I liked this book a lot, I'm addicted to the series!
Whatever Happened to Janie?
(1993, Fiction - Family life, Written by Caroline B. Cooney)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Fans of the first book will devour this one.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Whatever Happened to Janie? was written by Monica Wyatt
Parents need to know that emotions rage as Janie tries to adjust to living with new parents. The writing and story sweep along, especially for readers who enjoyed the first book in the series.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about family ties. Do you see one household or another as Janie's "real" family? Families affected by divorce can use this book as a opener to a conversation about the challenges a family faces when they're divided into two houses, and when other people -- step-parents and siblings -- are added to the mix.
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More on Whatever Happened to Janie?
Book Summary
Janie has moved back to live with the Springs. She's supposed to go cold turkey, having no contact with her Connecticut family for three months. Her sister, Jodie, has especially looked forward to her return.
Although Janie promised to try her best to fit in, she feels enormous resentment at having to leave her upper-class, loving home to live in the crowded, middle-class loving home of strangers.
She calls her parents "Mr. and Mrs. Spring," and keeps referring to her "mother" and "father" in Connecticut. The Spring family try their best to help her adjust, but she insists on writing her Connecticut name on her homework and on calling her Connecticut family every day.
When her boyfriend, Reeve, arrives unannounced to visit, she relaxes. At last, Janie makes the decision to go home. Enraged, her sister and her brother, Steve, go to New York, attempting to find the woman who kidnapped Janie.
Is It Any Good?
Those who have read the first book in this series will rush to find out WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANIE? Although Caroline Cooney includes an explanation of Janie's kidnapping from the first book, it comes so late that readers new to the series will be confused. Teenagers struggling to find their own identities, however, understand and empathize with Janie as she tries to become a daughter to strangers. Everything in the Spring household differs radically from her home in Connecticut.
She recognizes that her new family, especially her parents, are good people who truly love her. She doesn't want to hurt them further, yet she also knows the situation is destroying the parents she knows. At the age of 15, Janie can't suddenly forget her entire childhood and begin to become another person. All of these swirling emotions speak to young readers, many of whom struggle to deal with divorce and stepparents in two different homes.
Publisher’s Details
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf, Publication date: 1/1/1993
Number of pages: 199, Price: $5.50 (paperback)
Read Alone: 13+
Number of pages: 199, Price: $5.50 (paperback)
Read Alone: 13+
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Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
very good
i thought this book was very good and it was one of those books that is hard to set down there isnt anything parents hav to worry about but at first it is a little confusing because she has to diff names and they hav sudden fashbacks and its hard to know when she is having one overall its great
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I rate this title on for age 12 and give it
very good
i thought this book was very good and it was one of those books that is hard to set down there isnt anything parents hav to worry about but at first it is a little confusing because she has to diff names and they hav sudden fashbacks and its hard to know when she is having one overall its great
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
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I rate this title on and give it
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