Product Description
The Shevvingtons are perfect. Mr. Shevvington is the charming,handsome principal of Christina's school. His wife is a dedicatedEnglish teacher. When the Autumn fog rolls over the coast, Christianand Anya begin boarding at the Shevvington's home, where Christinadiscovers that nothing is as it seems. Anya is slowly losing her mind,and Christina knows the Shevvingtons are behind it. But who will takeher word against that of the Shevvingtons? This is book one in theLOSING CHRISTINA series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

Interesting beginning.
Caroline B. Cooney, Fog (Scholastic, 1989)

Fog, the first of the Losing Christina trilogy of novels, is somehow my first exposure to mega-bestselling kidlit author Caroline B. Cooney. Probably not the best place I could have started, as the novel gets off slow, slow, slow. Since it' the first in a trilogy, though, I cut it some slack. This turned out to be a good move.

The story centers on Christina, a girl from Burning Fog Island, off the coast of Maine. The one-room schoolhouse on the island only goes up to sixth grade, so Christina is headed for school on the mainland at the end of the summer. All seems well and good-- Christina has been dreaming about getting off the island-- but when they get over there and move in with the principal and his wife, an English teacher, Christina finds that all is not nearly as well as she had imagined it would be. In fact, if she turns her head and squints just right, it seems quite like the couple are trying to drive Christina's friend Anya insane. And if Anya succumbs, might Christina be next?

A great deal of setup at the beginning for such a slim novel, but once it gets going, it gets going good. The characterization is a bit shallow, but I'm always willing to give a little leeway to series novels where this is concerned, as the author has a lot more room to build complex characters than we see in one book. Not a bad start; I'll certainly be reading the rest of the trilogy. ***

Young Girl Fights Back
Christina has lived her entire life on a tiny island off the coast of Maine.She loves it there and is happy with her life.This year she is especially happy, as it is the first year she will be able to attend the junior high and senior high school on the mainland.She will travel there in September with eighteen-year-old Anya, sixteen-year-old Benj, and fourteen-year-old Michael, the only other island children old enough to need to go to the mainland school.All four will board at an inn that has recently been bought by the new principal of the school and his wife, the seventh-grade English teacher.

Things are bad right from the beginning.The principal and his wife seem needlessly cruel to the children, especially Christina who can't seem to do anything right and who argues with rules she thinks are unfair.Little by little she notices, though, that there is something truly sinister about the couple they are living with.They seem to take pleasure in humiliating children and breaking their spirits.Christina suspects that they are behind Anya's mental collapse, and she feels she may be next unless she can convince someone of how dangerous these people are.

I liked the strength of Christina's character.She said what was on her mind, stuck up for herself and for others, and was never afraid enough to give in.I didn't like that Christina's parents didn't believe anything that she said.It seemed as though they should have at least listened to her and thought about her point of view.

Fog by Caroline B. Cooney
The book Fog, by Caroline B. Cooney, is about a group of kids, Christina, Anya, Ben, and Michael,that are taken up by a mainland principal to go to school. They are from an island on the coast called Burning Fog Island. The mainland kids don't like islanders very much. Everything seems to be going well until Anya starts to lose her mind. Christina knows that the principal and his wife are behind it. They try to force Christina towards the same fate but they fail. Christina also saves Anya from her mental and physical death. She convinces Anya, at the last second, to turn away from the principal and come towards her friends. This book was great because of its very suspenseful pages,perfect story, and very realistic characters.

This book was extremely suspenseful and seems to beg you to turn the page. Every word seems more grabbingthan the last. For example, when Anya is about to jump off a bridge to "sacrifice" herself to the sea, which is also an example of how she almost physically died and how she is going insane, you couldn't wait to see what happened next. Another example, is when you actually discover that Anya is going insane. You are so interested that you want to read what her fate is.

This book, also, seems to have a perfect storyline. Everything molds together when you discover that the principal is behind all of this. It also leaves you wondering how they did it. This encourages you to read the next book. The storyline, also, is very interesting. Especially at intense parts, such as the bridge scene.

Lastly, I liked this book because of its very real characters. It almost seems like the characters are popping out at you because they do realistic things. Another thing, is that the setting blends with the characters' personalities. For example, the main characters are from an island, so they are very tough and stubborn. Some kids from the mainland seem to get everything they want so they are mean to those who don't. Even the kids that are teased are always depressed and don't talk to others.

My final reason for liking this book is because of its position in good versus evil. It shows this when Christina ruins the principal's plans and "defeats" them. It also shows this when Christina "handles" the bullies at her school. I would recommend this book to anyone. I liked this book because of its position in good versus evil, realistic characters, suspenseful pages, and almost perfect story.

C. Copeland

Almost an incredible story
I almost had a hard time believing this could be possible. It's actually a good sense of horror as it shows the influence whether good, or bad adults have on children. Parents the fact that you're doing everything possible to have the best for you children doesn't necessarily mean that they will have the best. We as parents can only remember to look within ourselves, and make sure we're doing everything to let our children know we love them, and want to do right by them. This shows parents looking outside of themselves by sending Christina to school on the mainland of Maine, and entrusting the Shevvfords to care for her while she goes to school there on the mainland, but as soon as she gets there weird things begin to happen. Christina is with 3 other children, and they are 17 year old Avra, 16 year old Benj, 14 year old Michael, and Christina's 13. Avra's almost convinced the the sea wants to take one of them, and Christina's convinced that Shevvford's are up to no good, but due to New England stoicism, and the fact that the Shevvfords are that good at convincing the world that they have nothing but the best intentions for the children Christina has a hard time finding an audience, and for the most part not being able to fit in. It's not that they don't believe her it's just that they're so busy with thier own lives that they don't want the stress of finding out the truth, or if that was true about the dead bodies, and disappearance of 2 other students, and not to mention getting people to believe what's being said. I know that children getting to get parents to slow down, and realize that everything is not all black and white, but more complex, and children need to be believed when they speak the unbelievable, and etc. etc. I just look back on this, and can certainly feel the parents were in the wrong by not listening to their children. This is something that all parents can take n note of.

Worst literary effort I have seen
The book starts out confusing, uninteresting, and poorly written and remains that way throughout. Charachters are completely undeveloped and poorly executed. I would not reccommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Product Description
Lives are in the balance in bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney’s newest young adult thriller, Three Black Swans.
 
Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends who finish each other’s sentences and practically read each other’s minds. It’s an eerie connection—so eerie that Missy has questions she wants to put to her parents. But she’s afraid to ask. So when Missy hears an expert discussing newborn babies on the radio, it makes her wonder about her family.

Missy just can’t let go of those nagging questions, and decides to use a school project about scientific hoaxes to try to uncover the answers. She enlists Claire to help. As part of the project the girls perform a dramatic scene that is captured on video at school. After the video is posted on YouTube, Missy and Claire realize that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and much more than they ever imagined has come out. Not only are their identities called into question, but so is the future of everyone involved.

In this riveting, heartrending story by thriller author Caroline B. Cooney, the truth changes the lives of three families—as the bonds of blood must withstand the strains of long-hidden secrets that are at last revealed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

May this popular and successful thriller author continue to entertain readers with her compelling stories.
Missy and her cousin, Claire, have always been the best of friends. Only two months apart in age and living just 20 minutes away from each other, they have grown up together. Thus it would make sense that they would have similar tastes in clothes and hairstyles, spend every available minute calling or texting each other, and hang out every Friday night. But some of the connections they share are eerie --- like finishing each other's sentences, knowing what the other is thinking and looking an awful lot alike --- and Missy is starting to have some questions.

Not quite sure how to approach the subject with her family, especially since Claire refuses to admit anything seems strange, Missy decides to use a school assignment to bring her concerns out into the open. One of her classes is discussing hoaxes, how individuals use scientific evidence to con a group of people into believing something. So Missy centers a planned hoax around her suspicions, arranging an unbelievable revelation during her school's televised morning announcements. She talks a reluctant Claire into helping her, and they show up at her school the next morning dressed alike and ready to drop the bomb --- that Missy and Claire have discovered they are identical twins separated at birth.

The story spreads like the plague, and someone even puts it on YouTube. Everyone believes them; even Claire confronts her own doubts and admits she suspects a hidden truth. And then their parents see the video and must finally reveal their deeply buried family secret. But the revelations don't end there. Someone else sees the video, a lonely person by the name of Genevieve, whose world is also about to explode and be turned upside down.

Caroline B. Cooney is the well-known author of many award-winning books, and she comes through once again with another stand-out effort. Cooney has a wonderful talent for creating and developing characters, making them interesting, well rounded and believable. She takes her creations and drops them into a swirling, churning, mesmerizing drama that drags readers quickly through the pages and doesn't let go. Cooney also has a gift for writing about relationships, especially those between family members. She explores their pasts, intertwines their paths and stretches their bonds in ways that capture readers' hearts and minds. In addition, she comes up with some clever analogies, like when Claire feels so out of control following behind Missy, like a puppy on a leash.

May this popular and successful thriller author continue to entertain readers with her compelling stories.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman
... Read more

Product Description
Winter has come, and Mr. and Mrs. Shevvington have nearlysucceeded in destroying Anya, the beautiful, dreamy senior who boardswith Christina at the Shevvington¹s house. Now the Shevvingtons haveset their sights on Christina and her friend, sweet, trustingDolly. While Christina tries to protect Dolly and bring Anya out ofher desperate isolation, the Shevvingtons work to destroy Christina'sreputation - to make her schoolmates, and even her parents, think sheis crazy. This is book two in the LOSING CHRISTINA series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Middle-book blahs.
Caroline B. Cooney, Losing Christina: Snow (Scholastic, 1990)

The second book picks up where the first left off: Christina is stuck at Schooner Inne with Dolly, her best friend, who's just as much under the Shevvingtons' spell as is everyone else, and Christina knows that, since Anya seems to have escaped their clutches, they've taken on Dolly as an acceptable substitute. How to get her out of the clutches of the Shevvingtons without making herself look completely nuts? And who is that guy in the brown wetsuit that only Chrstina, Anya, and Blake ever seem to have seen-- and who now seems to be living in the Shevvingtons' cellar? As with the first book, Snow is a cracking good read, but with one major caveat: Cooney is another of those authors who feels the need to go over a lot of the material from the previous book in the series during her narrative (the most egregious, and obvious, example of the painfully annoying practice is Terry Goodkind), and so the first fifty-odd pages of this tend towards the boring-retread school of writing. Skim the stuff you already know, and if you haven't yet, read Fog first. ***

The Best Book of Caroline B. Cooney 's Books

The Snow
By: Caroline B. Cooney


The Schooner Inne is an odd place to keep girls. According to Christina Romney the owners are evil, and strange things happen to the girls. This book "The Snow" by Caroline Cooney is about Christina's experience at Schooner Inne.

