The Face on the Milk Carton is a young adult mystery novel written by author Caroline B. Cooney that was first published in 1990. The first in the five-book Janie Johnson series, it was later adapted into a film for television. The book is about a 15-year-old girl named Janie Johnson, who starts to suspect that her parents may have kidnapped her and that her biological parents are somewhere in New Jersey. These suspicions come after Janie recognizes a picture of herself on a milk carton under the heading "Missing Child." Janie's life gets more stressful as she tries to find the truth while hiding the secret from her parents.
The Face on the Milk Carton, which contains themes including the exploration of self-identity, relationships with parents and peers, and individual responsibility, has been used in young adult classrooms to encourage readers to explore these themes in their own lives. and number 29 for 2000-2009 for references to kidnapping, cults, challenges to authority, and sexual activity. The book has also received several awards, including the Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award (1996) and the Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award (1993). Although Janie refuses to believe that her loving parents could have kidnapped her, she begins having flashbacks that do not fit in with her current life.
After her mother appears reluctant when she asks to see her birth certificate, Janie searches her home's attic for any information that could shed light on her flashbacks. After finding school papers with the name 'Hannah Javensen' and the dress worn by the girl on the milk carton, Janie confronts her parents.
Janie's parents explain that Hannah is their daughter, and that Janie is Hannah's daughter, making them her grandparents. According to her parents, Hannah was a confused teen who had joined a Hare Krishna style cult at a young age and was married off to one of the men in the cult. One day, Hannah showed up at the Johnsons' house with Janie, and left her there before returning to the cult. The Johnsons, fearing the cult might want Janie back, fled the state and changed their name from 'Javensen' to 'Johnson.' Janie, relieved her parents are not kidnappers, concludes that her flashbacks are from her life in the cult before coming to the Johnson's.
Despite her relief, Janie struggles to forget the picture on the milk carton and her flashbacks, and begins researching the Jennie Spring kidnapping. Discrepancies between her research and her parents' story leads her to suspect that her parents may have actually kidnapped her. Although she still loves them and wants to forgive them, Janie decides to further investigate the kidnapping. Along with her boyfriend Reeve, Janie goes to New Jersey to find the Spring family.
In New Jersey, they discover that the entire family has the same red hair that Janie has, which neither Mr. and Mrs. Johnson or even Hannah has. Unsure of what to do, Janie writes the Spring family a letter, but hesitates to mail it. She loses the letter, and worries it has been mailed by someone, which would inform the Spring family.
Janie asks her parents what to do about the letter, and confronts them with what she has learned. A shocked Mr. and Mrs. Johnson reason that Hannah must have kidnapped Janie, and insist, against Janie's wishes, that they call the Springs. The book ends with Janie calling the New Jersey family.
Background
According to an interview with The Atlantic, Cooney's inspiration came to her at LaGuardia Airport, where she saw missing child flyers, including one of a toddler, posted throughout the concourse. The posters struck her, and led her to imagine what it might be like if a toddler recognized herself on a poster. The recommended age range is 12 and up.
Analysis
Authors John Bushman and Shelley McNerny, who specialize in analyzing young adult literature, recognize The Face on the Milk Carton, along with several other young adult novels, as a text that instructors can use to guide the development of young adults’ moral reasoning. This is because the novel contains a variety of themes, including the exploration of self-identity, relationships with parents and peers, and individual responsibility, that will challenge readers to examine the dynamics that the novel's protagonist faces in the context of their own lives. Ford further notes that many of the most popular books among young adults, including The Face on the Milk Carton, are those that are both “mirrors” and “windows,” or books that allow readers to see and understand themselves in the novels’ characters.
Reception
The Face on the Milk Carton has been the recipient of several awards, including the Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award (1996), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award (1993), and Iowa Teen Book Award (1993).