The Face on the Milk Carton

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key plot points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Chapters 1-3

Reading Check

1. What two things does Janie daydream about?

2. Why is the milk carton significant?

3. What is the name under the photo on the milk carton that Janie saves?

4. What does Janie realize about the photos of her in her house?

5. What type of class do Janie and her mother enroll in together at the YMCA?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Name two ways Janie is different from her peers.

2. Describe the afternoon that Janie and Reeve spend together. How does Janie feel at the end?

Paired Resource

“When Bad News Was Printed on Milk Cartons”

• This 2017 Atlantic article provides a brief history of missing children’s photos on milk cartons.
• Connects to the novel’s theme of the The Development of Identity
• How do the reactions of Janie and her peers to the missing children’s photos on their milk cartons in school reflect the same sentiments in this article?

Chapters 4-6

Reading Check

1. Why does Janie’s body “turn to ice” in Chapter 4?

2. What moment do Janie and Reeve share together at the beginning of Chapter 5?

3. Where are Janie, her family, and her friends going in Chapter 6?

4. How does Janie feel about living in a dorm room for college?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe the emotions that Janie feels as she continues to think about the girl’s photo on the milk carton.

2. Compare Reeve and Janie’s interaction at the football game to their interaction at school on Monday.

Chapters 7-9

Reading Check

1. What two items of interest does Janie find in the attic?

2. What is the setting of the “daymare” vision that Janie has in Chapter 8?

3. Which of Janie’s peers is everyone surprised to see at the Honors Breakfast?

4. What information does Janie learn at the beginning of Chapter 9?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe Janie’s inner conflict at the beginning of Chapter 8.

2. What does Janie learn about Hannah, Frank, and Miranda in Chapter 9?

Paired Resource

“Hare Krishna”

• A Britannica article providing a brief overview of the Hare Krishna religious organization in the US
• How did the Hare Krishna group affect Hannah’s Development of her Identity?

Chapters 10-12

Reading Check

1. Where does Janie tell Reeve she wants to go?

2. What do Janie and Reeve see at 114 Highview Avenue?

3. Where do Janie and Reeve go at the beginning of Chapter 12?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Compare and contrast how Janie feels in Chapter 9 to how she feels during breakfast in Chapter 10.

2. Describe how Janie and Reeve’s interactions change in Chapters 11-12.

Paired Resource

“Latchkey Children”

• An overview from Encyclopedia.com about the etymology of the term “latchkey children”
• How does the introduction of the term “latchkey child” imply a shift in the more traditional nuclear household structure? Would Janie be considered a “latchkey child?”

Chapters 13-15

Reading Check

1. Who is Mr. Yampolski?

2. Why does Janie take a different bus after school?

3. Where does Miranda make an appointment for the family to attend together?

4. What does Janie write in her silver notebook?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Describe the information that Reeve shares with Janie regarding her possible kidnapping in Chapter 15. What is Janie’s reaction?

Paired Resource

“Adjusting to Life After Being Held Hostage or Kidnapped”

• A 2013 article by the American Psychological Association (APA) regarding patterns of behavior for individuals held hostage or kidnapped
• Consider the typical stress reactions listed in this article. Which of these reactions does Janie experience? Cite examples from the text.

Chapters 16-18

Reading Check

1. What is the state of Janie and Reeve’s relationship at the end of Chapter 16?

2. What does Janie ask of Reeve during his chemistry class?

3. Who does Janie call at the end of Chapter 18?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What are the circumstances surrounding the lost envelope? Explain what it is and Janie’s reaction to it.

Recommended Next Reads

Whatever Happened to Janie?

• The 1994 sequel to this novel, which continues the story of Janie Johnson
• Compare and contrast Janie’s Development of her Identity as she interacts with her biological family. Does her sense of Guilt and Responsibility fade or sharpen?
• Whatever Happened to Janie? on SuperSummary

Girl, Stolen

• A 2010 novel about a mistaken kidnapping of a young, blind girl
• Compare and contrast how authors Cooney and Henry build suspense within their novels.
• Girl, Stolen on SuperSummary