The story begins with an indirect introduction "Janie finished her essay". This introduction (first statement) provides us with no history, background information, character personalities or an apparent plot. This must be because the main character is portrait as a victim of a kidnapping hence the name "the face on the milk carton." The first character introduced is our protagonist, Janie, who seems to be having more than enough conflict with irrelevant issues, ie. her name, names of her children (when she is only 15), driving, and perfoming (reciting her essay) in front of her class. Despite the many issues, Janie (Jayyne, she belives is "cooler") has been struck with plenty of good fortune. Her family is usually convinced of her being right, her father constantly changing his mind on the restrictions he enforces on her, and the bell rang right before she began reading her essay to her class.
This book, I belive is supposed to model the daily life of a common teenager. Which constists of the slightest cooincidence to trigger a huge panic in the mind of said teenager. This book captures a good quality of teenage life, instead of having (an adults) perspective of teenage life, ie locking one in their room, blasting the music on high, and causing shenanigans for society (which is a pretty negative perspective of teenage life) the book focuses on freenship, and what people now call "puppy love" in other words the postive side of teenage life. I will be looking forward to reading a story on teenager's life that doesn not have to do with running around, causing, or having something to do with the blowing up of society. :)
