Reader's Journal-Fiction

#18                                                     Reader’s Journal                                           1/3/12

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

            I am currently reading the book The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. Realistic fiction is believable fiction that can be very similar to real life situations and that is set in the present.

            There were many strategies I used before, during, and after reading this book. Before reading, I read reviews that other readers wrote to decided if the book was worth reading.  Also, I skim and scanned the covers and inside pages of the book to identify if this book was “Just Right” for me. While reading I kept track of all literary elements I identified on a sticky note, so that it would be certain to give the reader of my blog the correct factual information on the book. Also, I created mental images in my head during some events or flashbacks so that I had a great visualization of what I was reading. After reading, I made inferences and drew conclusions about the information I read. Also, I critiqued and discussed the book with myself so that I can reflect on the book and write my readers journal.

A quote from the book that sparked my interest was located on the kindle (don’t know page number.)

“The girl on the carton was an ordinary little girl. Hair in tight pigtails, one against each thin cheek. A dress with a narrow white collar with tiny dark polka dots.”

I chose this quote because I was really amazed by how descriptive the author was when describing what Jaine was looking at! I was able to make a mental picture of the little girl she was looking at on the milk carton. This quote has significance to the book because it is the start of a big incident, where she realizes that she is looking at herself as a missing person and begins to have flashbacks about it.   

            The main character and protagonist, is Jaine. Jaine is also round and dynamic. She is a fifteen year old, lactose intolerant girl who seems to be pretty, petite, and popular, while having noticeable, red, curly, hair. Reeve, Janie’s boy friend is also round and dynamic because he is mentioned and described very often in the book. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, Janie’s parents are both round and dynamic. Jaine first thought they were the antagonists until she finds out the fact. Unlike Jaine and Reeve, Hannah is the antagonist of the book. Hannah is a woman only known from stories told by Janie's parents. She is also the person who kidnapped Janie from the shopping mall in New Jersey. I haven’t uncovered any of the characters characterization yet because I didn’t finish reading the book. The flat characters are Sarah-Charlotte, Adair, Jason, Todd, Pete, and Megan. I don’t really know anything about them besides that some is Janie’s best friend and that they really aren't so significant in the story.

The setting of this story varies but mostly takes place in Connecticut, New Jersey, and California. Jaine also lives in a modern home with her “parents” where her room is the biggest in the house. The book didn’t mention when the book takes place but I think it takes place in both modern and older times. The social conditions are that Janie was kidnapped. The weather conditions weren’t mentioned either but it was described like it was the usual, sunny, cold, or rainy climate.

The author’s purpose is to entertain the reader with a fictional story and the author’s perspective is subjective (biased) because the author shows her feelings and opinions towards each character by the tone in which she writes. The point of view of the book is third person limited because the narrator is only limited to Janie’s thoughts and feelings. Since I haven’t finished reading the book, I don’t know the theme, motif, or moral yet. The pattern of organization is mainly flashback because even though the events occur in order, the book goes through a series of flashbacks, going through Jaine memory. The tone of this book is to feel a sense of mystery and suspense. The mood I felt was to be surprised and curious.

            The plot structure was really suspenseful and straight to the point. In the exposition, the author introduced all the characters, settings, and started the book off with Jaine writing an essay in her English class. Also, Jaine was really excited in trying to get permission to drive and into changing her name to more of a unique one like all of her friends. In the rising action, even though Jaine is lactose intolerant, she decided to drink her friend’s milk to complete her favorite meal, until she realizes that her picture as a three year old is on it. The climax was when Jaine tries to remember herself as a kid when she looked at her picture and gets many flashbacks, leading her into the truth. The falling action took place when Jaine finally admitted herself that she actually was kidnapped. I wasn’t able to uncover the resolution yet because I didn’t read far enough of the book yet. The conflict of the book is unclear but I think its men. Vs. self, internal, because Jaine really doesn’t believe herself and cant take in the fact that she has been kidnapped.

There were many figurative language sentences located in this book.

·      “She could feel the pulse of the deep-blue skies” this is an example of personification because the author gives the clouds human features. (Its pulse)

·      “‘I guess you’ve grown up anyway, Jaine,’ said her father reluctantly. ‘Even with all the bricks I put on your head to keep you little.’” Is known as a cliché because it is more of a saying.

·      “Ring, ring, ring. The phone rang in surprise” Is onomatopoeia because it is describing a sound.

·      “She felt like she wanted to continue driving forever.” This is an example of hyperbole because the author exaggerates her sense in driving.

·      “The picture of the little girl on the back of the milk carton stared back at her” is another example of personification it is giving the picture human features.

All in all, this book was great! I recommend this book to teens, because some vocabulary and the plot structure might be challenging and hard to understand for younger readers.  I rate the book a nine out of ten because I was hooked to the book since the first few sentences I’ve read. Also, this book impressed me with interest and curiosity almost the entire time. Clearly, the book was great and I really think anyone should give it a chance even though I didn’t finish reading the book yet!

Love,

 Joelle Ben-Nissan