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Army Brats
Reporting for adventure! The Bailey kids' mom has just been assigned to Fort Patrick, and it'll be the family's first time living on an army base! Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie get to make new friends, explore the neighborhood, and cool off in the huge pool. Unfortunately, they also have to deal with the base bully, who seems determined to make Tom's life completely miserable by telling everyone he's a wimp.When the Baileys discover a mystery on base--an abandoned building long rumored to be haunted--they know that this is the way to show the world how brave Tom truly is. But when they go to investigate, they find there's more to the house than some old rumors. What is that weird equipment? And who is that suspicious man sneaking around inside?It's up to Charlotte, Tom, and Rosie to figure out the base's secrets-and prove to everyone that no bully can keep the Bailey kids down.Daphne Benedis-Grab's Army Brats is an exciting romp that celebrates friendship, bravery, and being true to yourself.
245 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2017
8 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Daphne Benedis-Grab
14 books107 followersDaphne Benedis-Grab is the author of four middle grade books and two books for teens. She lives and writes in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 9, 2017
Purpose: Requested for review
Source: Publisher
I was given a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the story of three siblings as they adjust to living on an army post for the very first time. The Baileys are moving from Pennsylvania to Fort Patrick because their mom, a military intelligence officer has accepted a teaching position. All three kids are excited about this move, and even about starting a new school. They will finally be around people who understand military life. But not everything turns out the way that they thought that it would. Charlotte makes friends with a new girl, who happens to be very popular. But she soon discovers that popularity does not mean being nice. Tom, though he tries very hard not to, becomes the target of the base bully. Though Rosie is content with just her family and dog, Cupcake, she learns that it’s not so bad having a friend.
This is the third book by this author, and I must admit she has become a favorite. Not just for me, but for read a-louds with my son. She has a way of talking about very big (and sometimes complicated) topics and breaking them down to kid-size portion. And she does this without dumbing down anything. This is a rather short book, so I don’t want to go into details that will give anything away. But I will do my best. I do recommend this, especially for kids who are struggling with finding their place in the world, who are starting middle school and who may have trouble making friends.
Because of Tom’s interactions with the base bully, he begins to question himself. But as the siblings take on the challenge of the secret mission, he learns that there are worse things than someone teasing you – accepting the harmful words/taunts as truth. He gains a deeper and truer understanding of what it means to be brave, and not in the way that he thought he would. Charlotte has made friends with the school’s very own mean girls. She goes along with them even when her brother becomes the target of their meanness. Rosie is a spitfire of a character and is very comfortable being herself, even if it leaves her without any friends. But she slowly learns what it takes to be a good friend.
This was a very fun story, one that I will reread to my son as he grows. It deals with real issues and considers the individuality of the characters. How they respond to their situations is unique to their personalities. The solutions presented in the book, are realistic and highly recommended. There isn’t a false promise of a happily ever after at the end, and all problems are not solved with a nice little bow. All issues are resolved, and after the characters learn more about themselves, the only reassurance that they have at the end is that whatever comes their way, even the teasing and bullying, dealing with gossip and mean girls and all of the other things that come with the journey of middle school, they will be able to handle it.
If you have not had the opportunity to read any of Daphne Bendis-Grab’s work, I highly recommend it. I also recommend sharing it and passing it around to all the young readers in your life. That’s what I’m going to do.
Source: Publisher
I was given a copy of this title, free, in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is the story of three siblings as they adjust to living on an army post for the very first time. The Baileys are moving from Pennsylvania to Fort Patrick because their mom, a military intelligence officer has accepted a teaching position. All three kids are excited about this move, and even about starting a new school. They will finally be around people who understand military life. But not everything turns out the way that they thought that it would. Charlotte makes friends with a new girl, who happens to be very popular. But she soon discovers that popularity does not mean being nice. Tom, though he tries very hard not to, becomes the target of the base bully. Though Rosie is content with just her family and dog, Cupcake, she learns that it’s not so bad having a friend.
This is the third book by this author, and I must admit she has become a favorite. Not just for me, but for read a-louds with my son. She has a way of talking about very big (and sometimes complicated) topics and breaking them down to kid-size portion. And she does this without dumbing down anything. This is a rather short book, so I don’t want to go into details that will give anything away. But I will do my best. I do recommend this, especially for kids who are struggling with finding their place in the world, who are starting middle school and who may have trouble making friends.
