Book 3/100 of my 100 Classic Book Challenge, courtesy of the Amazon Top 100 YA Books To Read list.

We are heading back to the late 80’s/early 90’s! A time when you couldn’t buy a milk carton without the face of a missing child on the back. A time when child abduction was in the news because of John Walsh (leading to the TV show, America’s Most Wanted). And a time when yours truly was 2 and almost abducted at a shopping mall. Oh yes – a woman snatched me and was very close to getting away with it. Thankfully my mom found me and was able to grab me back. I grew up hearing this story, and always was told “that could have been you” when looking at a carton of milk.

Janie Johnson lives a “boring” life with her boring name. She’s hoping to have her first kiss and her first boyfriend. She’s hoping to get her driver’s license. She’s hoping to spice up her life. At lunch one day she sees a picture of a little girl that is missing and realizes, “that’s me!” As forgotten memories begin to resurface, she goes on a quest for the truth.

Kicking It Old School

This story was before the internet was available, so the story plays out VERY differently than it would had it been written in more modern times. Information was not widespread as it is now, so this story required a lot of patience and luck to obtain information. Unfortunately, that made the story feel a lot slower than today’s fast paced world. I kept turning the pages to see what information Janie could find about the memories she kept having, and for what happened next.

I was shocked that she could not confide in her “friends” as to what was happening to her! This was a huge, life-altering thing and you could see how it was breaking Janie down chapter by chapter. That felt so real and raw to read.

Things I Hope Stay In the 90’s

This story did not feel like a timeless, classic book that is important for everyone to read before they die. I could have been just fine without it. There were a few things that were confusing:

• There was a lot of talk about Janie’s “milk allergy” throughout the book. It didn’t lead anywhere though, so it was confusing why it kept getting brought up. I like to try and guess where the plot is going, so I thought the parents were going to say “we kidnapped you and kept you away from milk cartons so you would never know!” Spoiler alert – the milk allergy went nowhere.
• Janie was wanting to get her driver’s license, but kept saying she needed her birth certificate. Her mom was super cagey about it, and Janie felt that the mom was hiding it on purpose. Ok – I see why that was a plot point to move the story along, but if the explanation for how the parents ended up with Janie was true, then HOW IN THE WORLD DID SHE GET REGISTERED FOR SCHOOL! I remember moving in 2nd grade, and my parents had to SHOW MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE!
• Why oh why was a “romance” forced in this book? Reed, the neighbor, came across as just a family friend and a forced plot point. Janie lived in Connecticut but the family of the missing girl lived in New Jersey. How can she get there? Oh! Forced love! He will do it!

There are 4 more books in the series. I was able to find out what happened in all of the books by reading the summaries for each of them. Unfortunately, I was quite underwhelmed. I won’t be proceeding with the series. If this book was ever updated for the times (I’m looking at you The Babysitters Club) I would absolutely jump on it just to see the differences!