This book is about a girl named Christina, who is 13. She lives at Schooner Inne, with the Shevvingtons - they own the Inne. She believes that any girl who stays at Schooner Inne, will go insane because the Shevvingtons drive them to insanity. People on the Island think that Christina is a trouble maker because she is always complaining about the Shevvingtons being evil. This is an example from the book that she is making trouble, "You still don't understand! Listen to me. For once, listen to me! The Shevvingtons gave him his orders. They planned this. They trained him." Christina said.

In a way Christina is right about the things happening at the Inne, but she has the wrong evil character. So if you want to find out the evil character then read the book.

The Best Book of Caroline B. Cooney 's Books

The Snow
By: Caroline B. Cooney


The Schooner Inne is an odd place to keep girls. According to Christina Romney the owners are evil, and strange things happen to the girls. This book "The Snow" by Caroline Cooney is about Christina's experience at Schooner Inne.

This book is about a girl named Christina, who is 13. She lives at Schooner Inne, with the Shevvingtons - they own the Inne. She believes that any girl who stays at Schooner Inne, will go insane because the Shevvingtons drive them to insanity. People on the Island think that Christina is a trouble maker because she is always complaining about the Shevvingtons being evil. This is an example from the book that she is making trouble, "You still don't understand! Listen to me. For once, listen to me! The Shevvingtons gave him his orders. They planned this. They trained him." Christina said.

In a way Christina is right about the things happening at the Inne, but she has the wrong evil character. So if you want to find out the evil character then read the book.

Evil Cackles
Christina is still fighting against the evil of the Shevvingtons, still trapped inside their formiddable home.
A home which now comes with something extra...A laughing lunatic who hides in the attic.
How will Christina ever prove the true nature of the hideous Shevvington couple?

The greatest evil
In the world, the greatest evil is the one in people you think you can trust.That is the Sevingtons.They are evil on two legs.They also embody the greatest fear.The fear of when you are right, and in danger, but nobody belives you.Book two of three. ... Read more

Product Description
Christina knows the Shevvingtons have left a trail ofhollowed-out, lost girls in mental hospitals across the country, andshe has seen the secret files that prove it. But the Shevvingtons aredetermined to destroy the evidence ­ and Christina. This time, they'lluse fire. They stuff her pocketbook full of matchbooks, scribbleflames over her class notes ­ anything they can do to make it looklike Christina is obsessed with fire and a danger to herself andothers. With summer vacation and safety just weeks away, Christinamust make one last desperate attempt to keep her sanity ­ and herlife. This is book three in the LOSING CHRISTINA series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Would've been great without Cooney's fatal flaw.
Caroline B. Cooney, Losing Christina: Fire (Scholastic, 1991)

The closing book in Cooney's Losing Christina trilogy shows the same strengths and weaknesses as the previous book, Snow; the main annoyance of the author choosing to spend a great deal of time reprising events from previous books in the series is balanced by Cooney's mastery of pace and somewhat interesting (if a bit stock) characters. Certainly worth continuing on if you've read the first two in the series. ***

A wonderful psychological thriller.
I'd like to start my review by saying that I am currently twenty-five years old and I still have a copy of this book on my shelf.

The reason for this is when I was 13 years old, there was a series of horror books out called Point Horror.I was an avid reader at that age and I saved up some money to buy myself some books from this series.This was the very first book I bought, so it will always be special to me.

I must admit that when I read this book, I didn't quite understand it, but this was because I did not know at the time that this book was actually the last book in a trilogy (the other two are called The Fog and The Snow) and that it was picking up where the other two books left off.

So, I got the other two and read them, then re-read this book.

It was absolutely brilliant.The story revolves around thirteen-year old Christina who gets involved in a terrifying psychological mind game with the two malicious Shevvingtons.

She watches two friends - Anya, a beautiful, brilliant senior collapse mentally and Dolly, an innocent sicth-grader become a trembling nervous wreck.

In this book, the Shevvingtons turn their attention to her and attempt to destroy her ...with fire.

I loved this series back then, and I still love it now.

A surprising read
I'll admit it. I'm actually not a fan of Cooney's. I find her stories to be trite and two-dimensional for the most part (not to mention that - speaking as someone with bipolar disorder - I find her portrayals of the mental health community in many of her books to be rather questionable at best in their accuracy) and yet I am a huge fan of this series and have been since its release. To me this series was where she started to show the maturity you find in her more recent writings instead of the R.L.Stine-esque saw-it-coming-a-mile-away pulp horror books that kept me entertained in like the fourth grade. I'm twenty-five and I still reread this series time and again.

The outward plot is fairly straightforward: Christina Romney is a thirteen-year old girl who has come from a small rural island and a very sheltered life to live on mainland Maine for her first year at middle school (seventh grade). The couple who are boarding her and a handful of other students from the island are Arnold and Candy Shevvington, the school principal and the seventh-grade English teacher. While she likes them at first, Christina quickly catches on that there's something very off about the Shevvingtons, and is convinced after watching her friend Anya slowly collapse in front of her own eyes (Book 1: The Fog). She very nearly lost her friend Dolly in the second book, The Snow - managing not only to save her but also to help Anya recover some of the damage done in the first book's timeline.

In this final installment, the Shevvingtons have turned all their resources to silencing Christina, perhaps determined that they will have at least one successful victim this year, perhaps deciding that the irony of destroying the one person who has been trying to bring them down all year would be too good to pass up. Either way, the Shevvingtons expound on the rumor they started in the previous installment - that Christina likes to play with fire a little too much. In this book she faces the challenge now not only of ultimately discrediting the Shevvingtons and aiding her friends... but of saving herself.

To me this series does a good job of juxtaposing the very ordinary struggles of a student in her first year of middle school (difficult assignments, unfair teachers, noticing boys) against the very dark and chilling theme of a psychological thriller. She isn't just facing a mean or unfair teacher, she is facing two sadists who delight in destroying people just because they can. It's a very frightening idea, having no one believe you when all you can do to fight back is tell the truth.

The first book in this series nearly lost me with the first few chapters - the man in the wet suit, the changing poster - it seemed silly, but as the books progressed and Cooney seemed to settle more into her world and the scenario she had written out, things began to tie together and become cohesive, an interesting read that made me actually go out and buy the series instead of rolling my eyes at the various improbabilities of the situation Christina has found herself in.

In short - they are a fun read, I like them a lot. Now go buy them. :)

It's okay...
It was all right of a book... well, I'd say more exciting than the first two, but some parts still dragged a bit.

Great Serries!
This is a great series (Fire, Fog, Snow)!It is my favorite Caroline B. Cooney series. ... Read more

Product Description
In a busy school cafeteria, a teenage girl is confronted by a classmate who questions her identity. He explains to the students who have crowded around that the girl bears an uncanny resemblance to his cousin, who was taken away by social services five years ago. Her parents abandoned her, fleeing the country after being accused of embezzling millions of dollars. The students are intrigued, but the girl shrugs off the attention as a case of mistaken identity.

As the days pass, however, the boy refuses to relent and even brings his parents in to back him up. But they are not the only adults involved. An FBI agent who has been working the case these past five years believes that whoever this girl is, she can serve as bait to help the FBI capture the fugitives. In this powerful novel that explores the possibility of mistaken identity, the evils of money and greed, and the heartfelt obligations of family and loyalty, Caroline B. Cooney has once again crafted a page-turner that will resonate with readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An interesting book!
"They Never Came Back" starts off immediately about Cathy Ferris, a foster child who is taking Latin classes over the summer. She has a group of friends and happily goes to take classes every day when a boy named Tommy questions her identity. He says that she has a striking resemblance to his cousin - who went missing five years ago when her parents escaped the country after conning many people out of their money.
This novel was recommended to me by a friend, and I have to say that their taste in books is very precise. I enjoyed it thoroughly as slowly, each piece of the plot fits snugly into place. It was interesting, and, although not very action-packed, it was able to keep me attached to the words until I finished it. I would tell anyone who is interested in reading, no matter what genre, to try and read this!

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
THEY NEVER CAME BACK by Caroline B. Cooney is a great thriller for middle grade readers.There are just enough twists and turns in the plot to keep readers focused, and it offers a few thought-provoking questions to make readers consider just exactly what they would do in the same circumstances.

Chapter one is about Cathy.She is enrolled in a special accelerated summer school. The program squeezes one full year of Latin into a summer course. Her focus is Latin morning, noon, and night. One afternoon in the cafeteria, Cathy is shocked when a boy named Tommy approaches her table and calls her Murielle.He even drops to his knees before her as he insists she is his long-lost cousin.He claims she was taken from his home five years ago by social services.Then he adds that she had been abandoned by her parents, who were guilty of stealing millions of dollars from business investors.Suddenly, Cathy is the center of attention.

Chapter two begins with Murielle.Ten-year-old Murielle is a lucky girl.Her parents are in the financial investment business, and they are able to provide her with anything her heart desires.She is used to living in a fancy house, having pretty clothes, new things whenever she wants, and private lessons in just about anything she is interested in doing.Even though they are constantly working and leave her in the care of various babysitters and housekeepers, Murielle thinks her parents are terrific.

One afternoon, Murielle is with her Aunt Lois headed toward the airport.The plan is that her aunt will be dropping her off to catch a flight with her father.They will be flying to England where they will meet up with her mother.Suddenly, Aunt Lois turns the car away from the airport and begins shouting about how she won't go through with the plans.Murielle has no idea what is going on except that she is not going to be going with her parents.At that point her life changes forever.

Could Cathy and Murielle really be one and the same?Is Cathy, who lives with a struggling foster family, really the daughter of millionaire investors?It's been five years since their scandalous disappearance.Could they really have been more interested in money than in their adorable little Murielle?

THEY NEVER CAME BACK is a fast-paced novel with a unique plot.Caroline B. Cooney's smooth flowing prose will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they follow the action to see just exactly who is who in this clever mystery.

Reviewed by:Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

An engrossing saga
Caroline B. Cooney's THEY NEVER CAME BACK provides an engrossing saga revolving around a girl in hiding who is discovered when she goes to a new school. When a student recognizes Cathy as a child who vanished years ago when her parents fled the country, identity, responsibility and issues of secrecy and history invade her life. Can she ever escape the shadow of her parents' actions?

They Never Came Back
The summer school students at Greenwich High get a lot more excitement than they bargained for when Cathy, a visiting student, is identified as being the missing daughter of Cade and Rory Lyman, a couple who fled the country five years before, after loosing thousands of family's life savings in a fraudulent investment scheme.

//They Never Came Back// is told through the alternating perspectives of Cathy, who isn't ready to accept the past she's tried so hard to leave behind and of the 10-year-old Lyman daughter in the foggy, sickening days after her parents abandon her.As Cathy's classmates become increasingly involved in the mysterious circumstances, Cathy is forced to decide if she will protect the parents who abandoned her or if she will be the one to bring them to justice.

Longtime-favorite young adult author Caroline B. Cooney has once again connected with teens in this clever page-turner that insightfully addresses the Wall Street indiscretions that are so often in the news today.Especially enjoyable in //They Never Came Back// is how Cooney has made the summer school students' prowess with texting, social media, and laptops a pivotal component of how the plot develops.

Reviewed by Megan Just ... Read more

Product Description
Emlyn is a model student and a great athlete - a girl whodoesn't seem to have a dark side. But secretly she's always wonderedwhat it would be like to commit a crime and get away with it. When shegets involved in a prank to steal a mummy, everything goes accordingto plan. Until Emlyn is forced to save the mummy - and herself.Amazon.com Review
Steal a mummy from the museum? Cool, collected Emlyn loves the idea. The mummy, Princess Amaral-Re, is the main attraction in the small city museum, and Emlyn has been fascinated by her since she was a child. Besides, she has always wanted to do something secret... and bad. So she coolly agrees to mastermind the theft when Lovell, Maris, Jack, and Donovan approach her with their plan. But the second part--hanging the mummy in the high-school bell tower for Mischief Night--Emlyn isn't so sure about that.

Emlyn begins to figure out how to stay in the museum past closing, how to fool the guards, how to outwit the hidden cameras, and what to do with the mummy after she carries it out the door onto the busy sidewalk. But on the night of the theft, in spite of her meticulous planning, step after step goes awry. Emlyn must use all her wits to pull off the heist. Then, in an ironic twist, she finds that the real enemies, the people she must really outwit to save Amaral-Re, are her accomplices.

Caroline Cooney's many well-crafted thrillers, beginning with The Face on the Milk Carton, continue to delight readers, and Mummy is an especially heart-thumping adventure for her fans. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Not Cooney's best
Emlyn is a good girl. At least that's what everybody thinks until she steals a 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy from a museum for a high-school prank. But when the other members of her "team" forget about the prank part, she begins to wish it never happened.
After reading other titles from the author, such as "Wanted" and "Losing Christina", I was disappointed with this book. This is not Caroline B. Cooney at her best. The plot is not that great, and the ending was a big let down. Also, there are many typos and editorial mistakes that I was surprised to see from a big company like Scholastic. If you are going to read Cooney, try "Wanted", but I would not recommend this one.

Bad Lurks Below Good
Emlyn is the perfect child.She is a high school student who gets good grades, participates in sports and music, and never causes her parents any trouble.That's the job of her two younger brothers.Emlyn is the good one in the family.But secretly, she dreams of doing something bad.She plots and plans, thinks up ways to rob banks, smuggle things into airports, and a thousand other crimes.She's just never followed through with her plans.

Sometime close to Halloween, four of her classmates approach her.It is a tradition for seniors at her high school to pull a prank, which usually involves suspending something from the bell tower of the school.They want to steal the Egyptian mummy from the nearby museum and suspend that.They think Emlyn will be the perfect cover, and although she doesn't trust the other students, she gets involved.

After stealing the mummy, Emlyn starts to get nervous.She worries about somehow harming such a valuable piece of historical treasure.Then things get much worse when television news stations begin speculating on the jewels the mummy is probably wearing underneath all of the wrappings.Emlyn feels responsible for keeping this mummy in good condition.But can she stop what she's started?

I liked that Emlyn was an interesting and complex character, the girl who was really good at pretending to be good while inside she had all of these dreams of doing something bad.I also liked how Emlyn didn't give into her peers--she looked for a solution to her problem and then worked toward it instead of just giving up.

I would have liked to have seen more of Emlyn's parents.They were completely absent from the story, and I wondered about them.

Not Cooney's Best...
This is not Cooney's best, but it really freaked me out! I was so caught up in it, I couldn't put in down. I was reading it by a feeble booklight at 10:00 at night. I almost skipped pages because I was in such a hurry to finish it. I really felt the emotions in the book, and that's one reason I was so glued to it.

intriguing,suspensful
Best book I've read in a while:) with a great ending and an interesting and thrilling plot.I was on the edge of my seat.

Exciting, Incredible
Caroline B. Cooney's Mummy is a story about a sly girl who can get away with any security when it comes to stealing. One fateful night, Emlyn went into the museum to steal a beautiful Egyptian mummy. On that fateful night, everything becomes a failure. Caroline B. Cooney's Mummy is a vivid book, filled with excitement and adventure, it keeps you reading the book until you turn to the last page of Mummy. ... Read more

Product Description
Imagine changing centuries—and making things worse, not better, on both sides of time.
When 15-year-old Annie Lockwood travels back 100 years and lands in 1895, she at last finds romance. But she is a trespasser in time. Will she choose to stay in the past? And if she does, will she be allowed to stay? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

A Twist on Historical Fiction
I'd read these books when I was in the 6th grade, and I absolutely loved them.Earlier this year I decided to buy a lot of the old books that I'd liked as a kid, and "The Time Travelers" were some of the first on my list.

The thing that I like the most about this book is that it's historical fiction, but with a twist.It's fascinating how Annie Lockwood travels back 100 years and gets to experience what life was truly like back then.I also enjoy the ties between Strat's time and her own.

The books are very easy to read, but they're not shallow in any way.Caroline B. Cooney does an amazing job of creating mystery, suspense, romance, and many other emotions at once.I would highly recommend this to young teenage to adult women.

GREAT Time travel series
This book is recommended for teens/young adults however I say this book is for the young and old. Great story line and you'll fall in love with the main characters. Enjoy.

I can't wait to read Volume II.I have it reserved at the local libray.

great for ya readers
i have to agree with cool chick from michigan. i picked up the first book when i was 11. i fell in love with the story. it was appropriate for my age and i found it exciting. when i found out there were more books to add to the story i ordered them all. i was 15. i've continued to read these books since. at that young age it doesn't always take much to pull you into the story. i found that annie and strats love was romantic and sweet. i would recommend this book to any young girl that is curious about romance. great read.

I loved this book!
I really loved this book.I love reading about time travel, and I love the 1900's, so this book had it all for me.I also liked how you could see the way women were treated in the 1900's, and how easily it was for parents to do have total control of their kids behavior, or the kids might not get to eat that day.It is very different today.The second book was just as good as the first, although a little sadder.After reading this book, I immediately ordered Volume 2 of this series (and it is really good too.)

Loved it!
This entire series is wonderful.I read it many years ago and I'm looking forward to reading it again.These books are written for young adults (probably 12-15).They are easy to read and understand.The story line is excellent.As a person who cries all the time, this series made me do so on several occasions.They are nice, easy read books that take you away from your everyday world into another amazing world.Highly recommended to anyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Anaxandra is taken from her birth island at age 6 by King Nicander to be a companion to his crippled daughter, Princess Callisto. Six years later, her new island is sacked by pirates and she is the sole survivor. Alone with only her Medusa figurine, she reinvents herself as Princess Callisto when Menelaus, great king of Sparta, lands with his men. He takes her back to Sparta with him where Helen, his beautiful wife, does not believe that the red-headed child is Princess Callisto. Although fearful of the half-mortal, half-goddess Helen, Anaxandra is able to stay out of harm’s way—until the Trojan princes Paris and Aeneas arrive. Paris and Helen’s fascination with each other soon turns to passion and plunges Sparta and Troy into war. Can Anaxandra find the courage to reinvent herself once again, appease the gods, and save herself?

In Caroline B. Cooney’s epic tale of one girl’s courage and will to survive, Anaxandra learns that home is where you make it and identity goes deeper than just your name.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
The dramatic and bloody siege of Troy is one of the oldest and best of human stories, and in Goddess of Yesterday Caroline Cooney tells it afresh through the eyes of Anaxander, the daughter of the king of a tiny Greek island. As a child she is taken as a hostage to the island of King Nicander. When she is 13, marauding pirates sack the palace, killing everyone but her. Anaxander frightens them off by pretending to be the goddess Medusa, with the help of an octopus as a hairdo. When she is rescued by the ships of King Menalaus, she assumes the identity of a princess, Nicander's daughter, and becomes a royal guest. When Menalaus's cold and vain wife, Helen, runs off to Troy with her lover, Paris, Anaxander goes along to protect Helen's baby son. Within the walls of Troy, she is torn with conflicting loyalties as the bronze-clad warriors of Menalaus land their ships on the plains below the city and war is imminent.