Because of Tom’s interactions with the base bully, he begins to question himself. But as the siblings take on the challenge of the secret mission, he learns that there are worse things than someone teasing you – accepting the harmful words/taunts as truth. He gains a deeper and truer understanding of what it means to be brave, and not in the way that he thought he would. Charlotte has made friends with the school’s very own mean girls. She goes along with them even when her brother becomes the target of their meanness. Rosie is a spitfire of a character and is very comfortable being herself, even if it leaves her without any friends. But she slowly learns what it takes to be a good friend.
This was a very fun story, one that I will reread to my son as he grows. It deals with real issues and considers the individuality of the characters. How they respond to their situations is unique to their personalities. The solutions presented in the book, are realistic and highly recommended. There isn’t a false promise of a happily ever after at the end, and all problems are not solved with a nice little bow. All issues are resolved, and after the characters learn more about themselves, the only reassurance that they have at the end is that whatever comes their way, even the teasing and bullying, dealing with gossip and mean girls and all of the other things that come with the journey of middle school, they will be able to handle it.
If you have not had the opportunity to read any of Daphne Bendis-Grab’s work, I highly recommend it. I also recommend sharing it and passing it around to all the young readers in your life. That’s what I’m going to do.
January 4, 2017
Great mystery with just the right amount of tension in a fascinating setting- loved learning more about living on an army base. Tom, Charlotte and Rosie all faced real life problems. A heartwarming, engaging read to the very last word!
May 15, 2017
This Army brat loved catching up with what life is like on base for today's Army brats.
October 18, 2017
Asher (11yo) read. "Really cool. Kinda makes me want to live on post."
March 6, 2017
231 pages. An 11 year old girl named Charlotte and brother Tom are moving to Ft. Patrick and will be living on an army base for the first time. Tom has dyslexia. They have a sibling Rosie, adopted from China, too. They have a dog named Cupcake. Mom is an intelligence officer in the army and dad is a freelance graphic designer. Both the brother Tom and Charlotte are heading into the 6th grade. This realistic fiction book is a great story where siblings work together to solve a mystery and battle against a bully at school. It is a pretty good story overall. I would recommend it for Grades 4-6. I would buy it for my school.
March 29, 2017
Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie are the Bailey siblings and once again are moving, but this time onto an army base with their dad and intelligence officer mom. The siblings are excited for their new adventure until Tom gets unwelcome attention from the base bully. Charlotte who usually has his back is too busy making friends with popular girls to realize his distress, and Rosie is busy trying to solve the mystery of missing dogs. Eventually, they realize they work best as a team as the three investigate a mysterious man and a off-limits house. The army base setting is fascinating and the Bailey siblings are a joy to follow in this fun mystery. A fast fun read!
July 12, 2017
The Bailey family: Major Bailey, or Mom, Dad, Charlotte, Tom, and Rosie are on their 5th school as army brats, but their first time living on a post, called Fort Patrick. 6th grade brings mean girls and a base bully to Charlotte and Tom, as 6-year old Rosie struggles to make friends she prefers to boss around. Even their dog, Cupcake is a great character. Mix military jargon, mystery, and MWDs (military working dogs) for a heartwarming, satisfying tale with a great cover.
January 4, 2017
My group of middle grade reviewers gobbled this one up!
October 17, 2018
Great book!!!!!!
December 13, 2017
This book is great. It is really interesting I don't want to put it down.
February 26, 2018
Loved this one! My family spent two years on an army base and the details ring true. Also loved adoption storyline and how each character learned and grew- a fun read for kids 8-11!
January 28, 2018
In a word: disappointing.
I'm going to have to split the first part of this review into two sections -- one for military brats and one for civilians.
For military brats, there are three things you need to know about the contents of this book.
1. Fictional Army bases have no bowling alleys. I don't know a single Army brat who managed to never go to the on-post bowling alley, but these poor fictional children are being deprived. DEPRIVED, I tell you, of a cornerstone of military-kid life.
2. Fictional Army bases are like the Hotel California -- you can never leave. (Because they literally never, not once, not ever, in any possible way, mention the town off-post. Or maybe it's a city. The characters go from 15-minutes-away on a remote mountain road to in front of the gates, with no description of what's in between.)
