 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Whatever Happened to Janie?
- By Caroline B. Cooney
- Genre: Family Life
Common Sense Media says
Fans of the first book will devour this one.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
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.
What's the story?
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.
What families can talk about
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.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
AWESOME!
A must-read book for every 8 year old
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
I liked this book a lot, I'm addicted to the series!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
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
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Perfect for teenagers but probably not younger kids or even older people either.
I really liked this book and I think that Revee and Janie make a great couple it is like t.v. in your head !!!!!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Excellent Sequel to Face on A Milk Carton (Every Teen Girl Must Read!)
This is a great book! After reading Face On A Milk Carton I was actually angry because I finished it on the last day of the 3rd quarter and didn't want to wait to get this book! It was totally worth waiting for. A MUST READ for anyone who is interested in mystery or realistic fiction.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
perfect for people 12 and older
I love this book it kept me interested and always wanting to read more
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
heyy a must read for all the face on the milk carton fans
i am really 15 and i luvved it it was basicly the second half of the first book though if you are below 10 i dont sugest you read it for some confusin dialoge and brief mention of sex but thats basicly it and best of all the series continues with the voice on the radio andwhat janie found
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Author: | Caroline B. Cooney |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Family Life |
| Publisher: | Laurel-Leaf |
| Publication date: | January 1, 1993 |
| Number of pages: | 199 |
| Paperback price: | $5.50 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 - 14 |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already read it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
