review number 5: The Voice on the Radio

The Voice on the Radio
by Caroline B. Cooney

• Publication Date: August 10, 1998
• Genres: Fiction
• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf
• ISBN-10: 0440219779
• ISBN-13: 9780440219774

Summary from Teenreads:

As if Janie didn't have enough problems trying to juggle two families, trying to love both, and trying to keep her story private, her boyfriend, Reeve, who is now a college freshman, tells Janie's story over the air on WSCK, the student radio station. Reeve is suddenly famous. He tells more and more Janie stories, basking in the glory of being a star. All of Boston is listening to him.

Everything is cool. Reeve knows he can quit at any time. But the Janie stories are an addiction. Instead of quitting, he tells one last story, gives one last episode. This time it backfires. First, someone claiming to be Hannah calls. Rather than face talking to Janie's kidnapper, he hangs up. Then he finds out that Janie, Brian, and Jodie have heard the broadcast.

"He could destroy all the tapes in all the radio stations in Boston...if Hannah decided she wanted airtime, somebody else would give it to her. He had no control. For the first time in his life, he was standing in the middle of a situation that would do whatever it wanted."

What will happen to Reeve? Most importantly, can Janie ever forgive Reeve? THE VOICE ON THE RADIO, the third book in the Janie series, is just as full of suspense as THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO JANIE? Caroline B. Cooney explores betrayal, love, and the power of words in another page-turning thriller.

Okay. So, I read the first book from this series, The Face on the Milk Carton, way back in middle school. My sister, who was still in elementary school at the time, checked it out from the library. I saw it laying on the table, read the back cover, and was hooked. The plot sucked me in. It involves 15 year old Janie, who sees her own picture on the back of a milk carton one day during lunch. Turns out she was kidnapped from a shopping mall by a cult member and then was raised by said cult member's parents, who thought Janie was their biological granddaughter all along. Except she wasn't. She had another family in New Jersey who hadn't seen her in 10 years and wanted her back. She met her "new" family and was court ordered to go live with them. It didn't work out. Janie missed her "real" parents too much and in the end, her birth family let her go. All of this happened in book number 2, Whatever Happened to Janie. I was fascinated by this story. I loved these books. Thought they were awesome.

I just discovered that there are 2 more books in this series a few weeks ago. I ordered them on Paperback Swap right away and prepared to sink my teeth in. Maybe it's me. I'm older now. Maybe I have higher expectations. But I was really disappointed in The Voice on the Radio. I read it, just to see what would happen at the end. It was a quick read- less than 200 pages, so I finished it in a few hours, but it was so slow. I did enjoy the way Janie and her birth family came to terms with each other and finally became a family. Janie still irked my nerves though. I always thought she was a spoiled brat, and she hadn't changed much!

I gave this book only 1.5 Stars. But this makes me curious... were the first two books this bad as well? I almost want to re-read them to find out, but I'm afraid to ruin a good thing! I'm 30 years old now... maybe it's time to finally steer clear of middle grade reads.