3. Fictional Army brats somehow have managed to get to 12 years old without ever stepping foot on base because they are constantly wowed by things like a pool! and a movie theater! and gosh, a big box store called the PX that has everything you need!!!
After having read this, you will not be surprised to discover that the author is not herself a military brat, and her main consultants (cousins) are Navy folks, and one of her other main resources was Air Force. You grew up in the military -- you know as well as I do that branches are not interchangeable.
For civilians:
Overall, this book broadly describes military life. But it's got some details wrong or omitted entirely (probably accidentally) and so it doesn't *accurately* describe life on an Army base. It's an accurate sketch with sloppy coloring, as it were.
Also, everyone is super happy and chill and any problems that might have occurred due to the military lifestyle are mentioned briefly and then handwaved away, or they happen to Other People, and so you don't ever get a close look at how it actually affects them. Don't read this book expecting to learn about military base life apart from the very best parts.
For both military brats and civilians:
Don't expect a satisfying conclusion to the mystery. Don't expect a lot of character development. Don't expect the details to add up to a whole that makes sense, because a school with ~150 students total would never stay open on an Army base, but somehow this base has one and also a population large enough to support building a giant pool with water slides. Bus those 150 kids off-post to the local public school, says DoDEA, except that a base that giant would have significantly more kids to support a (rather larger) on-base middle school.
So back to that one-word summary at the start of this review -- disappointing.
I'm disappointed that the author got things so close to reality, but so ultimately wrong-feeling.
I'm disappointed that this is one of the few books that attempts to depict everyday military life (instead of wrestling with deployment or veteran-specific problems like injury or PTSD) when it doesn't get enough right.
I'm disappointed that it veered too far to "military kids have normal kid problems too!" when I want normal kids to understand military-kid problems. You could change the setting to generic suburbia and literally nothing about the mystery plot or the bullying subplot would change. Why write a book about military kids if you're not going to show some military-kid problems? It's all lip service.
I'm disappointed that it's so endlessly bright and bubbly when an Army kid's life is one of conflict. It's being happy to leave a school with bullies while being sad about having to move yet again. It's being proud of your parent for serving their country while being angry that it means they work long hours or get deployed. It's getting to live cool places like Hawaii or Korea, while knowing you are An Outsider and you won't stay there. It's rootless heritage linked to hundreds of years of history, yet still leaving you unsure of how to answer the question "so, where are you from?"
I wanted this book to be better. And it wasn't the worst book I've ever read, and the author so clearly tried hard to get things right.
I was really hoping that 4-star rating on Goodreads would mean something, but most of those reviews and ratings must have been from civilians or people far removed from military service time.
I'm not mad at it for not meeting my expectations of matching reality. I'm just...disappointed.
I'm going to have to split the first part of this review into two sections -- one for military brats and one for civilians.
For military brats, there are three things you need to know about the contents of this book.
1. Fictional Army bases have no bowling alleys. I don't know a single Army brat who managed to never go to the on-post bowling alley, but these poor fictional children are being deprived. DEPRIVED, I tell you, of a cornerstone of military-kid life.
2. Fictional Army bases are like the Hotel California -- you can never leave. (Because they literally never, not once, not ever, in any possible way, mention the town off-post. Or maybe it's a city. The characters go from 15-minutes-away on a remote mountain road to in front of the gates, with no description of what's in between.)
3. Fictional Army brats somehow have managed to get to 12 years old without ever stepping foot on base because they are constantly wowed by things like a pool! and a movie theater! and gosh, a big box store called the PX that has everything you need!!!
After having read this, you will not be surprised to discover that the author is not herself a military brat, and her main consultants (cousins) are Navy folks, and one of her other main resources was Air Force. You grew up in the military -- you know as well as I do that branches are not interchangeable.
For civilians:
Overall, this book broadly describes military life. But it's got some details wrong or omitted entirely (probably accidentally) and so it doesn't *accurately* describe life on an Army base. It's an accurate sketch with sloppy coloring, as it were.
Also, everyone is super happy and chill and any problems that might have occurred due to the military lifestyle are mentioned briefly and then handwaved away, or they happen to Other People, and so you don't ever get a close look at how it actually affects them. Don't read this book expecting to learn about military base life apart from the very best parts.
