matter how nice her alleged parents are, to be robbed out of your right to be with your biological family.

I thought how lucky of me that I indeed grew up with my biological family but also thought that what if not right? I just don't know how some people could get away with such crime and I mean conscience wise.

Oh by the way I read there's already a movie adaptation made years back so I'm actually curious to watch it hmmm.