The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
"The Face on the Milk Carton" by Caroline B. Cooney is a young adult novel that follows the journey of Janie Johnson, a high school sophomore who discovers a photograph of herself as a missing child on a milk carton. This shocking revelation leads Janie to question her identity and the family she has always known, the Johnsons. As Janie investigates her past, she uncovers unsettling truths about her origins, including that she is actually the granddaughter of the Johnsons and was kidnapped by her mother, who joined a cult. Through Janie's internal struggles and flashbacks, the novel explores themes of family, identity, and the emotional impact of being a kidnapped child.
The narrative is presented from a limited omniscient perspective, providing insight into Janie's thoughts and feelings as she grapples with her dual identity. The story culminates in a poignant climax that highlights Janie's conflict between her loyalty to the Johnsons and her desire to reconnect with her biological family, the Springs. Over time, "The Face on the Milk Carton" has garnered recognition for its sensitive portrayal of complex issues, making it a significant contribution to the young adult literature genre. The book's themes resonate with readers, prompting discussions about family dynamics and the ramifications of abduction.
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
First published: 1990
Subjects: Family and love and romance
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The present
Recommended Ages: 10-15
Locale: Connecticut
Principal Characters:
Janie Johnson , a high school sophomoreMiranda Johnson , Janie’s motherFrank Johnson , Janie’s fatherReeve Shield , a high school senior who lives next door to the JohnsonsLizzie Shield , Reeve’s older sister, who is in law school
Form and Content
InThe Face on the Milk Carton, Caroline B. Cooney tells Janie Johnson’s story from the limited omniscient point of view. This straightforward approach allows Cooney to focus on Janie, to give the reader access to Janie’s thoughts, and to provide glimpses of the flashbacks that occur in Janie’s mind as she remembers her life before the age of three.
The protagonist is a high school sophomore who, thinking her life is dull, seeks to add “personality” by changing the spelling of her name from “Jane” to “Janie.” Eating lunch in the school cafeteria with her friends, she looks at a milk carton and sees a photograph of herself when she was three years old. The name beneath the picture, however, is Jennie Spring, and the information states that she was reported missing by a family in New Jersey.
Although she loves the Johnsons, Janie begins to gather clues about her early life. Her mother acts strangely when Janie needs her birth certificate to get a driver’s license and passport. There is also the absence of any baby pictures of Janie. Finally, in an attic trunk, she finds the polka-dot dress shown in the missing person photograph.
When Janie confronts the Johnsons, they tell her that rather than being their daughter, she is their granddaughter. Their daughter Hannah, who was brainwashed by a cult, came home one day with her own daughter, young Janie. When Hannah left to rejoin the cult, she left Janie behind. Fearing that the cult would come to take Janie away, the Johnsons changed their name and, with the help of an attorney, moved, leaving no forwarding address.
While wanting to believe the Johnsons, Janie cannot forget the information from the milk carton. Skipping school, she persuades her boyfriend Reeve to drive her to the New Jersey town where the Spring family lives. There she watches as the Spring children arrive home and are greeted by their mother. Janie and the Springs have the same red hair. Putting together the information from her flashbacks, Janie realizes that she was once part of this family.
As she learns more about the past, she realizes that the Johnsons did not kidnap her from the Springs; Hannah did. Torn between her love for the Johnsons and the pain that she knows the Spring family has suffered, Janie writes detailed notes about what she has found and sinks into despair. She even blames herself for the kidnapping. Her refusal to tell the Johnsons drives a wedge between her and Reeve, and they break up.
Events come to a head when Janie puts her notes in an envelope that she has addressed to the Springs. When she finds the clip in her notebook broken and the envelope missing, Janie realizes that someone may find the letter and mail it. She turns to Reeve, who contacts his sister Lizzie. Although it is Lizzie who, along with Reeve and Janie, tells the Johnsons the entire story, it is Janie who places the phone call to the Springs that ends the novel.
Critical Context
Although not included on any “best books” lists when first published, The Face on the Milk Carton has become popular with young adults. In addition to receiving the Pacific States and Iowa Teen awards, the novel was an International Reading Association-Children’s Book Council (IRA-CBC) Children’s Choice Book. Its sequel, Whatever Happened to Janie (1993), was an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults.
Throughout The Face on the Milk Carton, Cooney presents only one side of the story—that of Janie and the Johnsons. In the sequel, she presents the story of the Springs, including their life in the years without Janie (their Jennie) and the adjustments that have to be made when Janie rejoins the family.
The subject of kidnapping has been discussed in other young adult novels, although not in the same manner as in The Face on the Milk Carton. In Taking Terri Mueller (1981), by Norma Fox Mazer, a young girl is kidnapped by her noncustodial parent. In The Twisted Window (1987), by Lois Duncan, Brad kidnaps a young girl to replace the sister whom he accidentally killed. Jean Thesman’s Rachel in Rachel Chance (1990) tries to find her young brother, who has been kidnapped by a religious group. In contrast, Cooney deals with the emotional problems of a kidnapped child who has been living with a wonderful family that knows nothing about her past.