For both military brats and civilians:
Don't expect a satisfying conclusion to the mystery. Don't expect a lot of character development. Don't expect the details to add up to a whole that makes sense, because a school with ~150 students total would never stay open on an Army base, but somehow this base has one and also a population large enough to support building a giant pool with water slides. Bus those 150 kids off-post to the local public school, says DoDEA, except that a base that giant would have significantly more kids to support a (rather larger) on-base middle school.
So back to that one-word summary at the start of this review -- disappointing.
I'm disappointed that the author got things so close to reality, but so ultimately wrong-feeling.
I'm disappointed that this is one of the few books that attempts to depict everyday military life (instead of wrestling with deployment or veteran-specific problems like injury or PTSD) when it doesn't get enough right.
I'm disappointed that it veered too far to "military kids have normal kid problems too!" when I want normal kids to understand military-kid problems. You could change the setting to generic suburbia and literally nothing about the mystery plot or the bullying subplot would change. Why write a book about military kids if you're not going to show some military-kid problems? It's all lip service.
I'm disappointed that it's so endlessly bright and bubbly when an Army kid's life is one of conflict. It's being happy to leave a school with bullies while being sad about having to move yet again. It's being proud of your parent for serving their country while being angry that it means they work long hours or get deployed. It's getting to live cool places like Hawaii or Korea, while knowing you are An Outsider and you won't stay there. It's rootless heritage linked to hundreds of years of history, yet still leaving you unsure of how to answer the question "so, where are you from?"
I wanted this book to be better. And it wasn't the worst book I've ever read, and the author so clearly tried hard to get things right.
I was really hoping that 4-star rating on Goodreads would mean something, but most of those reviews and ratings must have been from civilians or people far removed from military service time.
I'm not mad at it for not meeting my expectations of matching reality. I'm just...disappointed.
May 14, 2018
Tom, Charlotte and Rosie are the best- I want to hang out with them! And life on the base sounds super fun. Plus they deal with real problems in the ways kids really deal with stuff. Love this one!
June 10, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed it but two things could have added to the story:
Examples of Tom's dyslexia and how it affects his behavior
A map of the base would have been a fun resource
Otherwise, good story for readers who are from military families or not.
Examples of Tom's dyslexia and how it affects his behavior
A map of the base would have been a fun resource
Otherwise, good story for readers who are from military families or not.
December 15, 2016
new school bully
mysterious house
sticking together
adopted younger sister (Chinese)
military family
making new friends...the right ones
mysterious house
sticking together
adopted younger sister (Chinese)
military family
making new friends...the right ones
May 27, 2017
Story is well written and fun to read. Good description of family life on an Army base while children deal with bullying, gossiping and adoption issues that can occur in any school or community.
May 15, 2018
Love the mystery, the characters and learning about life on an Army Base- such a good book!!
November 6, 2017
Children who belong to military families that are frequently on the move, will identify with Tom, Charlotte, and Rosie, children of a military intelligence officer whose latest job lands the family at Fort Patrick. Charlotte and Rosie quickly adjust to their new home, but Tom is miserable. He is the victim of the class bully and his self confidence quickly erodes. To make the situation even more difficult, Charlotte befriends the school’s mean girl clique and doesn’t speak up when they torment her brother. Rosie, a loaner, must learn to be a friend.
When Tom stumbles upon an abandoned building that is rumored to be haunted, he finds that many aspects of the old house do not add up properly. Why is the house loaded with expensive equipment? Who is the suspicious character who frequents the isolated house? He sets out to find answers, and is soon over his head.
Dog lovers, military “brats,” readers who may identify with the characters’ insecurities, and mystery buffs will all find something to like about this short novel.
When Tom stumbles upon an abandoned building that is rumored to be haunted, he finds that many aspects of the old house do not add up properly. Why is the house loaded with expensive equipment? Who is the suspicious character who frequents the isolated house? He sets out to find answers, and is soon over his head.
Dog lovers, military “brats,” readers who may identify with the characters’ insecurities, and mystery buffs will all find something to like about this short novel.
October 9, 2019
This book was a fun uplifting read. It is a cute book with kids being kids, no agenda, no super serious content. The parents are married, both are alive and very supportive of their kids. Refreshing. I read the book out loud to my 9 and 11 year old. We enjoyed the military-isms, terms and abbreviations. We especially liked Rosie and her "issues" making friends that she works on through the course of the book. Army Brats includes situations that just about every child deals with: bullying, peer pressure, a need to fit in, trying to make friends, standing up for yourself and others. There is an emphasis on the importance of teamwork, friendship, self-confidence, bravery even when you are afraid, and most of all = family.
