The Face on the Milk Carton

Book cover of The Face on the Milk Carton

Book description

In the vein of psychological thrillers like We Were Liars and One of Us Is Lying, bestselling and Edgar Award nominated author Caroline Cooney’s JANIE series seamlessly blends mystery and suspense with issues of family, friendship and love to offer an emotionally evocative thrill ride of a read.

No one…

Explore

Topics

Genres

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked The Face on the Milk Carton as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Jane Buckingham

Author

Caroline B. Cooney instantly drew me in with her book's gripping premise: Janie Johnson, your typical high school girl, spots her three-year-old self on a missing child alert on a milk carton during lunch. Suddenly, she's swept into a deep, psychological journey filled with doubt and fear about her own family. Could the parents she loves actually have kidnapped her? I was hooked by the exploration of identity and belonging, as Janie's turmoil—her fear, confusion, and anger—felt really real and relatable.

I found it impossible to put down because you're desperate to uncover the truth alongside Janie. Each revelation about…

From Jane's list on YA books for any age reader.

Jeannette de Beauvoir

Author

I don’t often read YA novels, so I’m grateful to the friend who insisted I read this one.

Imagine picking up a milk carton imprinted with images of missing children—and seeing your own face there. This story is written with a kind of hectic immediacy through the eyes of 15-year-old Janie Johnson, who now must find out who she really is. Confronted, her parents share what they believe to be her story: she is really their grandchild, the child of their long-missing daughter who disappeared into a cult.

As it turns out, even the story within the story offers another…

From Jeannette's list on stories involving kidnapping.