The characters of the Iliad come vividly alive in this action-filled novel: the shallow and amoral Paris, the wailing prophetess Cassandra in her tower prison, and especially Hector, a big, straight-talking sweetheart. Fans of Cooney's contemporary novels like The Face on the Milk Carton will find this story of ancient Greece every bit as irresistible. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

Goddess of Yesterday
This book about Anaxandra, a true princess at heart, is a wonderful example of an epic, and is a great read, filled with suspense and history. I applaud Caroline B. Cooney for her execelent masterpeice.

One of my favorite trogan war books
I love this book, it starts out when Anavandra is 6 and she is taken by king Nicander, and she becomes the playmate of his daughter Callisto. Then when Nicander and callisto are killed, Anavandra doesn't know what to do, but then king Menelaus of sparta comes and takes her home, but only after she lies and tells the all that she is Callisto, the princess of the island. In sparta she meets heart chilling Helen who doesn't fall for Anavandra's trick. Then when Helen and Paris run off with all of the place gold. Anavandra is sent instead of Helen's daughter, and that is how she ends up in Troy. This book is romantic, sweet, funny, and good enough to read over and over! I would say ages 12 and up!

The Goddess of Yesterday
The Goddess of Yesterday
By Caroline B. Cooney


Imagine a wonderful life on an island with your parents, dog, and brothers. Well that's what Anaxandra had, until a king came to the island demanding a hostage. To the family's dismay, Anaxandra was chosen. Anaxandra was young and didn't know what was going on. So she is taken to the king's island. However, the island is looted and the king killed. Then, another king comes to the island. Anaxandra can't tell him she's a hostage, so she pretends to be the princess of the island. It so happens that the king's wife is Helen of Sparta. Helen has met the princess and knows Anaxandra is not her. So Helen begins to cause trouble for Anaxandra that will take her on the biggest adventure of her life.

I loved this book because it's a mix of adventure, exitement, suspense, and a little bit of romance. So if you like variety and a book you can't put down, then you'll love The Goddess of Yesterday.

Boooooring!
This was the most boring book I have ever read in my life! The one thing I did like about this book is that it made me fall asleep!

Wonderful Plot(s)
I finished this book, and thought it was great! It ends right there, which leaves the reader wanting to know more about what happens to the character. I really hope there's a sequel, cause i'd read the sequel if there is one no matter what. =) ... Read more

Product Description
When her father is murdered and the police obtain an e-mail confession that implicates her, Alice Robie realizes she will have to flee and prove her innocence. Original." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (114)

Wanted! is a book i would remember for a long time
Wanted is a detailed, exciting book about a girl that had her dad killed. I say this because it has a lot of action and is a mystery that will keep you wanting to read it. It is hard to believe that all of the predicaments for the main character could happen at this age.It is not too long and not too short. I would personally recommend this to people from ages 11-15 because its hard to understand if you are younger than that. But you should like murder mysteries to enjoy this book. I rate this 4 stars out of 5 stars because it is a book i will remember since it really made a statement. The only downside is that at the beginning it is interesting, the end is exciting, but the middle is a little boring and too detailed. Overall, I think this was a good book and you should read it!

In an emergency....
What would you do if your father frantically called and gave you specific instructions to follow, including driving his Bronco when you are just fifteen and don't yet have your license? Alice dallies and soon someone comes into her house talking about killing.

From this point on, Alice's inherent strength for survival kicks in and she acts on adrenalin. Hiding under her father's Bronco saves her the first time. There are many more to go. She hears on the radio that she is wanted by the police for the murder of her father. Apparently, Alice sent an email to the police confessing the murder, but of course Alice knows better. Her mother's radio/television statement seems accusatory. What is Alice to do? Where is Alice to go?

This is the set up for the story. Most of the novel has Alice confronting one set of dangers after another. Not that she is a superhero, she uses every wile, every subtlety in eluding police and the real killer. People who trust unknowingly help her find shelter and hiding without knowing that is what they are doing. What is most important is that she has an all-important disk that apparently contains secrets key to the revelation of the murderer.

How the story unfolds in the last quarter is fast-paced and surprising. I think the point is to show how we often do not know people around us and how often we do not open up to those we love.

Wanted: freedom from hidden pasts and ability to show love.

Caroline B. Cooney is a very popular young adult writer. This book makes the fourth I've read and quite enjoy, but it is not on the level of adult fiction. If a movie, it would be PG.

Wanted
Wanted

By Caroline Cooney

I enjoyed the book, Wanted, very much. It kept me on my toes a lot of the time not knowing what Alice was going to do about her father dying and everyone thinking it was her. Alice went many places when she heard that on the radio her father had been murder and she was the leading suspect.The author did a good job not giving away any on Alice's next movie or what she decided to do about her problems. For example when she was on the run from the police she just didn't stick at one place she went many, the mall, and girls dorm and so on. It became more and more suspenseful as you kept reading.

The things I dislike very much so was the ending. It thought it should have been a lot longer and explains more about the events before Alice's father died. When Alice read her dad's file TWIN and discovers more hiding secrets about her family should have been brought out more.The ending could have explained more of what happened after it was all over also.People might get a little bit confused on what's really going on.

Teen on the Run
One afternoon, Alice's father phones her, sounding strange, and tells her to take a specific computer disk and drive his Corvette to meet him at an ice-cream place.He hangs up before Alice can get any more information.She is torn--she can't believe her father would ever actually encourage her to drive without a license, and he especially wouldn't want her to drive his beloved Corvette.She dawdles and considers and finally decides to do as he asked.While in the garage preparing to take the car, though, she hears the voice of a strange man in the house, who is looking for a disk and who talks about having killed someone.

Alice hides under the car until the house is empty again, then tries to pretend to herself that everything is okay.She drives to the place where she is supposed to meet her father, and waits for a very long time for him to arrive.Then she hears on the radio the horrifying news--her father has been murdered and she is the prime suspect.A description of her and of the car are included in the news broadcast.

Suddenly Alice is a fugitive.She phones her mother, who tells her she received an emailed confession from Alice.Even worse, she seems to believe that Alice actually would be capable of killing her own father.Alice can't go home to a woman who thinks she is guilty of murder, so she goes on the run.Now Alice must avoid police and everyone else looking for her, while she tries to figure out what is so important about her father's computer disk and who would be willing to kill him to get it.

I liked the ingenuity of Alice in finding ways out of bad situations.She managed to eat, sleep, and hide for much longer than would seem possible.I liked the ending of the story, although I saw it coming.

The police in this story seemed terribly inept.They should have been able to track Alice down when she stayed so close to home, and they should have handled the whole situation better.

awsome book
It was an awsome mysterie with a pretty simple ending, but thats not the point! it makes you think one thing than another and then it finally tells you the answer after this big dangerouse adventer that the main character goes on, escaping for cops and even her freinds! ... Read more

Product Description
Suffering an identity crisis after reuniting with her biological family, Janie realizes that the past twelve years cannot be brought back, and is torn between the Spring family's desire for justice and her love for the Johnsons. Reprint. AB. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (123)

Caught in the middle
Note: The zeros were cast by a troll and her gang, not real and decent people, and are against me personally and not the book or the review!

Listen. I want you to conjure up your imagination. You are Janie Johnson, a sophomore in high school when you discover that "The Face on the Milk Carton" is yours. You love your parents, but cannot possibly believe they kidnapped you. And worse, why did you willingly go? You remember it. Someone bought you an ice cream and you left with them. The guilt is awful. You made that call to the number on the carton and now you must live with your biological family.

Reader! Are you still imagining? You left parents you love to become Jennie Spring again and live with this new family, the one that was totally changed because of your kidnapping. Now you share a room with a sister who alternately loves and resents you, and live in a crowded house of redheads like you. The terrible thing, the really terrible thing is that you could like these people who are so different from the parents you left behind. Oh, what a traitor you feel yourself. Torn between two families that really want you.

Reader, if you imagined being Janie Johnson/Jennie Spring, then you understand the awful choices, the real-world choices that the main character had to face in "Whatever Happened to Janie?" Caroline Cooney, one of the best young adult authors, always writes of terrible choices.

The novel is not all darkness, of course. There are bright lights that never stay on, not in these circumstances, but at least they are there to create hope in a questionable future.

Dear Reader, this series, unfortunately, is one of pertinence and relevance. Kidnappings happen, they are discovered, and the child is returned to the birth family. Does the story end happily ever after? What does happen? Caroline Cooney tries to surmise the result in her poignant, brilliant series, The Face on the Milk Carton.

And the drama continues
Janie is taken from her adoptive parents, the Johnsons, and goes to live with her biological parents and four siblings, the Spring Family. Although all of the Spring family members are eager to include her, she desperately misses her adoptive parents whom she is allowed no contact with so she is emotionally aloof. As things start to improve, though, they experience a setback when the FBI shows up to question Janie. Finally, Janie asserts her desire to return to her adopted family, and her biological parents love her enough to let her go. However, Janie's siblings, angry and upset that they are once again losing their sister, journey to New York to find the woman responsible for everything.

Torn
After reading "The Face on the Milk Carton", many wonder what happened after the phone call that ended the book."Whatever Happened to Janie?" picks up where that story ended.

At times, "Whatever Happened to Janie?" is a remarkably sad read as it sees the main character torn between two families.Now living with her biological family, Janie/Jennie finds herself struggling with her identiity as she begins life with the Spring family.Not wanting to let go of her past life, she finds conflict with the siblings that are adjusting to her while failing to form a bond with her new parents.Janie/Jennie must decide who she wants to be and live her life within those limits.

Just as the previous book ends with a cliffhanger, this one does also.A slightly less provocative ending finds the Springs seeking revenge on the trail of Janie's kidnapper Hannah.While some may want to continue to the next book in the series to resolve this subplot, purists may have already decided the first book was enough.And as good as the first book was, they may be right.

A great look into emotions
After The Face on the Milk Carton, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. It wasn't what I expected, the story was interesting, but the emotions were fascinating. I felt that the author was full of insight and that she was able to capture what a child in the situation might feel and the way she would express it.

A Great Book!
Before you read What Ever Happened to Janie, I suggest that you read the Face on the Milk Carton first.Because every thing that happened in the Face on the Milk Carton continues in What Ever Happened to Janie.

Following the events in the Face on the Milk Carton, Janie is forced to live with a family she didn't know or love in New Jersey and she can't have any contact with her other family or friends for three months.

I personally love real life stories and that is why I enjoyed this book so much because it held my interest and it had many twists.

Even though I enjoyed this book I found the first one to be more existing and interesting.
... Read more

Product Description
This young adult thriller takes place in twenty-four hours and explores how people as well as the media can exploit a situation with devastating results, especially when innocent children are involved.
 
 
Jack Fountain knows that what’s happened to his family sounds like the most horrible soap opera anyone could ever write. But it’s all true. It happened—to his parents; to his sisters, Smithy and Madison. And to his baby brother, Tris. What made it worse was that the media wanted to know every detail.
   Now it's almost Tris’s third birthday, and everything’s starting again. Aunt Cheryl, who’s living with the Fountain children, has decided that they will heal only if they work through their pain—on camera. It will be a field day for the media, and no one, except Cheryl, wants that. Jack and his sisters gear up to keep Tris’s adorable face off-screen, but they quickly realize that there is more at stake than their privacy. The very identities they’ve created for themselves are called into question. What really happened the day of their father’s accident?
   The Fountain siblings have less than twenty-four hours to change their fate. Together, they will ask questions no one asked at the time of the tragedy. And together, they vow that this time, they will not be exploited. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

If the witness lied...disappointing
Although my students and I like reading C. Cooney, this was a disappointing story. The children in the story were under great stress, and the premise that no adult could/would help is strange.Why did they not think of a logical person who could help?Finally, after much duress adults come to the aide of these children, but is Ms. Cooney suddenly indicating that these adults became stronger, more concerned finally?The story dragged along sadly and frustratingly.

And Another Book Read's Reviews
The Fountain family has faced endless grief within the last couple of years and their future seems quite bleak as well. First the children's mother died, after refusing treatment for her fatal cancer so that she could give life to their baby brother Tris. Then, just two years later their father dies in a terrible accident leaving the four Fountain children alone and parentless with only their self-involved Aunt Cheryl left to care for them.

Within weeks the two Fountain daughters, Madison and Smithy flee, one going to live with her godparents and the other going to a boarding school hundreds of miles away. This leaves Jack to be the strong one, the one to take care of Tris, because Cheryl really only cares about herself and home makeover shows on TV.

As Tris' third birthday approaches, Cheryl decides that she is ready for fame and sells the family's soap-opera story to a reality television producer and Jack knows that his life is about to be thrown upside down once again. The thing is though this event brings the family together again. Along the way they find out some troubling information that makes them think....did the witness of their dad's death lie?

I believe if you looked up Caroline B. Cooney up in an encyclopedia you find "... author of heart-thudding thrillers." I could literally not stop reading this book and absolutely gobbled it up. The book as a whole was great, but there were definitely some holes that I wish had been patched up.

First of all, the plot was very original and was the driving force behind the "heart-thudding" feeling you got while reading the book. I loved how the author took a mystery and turned it into a novel about family, friendship, trust, loss, and love. These themes melded perfectly throughout the book and really made the reader take a step back and evaluate their own life in a different light. I did have a couple issues with the plot though. Some of the events, such as Cheryl gaining custody automatically over the children and there being no original investigation into the father's death, were completely left out. This left a big gap for me as I felt it could have been a crucial part in the story. The storyline was also a bit predictable, but the suspense created by the little details really helped the reader to not focus on what was coming next.

As for characters, this is really where the book lacked. All of the characters were one-dimensional; especially the adults, and I wish they were so much more.The little we did get to learn about the characters though was great. Jack was definitely the hero in the book and by far a favorite, as he sacrificed his social life in order to step up to the plate and care for his younger brother.

Another plus for this book is the author's writing style. She made the book incredibly realistic and all throughout the story I felt like I was reading an article from the local newspaper instead of a piece of fiction. Also the point of view she wrote the book in was quite interesting. It felt like a mix between third and first person, but all in the present tense, much like in Lisa McMann's novels. This quirky style took a while to get used to but in the end it definitely added to the book.

Overall this was a good novel that all teen readers will enjoy. It had enough action to satisfy anyone and will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved how the author dealt with the breaking and healing of a family and really showed what love is and its immense powers.

Classic suspenseful Cooney
The Fountain family has been the focus of major media attention three times: when mother Laura Fountain made a decision that changed her family's life, when she died, and when her husband died. Now the four remaining Fountain children live scattered, fifteen-year-old Jack living and two-year-old Tris with their aunt Cheryl, and Smithy and Madison living at boarding school and with godparents. Jack has reformatted his life so his only job is to protect Tris, but when attention-seeking Cheryl invites the media back into their lives once more, it becomes impossible. Now the three older siblings will have to face their pain and grief and come together to not only protect Tris, but discover the truth.

Caroline B. Cooney's latest suspense novel has contains her trademark fast-paced, blunt style that makes her books so easy to absorbed in. Her third person, present tense narrative allows Cooney to character hop, which always keeps things interesting. Though the mystery is a bit simplistic, its tight time line is wrought with tension and never lags, making If the Witness Lied an excellent novel for reluctant readers.

The characters in the novel are also well done; Cheryl is truly intimidating, and her power makes her a character you love to hate. Though the Fountain parents are deceased, Cooney has a talent for weaving in small and surprising details that make them seem three-dimensional and real, also making their children's loss more meaningful. The older siblings are also very interesting as Cooney explores their memories and how their loss affects them all in different ways. Despite their pain and issues, you can't help but admire the way Madison, Jack, and Smithy come together to protect Tris.

The conclusion comes together rather quickly and easily, but it is a very satisfying one. Cooney's latest book is inventive and excellent, with a mystery that is unconventional and fascinating.

A realistic look at how families are often torn apart after tragedy
The Fountain family may as well be associated with any other family scrutinized under the public eye because of reality shows or docudramas. The Fountains first made national headlines and news broadcasts over the decision of Laura Fountain to forgo chemotherapy and give birth to baby Tris. The public couldn't understand why Laura refused to have an abortion and save herself. Then, not even three years after Laura's death, young Tris strikes again. As Reed Fountain scrambles underneath his Jeep to grab something, Tris climbs out of his car seat and releases the break causing the Jeep to roll over Reed. The media has another field day over this young killer of both his parents.

The rest of the Fountain family --- sisters Madison and Smithy, and older brother Jack --- are left to pick up the pieces of this once happy family. Madison and Smithy flee to godparents and boarding school, respectively, while Jack stays home with live-in guardian Aunt Cheryl to take care of Tris. Jack has never blamed Tris for his parents' deaths and has refused to give up loving his baby brother because of senseless tragedies. Cheryl is a less than desirable guardian and spends much of her waking hours in front of the television, obsessed.

When the anniversary of Reed's death approaches, Cheryl hatches a plan to capitalize on the public interest in the Fountain family. She makes a deal with a television producer to film the family and invade their personal lives once again. Now she just has to get the whole family home again and capture their awkward confrontations on camera. Jack eavesdrops on the plan and immediately heads to daycare to rescue Tris. Madison, who was planning on coming home anyway, walks out the door as soon as she sees the cameras. Smithy, picked up by the producer at the train station from boarding school, is just as clueless as to why the rest of her family would agree to this mess.

Only when the four Fountain kids are reunited do they start to piece together the mystery surrounding their father's death --- and their lives. Is it possible that two-year-old Tris was even strong enough to release a parking break in the first place? Could the only witness of the accident, Cheryl, have lied about the whole incident? And can the Fountain siblings forgive each other after being consciously cut off the past few years?

Caroline B. Cooney is a prolific author of thrillers, each compelling as the next. IF THE WITNESS LIED is a realistic look at how families are often torn apart after tragedy and the amount of work it takes to begin the healing process. What makes Cooney so good is her relevance to what is happening in society. For example, Aunt Cheryl is by no means the worst villain in history, but she does effectively embody the public's obsession with television and what people will do sometimes to be on camera. If you've enjoyed any of Cooney's other well-written books, then you'll certainly want to pick up this one.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

Classic mystery/suspense from Caroline Cooney
Caroline Cooney has a long history of award-winning adventure/mystery/suspense/child in peril type of books.IF THE WITNESS LIED will not disappoint her fans.The Fountain children are orphans, and some say their baby brother,Tris,is to blame.Smithy left for boarding school, Madison moved in with friends...it is Jack who has stuck around to try to make things right for Tris.None of the siblings think much of their Aunt Cheryl, who seems to be taking over the household bit by bit.

The older siblings begin to notice small clues that don't add up to the accepted account of their father's death.When Aunt Cheryl
invites a reality show host to publicize the family's grief (under the guise of helping them heal) she sets into motion a chain of events that sends this book barreling to its exciting conclusion.Caroline Cooney's largely teen audience will love her newest creation. ... Read more

Product Description
A young girl is shocked to discover the face on a milk carton is her face when she was a young child. Are her parents her real parents, or was she kidnapped as a young child?. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (596)

A Stunning Story by Alexis Willeiker
Have you ever thought your parents weren't you real parents? Janie Johnson was enjoying a typical lunch with her friends when she sees an ordinary little girl on the back of a milk carton. The milk company puts out pictures of kidnapped kids on the back of the milk cartons.The girl on the carton was Jennie Spring, she was kidnapped 10 years ago from a shopping center in New Jersey. She all the sudden remembers that dress. The dress on the milk carton. A whole story unravels from this little picture on the back of the carton. Janie starts to think that maybe she is Jennie Spring. Janie starts to get nervous. Her parents act strangely when she asks them about her birth certificate. There are no pictures from before Janie was five years old.

Caroline B. Cooney is a wonderful author. The way she describes Janie's feelings really makes you feel like you are in the character's place. I have read many other books by her and it is the same in every book.But this book is one of the best.

If I was rating this book on a scale of one to ten I would rate it .tenI would give it a rating of ten because the story and the way she writes it are so capturing she just pulls you in you don't want to stop reading. I could not put this book down!
This is only the first book in this exiting series, so once you read this you will definitely want to read Whatever Happened to Janie, The Voice on the Radio, and What Janie found. Hopefully you will enjoy this series as much as me.

Pretty Good
I really liked this book. I read in a couple of hours because I just couldn't put it down.

Nothing good about it.
I downloaded this book because I thought the premise looked good and the reviews sounded so positive. Within the first few pages I had to go back to reading the reviews to see if I got the right book.
The actions are NEVER appropriate: Teenage Janie Johnston confronts her parents about who she really is and they tell her a major secret they've kept from her. What does Janie do? Jokes about being hungry, then wants to take a nap.
In another scene, 14 year old Janie and her new boyfriend are driving to see if they can find Janie's real parents. Without notice, her boyfriend pulls into a motel and gets a room so they can have sex. She doesn't react to the fact that she's never had sex before, this was a bad time to try, or how about asking... instead she just says "I can't do this" and they leave.

The writing style itself is terrible, with everything being overly explained and strange analogies every few paragraphs. The whole main part of the book just goes on and on endlessly with this girl doing nothing but worrying and walking around in a fog. There's no action except her silly friends getting annoyed at her.

And although the story line had promise- the writing style ruined it with choppy scenes and awkward moments where the main character goes out of her way to read about what happened to her, and then decides not to read at the last minute, choosing instead to look at the milk carton with her picture on it for the 100th time.

I rarely give up on a book before it's finished, but I really don't care what happens to this character and my faith in the author is so low that I doubt the ending will have made it worth it.

Don't buy this book.

Wildly suspensful....a real page turner!
The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney, is a suspensful story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and influences you to keep reading. The plot starts out right away, when fifteen year old Janie takes a sip of a friend's milk carton. As she looks to see what unfortunate little kid got kidnapped this week, she see's a picture of herself, three years old with pigtails and a polka-dotted dress staring back up at her. At first she thinks she is going insane but she takes another glance at the carton and the picture is still her as a toddler. Have her parents kidnapped her, or is she just out of her mind? Throughout the book, Janie goes through an emotional journey, trying to unveil her past.
This book is a phenomenal mystery, that is a real page turner. The Face on the Milk Carton had an intriguing plot and kept you guessing the whole way. The book really kept me interested because the plot started in the first chapter, when Janie first saw the picture on the milk carton. Another reason I liked this book is because, you never know what is going to happen next. It is the kind of story where you can't make assumptions. The Face on the Milk Carton leaves you with a surprising cliff-hanger that makes you wish it was longer, so you can keep reading.

The Face on the Milk Carton by Minksakura15
The book The Face on the Milk Carton is about a girl named

Janie. One day when she is at lunch she sees a girl on a milk carton.

Later she realizes that the picture she is seeing was her as a 3 year old.

She has a boyfriend named Reeve who helps her uncover a secret.

Is she truly her mother and father's daughter?? This was a very wonderful book because sometimes it's emotional and sweet. The author of this book is called Caroline B. Cooney. ... Read more

Product Description
Imagine changing centuries—and making things worse, not better, on both sides of time.
When 15-year-old Annie Lockwood travels back 100 years and lands in 1895, she at last finds romance. But she is a trespasser in time. Will she choose to stay in the past? And if she does, will she be allowed to stay? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Fun slide thru time
I read Vol. 1 and wasn't impressed - but if you read 1 then you feel compelled to read 2 - and I was impressed.This is a fun read and if you ignore all the obvious loose ends and just enjoy sliding through time with Annie and Strat you will find yourself at the end of the book wishing for more.Buy - it's time well spent.

I loved it
I read this book years ago in middle school.I am now a Junior in college, and the fact that I'm at this page looking over this book says how much i loved it.I read the books in order and was just amazed.They were perfect and they made me want my life to be just like that.I would greatly recommend this book and Volume one to ANYONE (but mainly girls) ages 12-16.That seems to be the age that would find this the most interesting, since others are trying to grow up too fast.

The romance and excitement between Annie and Strat was wonderful.It made you laugh and cry, which is a testament tot he quality of the story.You always wanted to know what was going to happen next, and it was all very exciting!

Romace Lover
This book is a real heart yanking tear jerker. There is excitement romance and mystery. There is also conflict. Conflict makes the book more interesting because you dont know how the book is going to end because there isnt a real "happily ever after" either way Annie (the main character in the book searching for love) is going to loose and gain something (if you want to know what she has to choose between you will just haave to read the book cause i am not going to spoil it for you). If you love good romances then this is the series for you.

I loved this book!
I don't usually review books, but after seeing that bad review that some have given this, I just have to.I think that this book was great, and I really had a hard time putting it down.I highly recommend that you read Volume #1 first (especialy the first book), or you might be lost in Volume #2. Maybe that is why some people didn't like it as much. If another book in this series is published, I will be one of the first in line to get it!

Wonderful series
First of all, if you can't type/spell you probably can't read very well.This entire series is wonderful.I read it many years ago and I'm looking forward to reading it again.These books are written for young adults (probably 12-15).They are easy to read and understand.The story line is excellent.As a person who cries all the time, this series made me do so on several occasions.They are nice, easy read books that take you away from your everyday world into another amazing world.Highly recommended to anyone! ... Read more

Product Description
The only person willing to believe that the mysterious Annie Lockwood has traveled back in time, Strat is locked in an asylum for his admission and poses a difficult choice for Annie, who wants to return to her own time. Reprint. AB. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (66)

Great teenager romance story!
Have a young romantic at home? Pick up this book for her, she'll love it.

A book to read over and over and enjoy
I loved the gentle sarcasm in the voice of this book, and the insightful peek into the culture of this time period was fascinating. I highly recommend for an unusual, if dated, ( in writing style ) story that entertains and doesn't disappoint.

Awesome
As with all of Ms. Cooneys books this one was awesome! A wonderful addition to the Time series. I will probably be rereading these books all over again soon!

waste of time
I have read many of Caroline B. Cooney's books, and this, is not what I would showcase as her best. The characters and situations were sort of thrown at the reader, and little background was given. You were just supposed to feel what the emotions of the characters were on your own.

She did compare the ideals of the present day to the past frequently. Annie, the main character, wants to live in the past because she would have less responsobilties, but at the same time wants woman rights. I think this shows how much society has changed.

Unfortunatley, I don't believe she was going after politcal views, but where her true focus was is still kind of blurry. Her descriptions were vague, and characters were sort of tossed around like salad condiments. Throwing in scenes here and there, just overall making it confusing and uninteresting.

Fantastic Read
This book was a great read. It had suspence, adventure, love, and truths about life. I loved this book for its comparisons to life today in the nineteen nintys and life in the eighteen nintys. It is a superb sequal to Both Sides Of Time in all of its glory.

I love how Caroline B. Cooney compares the lives of woman in these two times. They are very much different, but in a sense the same. A story of true girl power. The styles of idealism in society are different and what would be considered crazy or abnormal.

A pure delight to read. You will be consumed by time with this book and you won't want to put it down.
... Read more

Product Description
Driver’s Ed was like so many things in school. If the parents only knew . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (109)

Drivers Ed
This Book, Drivers Ed is a fun mysterious book to read. Once you start reading, you can't put the book down. This book pretty much has two subjects: Stealing a stop sign, and The romance between Remy Marland and Morgan Campbell.

The first subject involves Morgan, Remy, and Nicholas Buddie. They Decide to steal a stop sign on a major intersection. Bad things happen after that! Thats all I'm going to tell you about that subject

Next is the Romance! Remy and Morgan have secretly liked eathother, ALOT, but they didn't know that the one they like, like them back. When they went to steal the stop sigh, Remy and Morgan were acting as they were bf/gf. Later on in the book Remy doesn't like Morgan as much as she did before.

This was an exiting book to read, and I hope you will read it too. If you like romance and mystery, this book is for you!

Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com
One mom described the book as having a storyline perfect for "an after-school special." It involves a senator's son, a girl from an unconventional household, teen love, a burned-out teacher, death, a horrible secret and facing the consequences of one's actions.
Most of our book club members thought the characters in Driver's Ed were two dimensional, and everyone agreed that both moms in the book were unrealistically portrayed. But we had a good discussion about actions that turn out to have dire consequences even though they seem harmless when you choose to do them. And we all got a chance to talk about our current experiences, with moms weighing in on frightening times in the passenger seat and daughters talking about parents "freaking them out" and making them nervous behind the wheel. It was fun to realize that most of our stories were similar.
I would recommend reading Driver's Ed for the discussion it prompts rather than for the book itself.

A good book
This book is realy good. I am about to get my license and it teaches me some stuff.

Drivers ED
This review on the book Drivers ED, is on the cool events of the book. The author is Caroline B. Cooney, she has written many books such as The Face On The Milk Carton.
The book is about a girl named Remy Marland, and her friends Nickie Buddie, Lark, and Morgan Campell. It takes place in Junior High. They have been planning a sign-stealing trip. Remy wanted the sign Morgan Road. What better than the name of the boy she had a crush on. They didn't know who did it, but some one stole a stop sign, and it would have dire consequences. It is a stunning novel and I think you should read it. Just take my word for it. It is full of suspense and mystery, read it and you will be on the edge of your seat.

From Information Literacy & Technology Class
Driver's Ed is fast paced at the beginning, when a couple teenagers steal a stop sign for fun from a busy intersection. A young woman gets in a car crash at that intersection later that night, and dies because there was no stop sign. Overwhelmed with guilt, they don't know if they should tell the authorities or keep it a secret forever. After the accident, the book becomes slow, and boring. The author only talks about the teenagers' feelings and how they deal with making the choice of admitting to the vandalism. There are also many unneeded characters in the plot, making it complicated and confusing. As it draws closer to the end, the book becomes boring and predictable. The ending is abrupt, and doesn't solve the problems that have been building up throughout the plot. I would not recommend this book to advanced readers.
- Annesha ... Read more

Product Description
Walking around New York City was what Mitty Blake did best. He loved the city, and even after 9/11, he always felt safe. Mitty was a carefree guy–he didn’t worry about terrorists or blackouts or grades or anything, which is why he was late getting started on his Advanced Bio report.
Mitty does feel a little pressure to hand something in–if he doesn’t, he’ll be switched out of Advanced Bio, which would be unfortunate since Olivia’s in Advanced Bio. So he considers it good luck when he finds some old medical books in his family’s weekend house that focus on something he could write about. But when he discovers an old envelope with two scabs in one of the books, the report is no longer about the grade–it’s about life and death. His own.
This edge-of-your-seat thriller will leave you breathless.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Great Read!
My 8Th grade son had to read this book for summer reading and I read it with him. We both really enjoyed it!

Code Orange: My Favorite Caroline Cooney Book
Mitty Blake is a carefree hero. He is an average student, likes his parents and sister, and breezes through school with average grades. Everyone likes Mitty. When the terrorists kidnap him to get the smallpox virus scabs to destroy New York City, he uses what he learned from his parents to survive. Kids need to read books about good families and good kids. One of my favorite sections was when his worried sister came home to be with their parents while Mitty missing. A lot of books have single parent households, dysfunctional siblings and emotional problems. Code Orange had a close knit family, siblings who like each other, and an average guy who solved a major problem using his head. Code Orange is my favorite Caroline Cooney book.

harmless kid, or walking viral timebomb?
In Caroline B. Cooney's "Code Orange", Life as people know it rests on the shoulders of Mitchell Johnson Blake, an ordinary teen living in New York City.With just a week left until his advanced biology term paper is due, Mitchell has yet to decide the topic.In his vacation home, he finds a book from the eighteenth century with an envelope containing smallpox scabs in it.Without thinking twice, he takes them out.The scab dust penetrates his nose and is on his fingers.Mitty learns more and more about smallpox, and is starting to get nervous.Mitty is usually scared of the unknown, but now, what he knows scares him even more.Does he have smallpox, one of the most feared infectious diseases?If he doesn't, then why is he getting some of the symptoms?What will become of Mitchell?Or the more important question, what will become of the human race?

all in all, code orange is not just another brick in the wall.It's twisting plot-line keeps you turning the pages until you've finished the book.Just when you feel you have figured out what you feel will happen, the story takes another hairpin turn down a totally different direction.In this book, Mitty not only battles his fears of becoming infamous for reintroducing smallpox to our world, but he faces the everyday hardships of being in highschool.
So is Mitty the re-creator of smallpox, or a harmless teen scared of the disease that terrorized our world before it was eradicated?You'll have to read to find out!

~written by her son.

Code Orange Review
Code Orange is a wonderful, suspenseful read. I enjoyed it very much and others will too. Caroline Cooney did an amazing job on Code Orange. I couldn't put it down!

4.9
In the opinion of myself and all of my friends, we can all say that this book is incredible.Heart stopping, this book sparked a conflict inside of me. I desperately was obsessed with this book and wanted to keep reading. But at the same time, I was terrified to turn the page. Suspense, romance, adventure, and the struggle to survive all packed into one small novel! I would definitely recommend this book to viewers who liked the Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies.
(This book has a pretty slow start so don't be fooled by the some-what boring beginning. The ending will one thousand times be worth it. Just don't skip or look at the end without finishing the book!) ... Read more

Product Description
Taking on the identity of her identical twin sister, Madrigal, who had died in a skiing accident, Mary Lee soon discovers that Madrigal's life had not been as ideal as she thought. Reissue." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Not her best work by far
I've always been a fan of Caroline B. Cooney but this comes across as a quick "filler"book....almost like she had to make some quota and had a week to come out with a book. I liked the beginning, but after Mary Lee went back home it came across as really rushed. The build-up to how evil Madrigal and John Pear were was very anti-climactic. All they did was drop off people in the inner city? I mean that can be dangerous but it almost screams "epitome of white upper-middle class" if the worst thing that can happen to them is they're dropped off in the innner city (and not even at night either). I mean, people LIVE there. One girl has a mental breakdown and has to go to a mental institution for 2 weeks because she sees a rat. Ridiculous and babyish. The whole "good twin/evil twin" is very cliched. People just aren't evil for no reason, as is implied in the book. Furthermore, you think the parents would have attempted to get Madrigal some counseling if they were really concerned like they said they were.

Twins is a nightmare
i wish someone had warned me about this book before i wasted money on it.

Evil? Not really.
This was a trashy but entertaining read right up to the point where you find out that the "evil" thing Jon Pear and Madrigal have been doing is dropping kids off in the inner city, locking the car doors, and leaving them to ...

... have rats crawl on them.

Yeah. That's it. Ooh, scary! With the buildup to that scene, I was expecting something more on the level of a gang rape. At the very least, some threats and harassment by gang members. Maybe a mugging. Something, you know, threatening. I have to wonder if she had something more realistic originally, and the publisher made her take it out.

Very original!!
Just for a little background info on me, I have a BA in English as well as psychology. I worked as a children's library assistant for my first four years out of college. I remember enjoying some of Cooney's books when I was in middle school. I read this one as an adult, and really enjoyed it. The plot was startingly orignal, in my opinion. I really felt for Mary Lee, and was really invested in what happened to her. Ok, Shakespeare it's not, but if you want to have a fast, thrilling read, try picking it up. If you're not into by chapter 3, just go ahead and put it away.

exciting book
This book is about twins Madrigal and Mary Lee. Mary Lee is being sent away to boarding school and she feels betrayed, she feels like her parents love her sister more, and Magrigal says that it is a good idea that she leaves, like she doesnt care what happens to her. At boarding school, Mary Lee is a misfit, she has no friends and everyone thinks she is crazy when she claims she has a twin, they think she is making it up to seem cool. Mary Lee writes letters to Madrigal and Madrigal doesnt really say much to her, she only mentions that she has a boyfriend, Jon Pear. Then Madrigal comes to visit on their winter break and everyone at Mary Lee's boarding school likes her more than they like Mary Lee. They all go skiing and nobody really pays attention to Mary Lee because she has such a boring personality compared to Madrigal and even her ski suit is worse than hers. Madrigal asks Mary Lee to switch suits and pretend to be eachother. Mary Lee says ok, and they do it. Then, Madrigal goes up in the ski lift, all by herself because everyone thinks she is Mary Lee, and her lift chair breaks off and she dies. Everyone thinks that it was Mary Lee though, and Mary Lee thinks that since Madrigal is more popular, why not pretend to be her. After they pack up all of her things and she goes back home and starts school, she realizes what people really thought of Madrigal, and what Jon Pear is really like. Read this book cuz it is quite exciting. ... Read more

Product Description
The kidnapping is long past. Janie Johnson can never change what happened to her or to the families that love her. But finally life seems to be settling down for the Springs and the Johnsons.

The worst part of this new life for Janie is that Reeve Shields is away at college. Janie misses him terribly, no matter how many e-mails they send each other. As for Reeve, he's finding life at college overwhelming. He goes to work at the school radio station, hoping a late-night gig will give him what he craves--popularity and fame. Reeve gets his chance to be the voice on the radio, and when he tells the most fascinating story he knows, his show becomes a sensation. Reeve is so sure that Janie will never discover what's making his
broadcast such a hit that he doesn't stop himself. But what will be the price for Janie?

As Janie knew, the facts about the little girl on the milk carton had to be uncovered, no matter how much pain they caused. Now the truth about what Reeve is doing must come out. Whose voice will help Janie when she must face not only her incredible past, but also her unknown future?

With the page-turning suspense that made The Face on the Milk Carton and Whatever Happened to Janie? best-sellers, Caroline B. Cooney once again explores the meaning of betrayal, the power of words, and the intensity of love.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (108)

After the Milk Carton
The further the author takes a story into sequels, the weaker the story typically gets.In "The Voice on the Radio", certain characters in the series are explored in more detail, particularly the Springs.While this is a strength of the book, the overall plot is somewhat thin.

Based in turmoil in the Janie-Reeve relationship, the world of Janie predicatably comes undone.Exploring college radio, Reeve begins spewing the story of Janie like an insignificant odd occurance in his life.Yet it is through the Janie-Reeve conflict that other minor ends of pervious minor storylines are able to reach their conclusion.Rather than reveal those plot points, I will advise pontential readers that these "loose ends" do not add a lot to the overall picture of the story.In fact, some factors may be better off unknown.

I enjoyed "Face on the Milk Carton" a great deal when I first read it more than 15 years ago.I still intend to read the fourth book in the series even though I fear it may be a letdown.But with the high standard set by "The Face on the Milk Carton" it is hard to match the expectations with any sequel.

Lure of the sirens
Note: The zeros were cast by a troll and her gang, not real and decent people, and are against me personally and not the book or the review!

"The Voice on the Radio" is the third novel in "The Face on the Milk Carton" series, adding to the saga of Janie Johnson, kidnapped victim who discovers her true identity when she sees her "Missing child" face on a milk carton.

While the first two books focus on Janie, born Jennie Spring, this one takes the reader into the mind of Reeve Shields, Janie's handsome boyfriend, childhood friend and neighbor. He was her Shoulder during the entire discovery process. He is the only one who knows the story as thoroughly as Janie.

Janie was kidnapped when she was three and grew up with a different set of parents, whom she loves dearly. Discovering she was kidnapped was traumatic, to say the least. The first two books detail the difficult process of learning to accept her biological family as well as the people she calls her parents.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT:
In this book Reeve goes to college and discovers his talent with a microphone at his college radio station. He has a radio voice. On his first gig, he cannot think of a thing to talk about, then, in panic, begins Janie's story. He discovers to his amazement that he is a natural storyteller.

His first installment of Janie's story produces eleven calls of interest. Not the usual crank calls, but real calls. Then twice weekly he adds another tantalizing bit of Janie's story. Now listeners refer to them as janies. Will Reeve do another janie tonight? For the first time the station has a large base of listeners.

Reeve knows he has betrayed Janie's confidence. He has betrayed Janie herself, the girl who means the world to him, but the lure of sirens drives him on.

[Note: While it may seem I have given away important points of the story, the previous three paragraphs don't say much more than what is printed on the back cover.]

I originally intended to give "The Voice" four stars until I wrote the review and realized that this book adds as much to the story as the other two. Often when a novel ends, the reader is left wondering what happens next. "The Voice" continues the story and answers that question. Well, this is what happens next and it isn't pretty.

Two very important decisions end this installment. Now what happens next? What Janie Found concludes the Milk Carton series. What WILL Janie find?

im hooked
The kidnapping is long past. Janie is relieved that life seems to be settling down but she misses her boyfriend Reeve Shields, who is away at college at Boston. As for Reeve, college life seems overwhelming; when the opportunity for fame in a late-night gig at the school radio station proves irresistible, he finds himself spilling Janie's story over the airwaves. Reeve is so sure Janie will never discover what's making his broadcast such a hit that he doesn't stop himself.

Shock
When you read this book, hard to put it away because I am trying to figure out what really happen in her past and more. It surprises me.

teens perspective
caroline b cooney is an aweome writer who knowsThe Voice on the Radio how to get you hooked to a series this book, the voice on the radio, is a great follow up for the past two books the face on the milk crton and what janie found. she really knows how to capture the attention and imagination of persons our age. ... Read more

Product Description
When Rose was invited to spend the weekend at Angelica'sbeautiful summer home, she had plans to just enjoy the luxury ­ thepool, the horses, the expensive cars. It was a chance to live like aprincess, if only for a weekend. It didn't turn out that way, though:somebody ended up dead. That was four years ago, but now the policehave reopened the case. They have Rose's diary ­ and she has to get itback. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

Secret in a Diary
Four years ago, when she was twelve, Rose went away for a weekend with Anjelica, an extremely rich and popular girl.Anjelica's father drove them to the family's lakeside compound, stopping on the way to have a shouting match with his business partner while the girls waited in the car.After the weekend was over, the business partner, Frannie, was found dead with her head crushed by a rock.There was no doubt it was murder, and Anjelica's father was the prime suspect.Rose and Anjelica were both interviewed by the police and both insisted they didn't know anything and hadn't seen anything, but the police assumed they were covering for Anjelica's father.The case was dropped with not enough evidence to prosecute.

Now, though, the case has been reopened.Police visit Rose's house and Rose's mother offers them the diary Rose used to write in when she was twelve, thinking there might be some sort of clue in there that would help.Rose is desperate for the police not to read what she had written, though, so she steals the police car and drives it to dispose of the pages in the diary.Now police are absolutely certain that Rose was a witness to something, and they are putting the pressure not only on her, but on all of her friends as well.What did Rose witness?Why won't she confide in anyone?

I liked the suspense of trying to figure out why Rose was so upset at the thought of people reading her diary.This book showed realistically how adolescent girls interact; the flashbacks to [...] and how badly the girls treated each other seemed completely accurate.I really liked the way the ending all came together, although it seems Rose could have saved herself a lot of trouble by confiding in someone.

Pretty Good
This book had a very, very slow beginning.I mean, Rose stole a police car to get her diary away from the police. But... you don't have any idea what she wrote in the diary until the last few chapters. Then, what she wrote in her diary was really dumb. OK i can see why she took the diary but WHY did she have to steal the car!!! OTHER THAN THIS THE BOOK WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD ND I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN:)

Fatality review
An accident had happened several years ago, but now the case has reopened and now she is forced to give up her diary for evidence.

Ms. Raniere- pd 1,2,8,9
In the novel, Fatality, by Caroline B. Cooney, Rose is caught in an intriguing police investigation.When the book begins, we meet Rose, a young girl who is contemplating stealing her diary back from the police officers who took it.What precious words are written in the diary, we don't know, but they must be important.Rose is being interrogated in a murder investigation and refuses to speak, only sharing that she "didn't see anything."Yet, with the retrieval and destruction of her diary, the police and her parents can hardly accept that answer.They assume that she must know something and that it was written in her journal, but no one can get it out of her.Through this tangled web we meet Rose's parents, her brother Tabor, and her school friends/acquaintances, Chrissie, Alex, and Anjelica, whose father is also involved in the investigation.As the reader learns more, the case begins to unfold and things become clear, but, we are still left in the dark about the diary entry.Does Rose know something and had she written it down?Who is she protecting?When Rose almost gets run down by a dark truck, her family urges her to give up whomever it is she is protecting.Unfortunately, it might be too late...

I don't typically enjoy thrillers, but I was hoping to read a good one to get into them.Unfortunately, I'm still fishing for the perfect thriller to grab and hold my attention.Fatality is not your typical thriller.It takes place after the crimes have occurred and therefore, is not very suspenseful. The ending is unexpected, yet not climactic enough to be satisfying.I liked that Cooney put in a few different conflicts to spice up the story, but overall, it just didn't do it for me. On a positive note, the plot was intricately woven involving many characters in a few different story lines.Also, it was nice that the plot didn't just involve murders, chases, and escapes like some others in the genre. Ultimately, I liked the book and would recommend it to my students.But if you're expecting a suspenseful and compelling story with many twists and turns, this isn't the book to choose.

Thrill giver
I liked the book a good bit because I didnt know when she was going to screw up.I didnt like the book becausei kept getting confused but that is just my opinion.The book has a slow beginning but it catches on.The bookis also not the longest nor the shortest book.If you like thrillers you might want to read it. ... Read more

Product Description
An award-winning dramatic thriller finds a young girl confronting her fears and making heroic efforts at the terrifying scene of a crashed 747. Reissue. AB. PW. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (86)

Great for teens and adults
Fast paced and well written (without an overabundance of pointless gore) this book delves into the excitement and horror of a major airliner crash.Teen protagonists Patrick and Heidi keep their heads together and help out at the crash scene with all their might, showing that youth doesn't mean incapacity.This is a good quick read for all ages.

Flight 116 Is Down
I am a middle school teacher and this is one of the best books I have ever used in my classes.My students love the action and the fact that they can actually relate to the main characters in the book.The format -- division in time increments is clever, focusing on each character's take on what is happening.Cooney has a way of drawing in her readers.This book is also good for demonstrating to students what happens in emergency situations.The terminology is accurate.

moodle
This is one of the most interesting books i have read yet.I normally do not read too much unless i have to, but this book has changed my outlook on casual reading.Although the storyline started off slow and boring it soon picked up when Cooney started talking about the different characters.I like this book because it is so descriptive and, is hard to predict what will happen next, its like a roller coaster ride.This book displays an unfortunate accident that occurs in a young teenage girl's backyard in a small town.Most of the characters in the book are young to older teens that are all dealing with personal problems in their life time.I like how it took all the characters to forget about their problems at the moment to try to help the people that were on the plan.

It is hard sometimes to believe you have it better then you really do, and that things could possibly be much worse.Being captured into a book makes reading the novel even more interesting, and easier to read.You see the characters emerged from once were immature states to maturity when times got hard and people needed to be saved. Cooney has a way of really connecting you with the characters and their problems as well.I would recommend this book to any one, even if reading is not something they enjoy to do in their free time.Cooney has now emerged into one of my favorite writers and I can not wait until I start to read more of her novels, even though I think this one will be hard to top

My Flight #116 is Down Book Review
I've now added Flight #116 is Down to my all-time favorite books list. This wonderful adventure book was written by Caroline B. Cooney, and I really enjoyed reading it. Actually, to tell the truth, it started off quite slow... It took me about an hour and a half to read only the first forty pages. However, right around there, things become very interesting, as the characters' lives turn around in a sudden instance of action. This book is about a massive plane that malfunctions in the air and makes a terrifying crash into the woods beyond Heidi Landseth's mansion.Heidi, who is home alone, and will be for the next couple of days, knows that she is the only one that can help with the situation for now. Later, police, ambulances, and firemen arrive at the deadly scene, and for the next few days, almost everybody in the community join together in helping hands to rescue the passengers... Well, those who haven't already died.
As you can see, this book is fantastic. I love how the author made the entire crisis apparent through a teenager's (Heidi's) point of view. The story teaches you moral or two about life in general, like that you should enjoy every moment that you have before it all escapes from you. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone from a teen to an adult. Even if you're not interested in adventure books, I am positive that you'll find yourself attached to this one, as it includes many other genres/aspects, such as romance, as well.

Edge-of-your-seat reading
Caroline B. Cooney won a new fan with "Flight #116 Is Down." In addition to my own personal choices for reading, I also read many of the books I order for the PK3 through 8 school library where I am librarian. "Flight" quickly became a hot check-out with the middle school students. I finally had to invoke librarian privilege and sneak it out.

Action thrillers begin one of two ways--on page one or a slow steady buildup. "Flight" begins with short introductions to the two main characters on ground and several passengers of the airplane. So many characters caused me to flip back several times during the crash (not a spoiler: look at the title!) and afterwards. But I like that Cooney establishes this cast early on because...nope, no spoilers.

It is the "afterwards" that is the focus of the novel. Learning how crashes are handled is one thing, but reading/watching how the aftermath turns some people into courageous heroes is yet another. Flight 116 crashes in the heavily wooded area on the back side of the estate of Heidi's parents, both out of town this particular weekend. Heidi has never been a stand-out at anything--until this weekend. She becomes one of those courageous heroes.

Patrick, the other high school student and main character, serves as a volunteer on an emergency rescue squad in Nearing River, Connecticut. Hewishes for more than just a "Mrs. Hill has fallen and needs to be taken to the emergency room." And he gets it!

Most of the novel revolves around the rescue effort, stymied severely by the single, narrow, winding road to the estate and the crash beyond, during a cold, rainy winter night. The description of the crash area forces the reader's heart into the throat because of the nature of the crash, the amazing number of people who survive, and the great heroic efforts of local emergency response teams in the initial work to rescue those survivors. Heidi opens her house and food shelves to both victims and workers.

Make no mistake, this is not great literature, but it is great reading. When I rate a book by stars, I always consider the audience and type of book. When I give five stars to "Lord of the Flies" and five stars to this novel, I am not saying they are equal. But I am saying that each in its own category represents the best without flaws. "Flight #116 Is Down" is certainly a best in the category of young adult action drama and a reason to read more Cooney. ... Read more