February 3, 2018
I love that this focuses on the life of a military family but it sure wraps up in a perfect little bow, which seems unrealistic for all that I’m sure they actually go through moving from base to base.
I didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters and there were so many too-perfect or overly convenient moments that I couldn’t rate this higher than three stars.
I didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters and there were so many too-perfect or overly convenient moments that I couldn’t rate this higher than three stars.
July 4, 2019
This is a great story for middle grade reluctant readers, as it has just enough suspense to keep them reading. Three siblings move to an army base for the first time and find themselves solving a mystery while navigating the waters of finding and being a true friend.
February 2, 2020
goooooooooooooooooooooooddd veeery good
March 16, 2020
I read this book along time ago but I remember this book was good and funny I would recommend this book to kids around the age of 7-10.
October 29, 2021
Olivia read and rated it 3 stars
August 11, 2025
This Book is Dedicated To Me 5/5
February 23, 2017
Benedis-Grab, Daphne Army Brats, 240 pages. Scholastic Press, APRIL 2017. $18. Content: G.
The Bailey family has moved to Fort Patrick because their military mom has taken a new assignment. Integrating to their new school is not going well – Tom has come into the sights of the school bully and Charlotte has fallen in with the popular girls, who seem to epitome the idea of mean girls, pitting Charlotte against Tom. Meanwhile, Rosie, their adopted sister, is not even trying to make friends, but she has found a mystery about dogs disappearing on base.
Each child’s problem individually is actually kind of interesting, but the mystery is lackluster – I can kind of understand not wanting it to take over as something scary, but it kind of became the point of the book. I would have rather had a book highlighting life on a military base for a family, without the pseudo mystery.
EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
The Bailey family has moved to Fort Patrick because their military mom has taken a new assignment. Integrating to their new school is not going well – Tom has come into the sights of the school bully and Charlotte has fallen in with the popular girls, who seem to epitome the idea of mean girls, pitting Charlotte against Tom. Meanwhile, Rosie, their adopted sister, is not even trying to make friends, but she has found a mystery about dogs disappearing on base.
Each child’s problem individually is actually kind of interesting, but the mystery is lackluster – I can kind of understand not wanting it to take over as something scary, but it kind of became the point of the book. I would have rather had a book highlighting life on a military base for a family, without the pseudo mystery.
EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
June 25, 2020
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Content: no inapropriate content
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: The Bailey’s kids help their brother Tom out when he is bullied at his new school in Fort Patrick.
Review: Very relatable and realistic. I like the different characters and their personalities.
Read the rest of my March 2020 reviews at http://www.storiesandsketches.com/202...
Content: no inapropriate content
Age Reccomendation: ten years old
Summary: The Bailey’s kids help their brother Tom out when he is bullied at his new school in Fort Patrick.
Review: Very relatable and realistic. I like the different characters and their personalities.
Read the rest of my March 2020 reviews at http://www.storiesandsketches.com/202...
April 6, 2017
Although I could find no indication that this is the first in a series, I'd be delighted if it was. After all, books for intermediate graders featuring military kids are few and far between. This has quite a few things going for it--a military mother who works in intelligence, some military working dogs, and three siblings who have each other's back even while dealing with their own struggles. The youngsters and their family have just moved to Fort Patrick, and living on the base with their rescue dog Cupcake is a very different experience from living as civilians. They are free to move around as they please in that protected and secure environment. But everything is not as safe as it might seem on the surface. Sixth grader Tom struggles after he becomes the center of attention for the class bully who demeans him by calling him Sergeant Wimpy. Charlotte, also in the sixth grade, is so caught up by the attention her two popular friends pay to her and her stylish nail art that she fails to realize that the friendship is based on gossip and putting others down. Spunky Rosie needs to learn how to be a friend to others and not always insist of having her way. When the three siblings discover an building on the base, which is reputed to be haunted, they decide to investigate. I liked how the three youngsters are allowed to figure things out for themselves without too much intrusion from the adults in their lives as well as how Rosie is convinced that there's a secret dog-napping industry alive and well on the base. All three of these characters are likeable and honestly portrayed, warts and all. Readers can find some creative ways to solve their own problems by these characters' examples. The author capably captures the essence of live on a military base in the United States.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews