A mysterious case draws three siblings together to investigate, all while on a military base in Virginia. This book was thoughtfully written in the third person, while still being so relatable it feels like it is in the first person. The reader feels connected to each of the three main characters – Tom (12), Charlotte (10 3/4), and Rosie (elementary school-aged) – as they navigate their first time living on a military base. The Baileys discover an eerie and unkempt building on the pristine base and decide to inspect it to find out more – each for their own reasons.

Both male and female readers will relate to this book as it engages the reader in a mystery as well as relatable topics for the age group, such as bullying, peer pressure, military families, adoption, military working dogs, untraditional familial roles, etc. The read is easy flowing and at times suspenseful. Military terms and definitions are interspersed throughout the book with such ease that the reader understands what is going on as well as increasing his/her knowledge of military life and base living.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Scholastic Press (A Scholastic Imprint)

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Minor shoves another minor for 3 days at school; minor elbows another minor in the back resulting in second minor hitting his face on locker edge; minor hoses another minor down with water resulting in second minor running bike into a tree; flesh seen in sketchy basement; adult reporting someone is locked in there now; implied occurrence of dognapping and experiments on dogs.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Bullying, dognapping, military families – moving.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None