Whatever Happened to Janie?
Whatever Happened to Janie? is a novel by Caroline B. Cooney in the Janie Johnson series and the sequel to The Face on the Milk Carton.
With the mystery of her kidnapping now unraveled, Janie's story continues, and the nightmare is not over. No one can bring back or relive the twelve years gone by. The Spring family wants justice, but who is really to blame? The Johnsons know that they must abide by the decisions made, but it's difficult to figure out what's best for everyone. Janie has finally found her true family, but are they her true family to her? She just wants to live the life she has, with her rich family, wonderful boyfriend, and best of all, no confusions.
Plot
Janie is forced to leave the safety of her adoptive parents who had raised her, the Johnsons, and live with her biological parents and four siblings, Stephen, Jodie, and twins Brendan and Brian. Although all of the Spring family members are eager to include her, she desperately misses her adoptive parents, with whom she is allowed no contact, so she is emotionally aloof. She also has some trouble adjusting; she is called "Jennie" by the family, but refers to herself as "Janie." She goes to a new school (a grade behind where she was previously), and she lives in very close quarters with her new brothers and sister. As things start to improve and Janie starts to feel more at home, 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. Janie is thrilled and can't wait, but only then does she realize how much her biological parents love her. Once she gets home she realizes that things can never be the same again and her moving has not only affected her, but her adopted parents as well. However, Janie's siblings, Stephen and Jodie, are angry and upset that they are once again losing their sister. Having discovered that Hannah had been arrested in New York City two years previously for prostitution, they journey to New York to find the woman responsible for everything. In the end, a cop who arrested Hannah reassures Steven and Jodie to reconcile with Janie and not worry so much about the past as nature had punished Hannah itself.