Whatever Happened to Janie? (Janie Johnson Series #2)

by Caroline B. Cooney

Overview

No one ever paid attention to the faces of missing children on milk cartons. But as Janie  Johnson glanced at the face of the little girl who had been taken twelve years ago, she recognized that little girl--it was herself.

The mystery of the kidnapping is unraveled, but the nightmare is not over. The Spring family wants justice, but who is to blame? It's difficult to figure out what's best for everyone.

Janie Johnson or Jennie Spring? There's enough love for everyone, but how can the two separate families live happily ever after?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307425201
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	07/01/2009
Series:	Janie Johnson Series , #2
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	279,380
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

CAROLINE B. COONEY is the bestselling author of more than 30 young adult books, including the million-copy plus bestseller, The Face on the Milk Carton.

Editorial Reviews

The sequel to The Face on the Milk Carton explores the trauma of a kidnapped adopted child returned to her birth parents. ``The power and nature of love is wrenchingly illustrated,'' wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)q

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 7-10-- Cooney's The Face on the Milk Carton (Bantam, 1990) involved a 15-year-old girl who discovers she had been kidnapped when she was 3. Those left hanging by the ambiguous ending to that story will want to read this sequel in which Janie goes to live with her biological parents and four siblings. Although all of the family members are eager to include her, she's determined to remain emotionally aloof. Finally, Janie asserts her desire to return to her adopted family, and her biological parents love her enough to let her go. The strength of this book is that all of the parties are easy to empathize with. They are well-rounded characters with quirks and annoying qualities, yet all have compassion for ``the other guy,'' even while feeling their own pain. The suspense centers around the question of which family needs Janie more and which she will choose. There is no clear answer to her dilemma since both love her and have suffered through no fault of their own. While Janie ultimately puts her own feelings first by choosing the family that is ``real'' to her, the stage is set for future changes of heart and perhaps another sequel. Meanwhile, this book won't gather dust on the shelf. --Jacqueline Rose, Southeast Regional Library, NC

School Library Journal

In a gripping sequel to "The Face on the Milk Carton" (1990), Janie is a typical 15-year-old, except that she has two families. After discovering that she is the missing face on a milk carton, Janie returns to her birth family, which has been searching for her since her kidnapping at age three. This unusual story presents the struggles of Janie, her siblings, and both sets of parents in an engrossing fashion. Janie promises she will have no contact with her adoptive family for three months, but everyone underestimates how difficult this will be. Which woman deserves the title and affection reserved for "Mom"? What name does she write on her papers at school--Janie Johnson or Jennie Spring? The gut-wrenching circumstances in which the characters find themselves are honestly conveyed, and while most YAs won't be able to identify with the situation, all readers will be able to recognize the powerful emotions of love, hate, and anger that Cooney sensitively portrays.

Susan DeRonne

In this sequel to the popular THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON, Janie/Jenny goes to live with her real family from whom she was abducted when she was 3-years-old. She is torn between her love for the parents who raised her and the family she was born into. In this slightly voiced reading, Bresnahan delivers a perfectly balanced performance. She is authentic as an angry, sometimes rebellious teenager. Her use of pauses and phrasing is well timed, especially at dramatic points in the story. Additionally, her clear and meticulous diction is a pleasure to listen to. S.S.R. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 99 - AudioFile