Milk Carton

Lore & Background

The story follows Janie Jessmon, a sixteen-year-old living a happy life with her parents Miranda and Frank Jessmon and her best friend Sarah Charlotte. Her world is shattered when she spots a picture of three-year-old missing child Jennifer Sands, whom she recognizes as herself, on Sarah Charlotte's milk carton. Janie searches the attic where she finds a trunk containing items from a girl named Hannah. When Janie confronts her parents about having no baby photos, they admit they are her grandparents and that Hannah is her real mother. They tell her Hannah was involved in a cult and showed up at their door one day with three-year-old Janie in tow. Unable to escape the thought that her parents could have kidnapped her, Janie and her friend Reeve track down the Sands family and realize she has exactly the same red hair as every member of their family. Janie tells Hannah's parents what she's learned, showing them the milk carton. They believe Hannah may have kidnapped Janie and posed her as her own child. Janie is quickly reunited with her biological parents, Jonathan and Sada Sands, and her older brother Stephen and younger sister Jodie. Neither Jodie nor Stephen is exactly thrilled. When Janie decides to run away back to the Jessmons, Stephen tracks her down at a bus station and tells her when they were little, they had been at a shoe store with their mother and Stephen was supposed to watch her, but didn't, which is why Hannah took her. Janie says she forgives him. Janie still decides to return to her adoptive parents. Her father Jonathan, though sad, accepts this while Jodie and Stephen don't. However, Janie tells Jodie they are still and always will be sisters. As Sada and Janie are driving back to the Jessmons, she tells her about the day at the shoe store, and Janie says she's sorry she was bad. As Janie leaves with Frank Jessmon into their house, Sada Sands comes face to face with Miranda Jessmon, who extends her hand to her warmly.

In Their Own Story

Janie Jessmon is 16 and living a happy life. She has great parents named Miranda and Frank Jessmon and best friend named Sarah Charlotte. Then her world is shattered when she spots a picture of three-year-old missing child Jennifer Sands, whom she recognizes as herself, on Sarah Charlotte's milk carton. Janie searches the attic where she finds a trunk containing items from a girl named Hannah. When Janie confronts her parents about the fact that she has no baby photos, they admit that they are her grandparents and that Hannah is her real mother. They tell her that Hannah was involved in a cult and showed up at their door one day with three-year-old Janie in tow. Unable to escape the thought that her parents could have kidnapped her, Janie and her friend Reeve track down the Sands family and realize she has exactly the same red hair as every member of their family. Janie tells Hannah's parents what she's learned, showing them the milk carton. They believe that Hannah may have kidnapped Janie and posed her as her own child. Janie is quickly reunited with her biological parents, Jonathan and Sada Sands, and her older brother Stephen and younger sister Jodie. Neither Jodie nor Stephen is exactly thrilled. When Janie decides to run away back to the Jessmons, Stephen tracks her down at a bus station and tells her when they were little, they had been at a shoe store with their mother and Stephen was supposed to watch her, but didn't, which is why Hannah took her. Janie says she forgives him. Janie still decides to return to her adoptive parents. Her father Jonathan, though sad, accepts this while Jodie and Stephen don't. However, Janie tells Jodie they are still and always will be sisters. As Sada and Janie are driving back to the Jessmons, she tells her about the day at the shoe store, and Janie says she's sorry she was bad. As Janie leaves with Frank Jessmon into their house, Sada Sands comes face to face with Miranda Jessmon, who extends her hand to her warmly.

Reader's Guide

The Face on the Milk Carton is a 1995 American made for television drama film based on Caroline B. Cooney’s 1990 novel of the same name. The movie stars Kellie Martin as Janie Jessmon, born Jennifer Sands, a sixteen-year-old girl who finds her face on the back of a milk carton and puts the pieces of her past together. The plot centers on Janie's discovery that she was kidnapped as a toddler by her own mother Hannah, who was involved in a cult. Key moments include Janie finding a trunk in the attic with items from Hannah, confronting her adoptive parents who reveal they are her grandparents, tracking down the Sands family and seeing their matching red hair, and the emotional reunions and farewells at the bus station and the Jessmon home. The film ends with Sada Sands and Miranda Jessmon meeting face to face, with Miranda extending her hand warmly.

Did You Know?

• The film is based on Caroline B. Cooney’s 1990 novel of the same name.
• Kellie Martin stars as Janie Jessmon, who was born Jennifer Sands.
• Janie recognizes herself as a missing child on a milk carton showing three-year-old Jennifer Sands.
• Janie's adoptive parents admit they are actually her grandparents, and Hannah is her real mother.
• The Sands family all have red hair, which Janie shares.