Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Great book. overall I think it was a bit dark and I recommend this book to picky readers to get them into reading.
What I Did Like:
+The overall vibe of the book is great. Really, it’s similar to something like Nancy Drew but reimagined. This young boy is going to launch an investigation into something in his neighborhood. Great concept, well executed.
+The mystery is satisfying. There’s enough plausibility to make it believable and the way it’s solved is (mostly) realistic.
+The use of technology is well done. It’s accurate to say a kid the age of this main character would be familiar with a lot of tech and that’s used well here. I liked seeing it in action.
Who Should Read This One:
Middle grade readers who like a little mystery and good characters.
Teachers of upper elementary, this would be a good one to have in your classroom!
My Rating: 4 Stars
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2023/04/17/2023-book-review-ali-cross/
+The overall vibe of the book is great. Really, it’s similar to something like Nancy Drew but reimagined. This young boy is going to launch an investigation into something in his neighborhood. Great concept, well executed.
+The mystery is satisfying. There’s enough plausibility to make it believable and the way it’s solved is (mostly) realistic.
+The use of technology is well done. It’s accurate to say a kid the age of this main character would be familiar with a lot of tech and that’s used well here. I liked seeing it in action.
Who Should Read This One:
Middle grade readers who like a little mystery and good characters.
Teachers of upper elementary, this would be a good one to have in your classroom!
My Rating: 4 Stars
For Full Review: https://tabathashipleybooks.com/2023/04/17/2023-book-review-ali-cross/
Ali Cross is written by James Patterson. The book starts out with us learning about several different things: Ali Cross is the son of famous detective Alex Cross, Alex Cross is on trial for an assault charge, and one of Ali’s best friend’s has gone missing. Ali and his friends start to look for their missing friend, Gabe Qualls. After a while of looking for him, both the police and his group of friends, they still cannot find much. Ali starts to take this case into his own hands when lots of house break-ins start to happen and he starts to think that it may be Gabe. Ali starts to think that Mr. Qualls has something to do with it. After finding more and more out about the case Ali goes outside after he hears that there was another break-in just a couple of minutes ago in the neighborhood. Ali follows Gabe to a storage unit and ends up getting locked in by Gabes cousin, Ramon Qualls, Ali uses a PS4 in the storage shed to contact his friends and one of his dad's co-workers. He is set free and later Alex wins his trial.
James Patterson did many things to make this book great. He added lots of suspense, when Ali gets trapped in the storage unit, Alex’s trial, and Gabes disappearance just to name a few. I also liked how he described different characters. He describes them with great detail but in a very subtle way. He does not just come out and plainly state a character's description but instead does it more in the story such as mentioning details like when Alex was running it was talking about how he could run fast because he had such long legs, therefore implying that he is tall. He also made short chapters so it was very easy to pick back up from where you left off. I also liked how he made Ali do some dangerous and risky things such as sneaking onto his moms work laptop to look up criminals.
I really enjoyed reading this book. First off I love the way that James Patterson writes. I wrote about why I like his writing in the paragraph above. The book was not confusing and was easy to follow along with. It was not predictable, with lots of plot twists. I loved the ending of the book, where he is reunited with Gabe and Ali’s dad wins his trial. I would recommend this book to many people: those who like mysteries, plot twists, and people who may not read a lot in one sitting as it is easy to pick back up at most points. Overall this book was a great book.
James Patterson did many things to make this book great. He added lots of suspense, when Ali gets trapped in the storage unit, Alex’s trial, and Gabes disappearance just to name a few. I also liked how he described different characters. He describes them with great detail but in a very subtle way. He does not just come out and plainly state a character's description but instead does it more in the story such as mentioning details like when Alex was running it was talking about how he could run fast because he had such long legs, therefore implying that he is tall. He also made short chapters so it was very easy to pick back up from where you left off. I also liked how he made Ali do some dangerous and risky things such as sneaking onto his moms work laptop to look up criminals.
I really enjoyed reading this book. First off I love the way that James Patterson writes. I wrote about why I like his writing in the paragraph above. The book was not confusing and was easy to follow along with. It was not predictable, with lots of plot twists. I loved the ending of the book, where he is reunited with Gabe and Ali’s dad wins his trial. I would recommend this book to many people: those who like mysteries, plot twists, and people who may not read a lot in one sitting as it is easy to pick back up at most points. Overall this book was a great book.
While I'm only giving this book three stars, I think students in grades 4-6 might REALLY like it. Ali is an interesting character on his own, but I especially like the way Patterson weaves Ali's dad, the famous detective Alex Cross, into the plot.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the Alex Cross series, so when I heard about the Ali Cross books, I was so excited to read the first book. I loved this book. It is so cool to see how so is exactly like his dad and how he is also a great detective. I will definitely be reading more of Ali Crosses cases.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
An enjoyable story about the son of Dr. Alex Cross, Patterson's protagonist for so many adult crime-thrillers. Ali Cross is a detective wannabe who idolizes his father and gets involved in the search for his best friend, who suddenly goes missing without a trace. Ali enlists his friends to help with the search and gets into scrapes with his friend's father and some kids at school who may or may not be hiding some information about his friend.
Patterson handle's the MG mystery pretty well, not allowing Ali to play full-on detective but letting him get a little bit of help and guidance from his father and his father's coworkers. Using an online gaming platform as a communication device between the kids is a nice touch and will attract young readers. The language is clean and not too specifically slangy as to date itself. The story flows well, the pacing is good, and I stayed interested even though I had a good idea why Gabe (Ali's friend) was missing and didn't want Ali to try to find him.
Patterson handle's the MG mystery pretty well, not allowing Ali to play full-on detective but letting him get a little bit of help and guidance from his father and his father's coworkers. Using an online gaming platform as a communication device between the kids is a nice touch and will attract young readers. The language is clean and not too specifically slangy as to date itself. The story flows well, the pacing is good, and I stayed interested even though I had a good idea why Gabe (Ali's friend) was missing and didn't want Ali to try to find him.
I think this is a good mystery story for kids. Easy to read with just enough suspense.