Dear God,” I said, and everyone went still. Most of the congregation bowed their heads. “I know you know where Gabriel Qualls is. And I know you probably have a plan for him, just like you do for anyone else. I don’t want to ask too much, but if you’re listening, please watch out for Gabe tonight. Please help bring him home again soon. And, um … I guess that’s all. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

Ali Cross Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary Ali Cross Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary

Maybe I should have said a prayer for my dad, too. Because I wasn’t the only one dealing with some heavy stuff that night.James Patterson has a new treat for his young adult (read: teen) fans with this long-awaited debut featuring Ali Cross. Many longtime Patterson fans will know of Alex Cross and his youngest—yet also precocious—son, Ali, who sees things outside of the box. While the entire Cross clan is gathered for Christmas, Ali has other things on his mind. His friend, Gabe, is missing and no one seems to be doing much about it. Ali wants nothing more than to help find his close friend, but the case seems to be gathering little but a peppering of snow over the holiday season. If that were not enough, his father, Dr. Alex Cross, is facing assault charges for a recent arrest that left a suspect in a coma after a fall. While the Cross family remains strong, Ali cannot help but wonder if he needs to do more to help the situation. He enlists the help of his father, as well as his step-mother, Bree Stone, to get some answers and to help fill in some of the blanks around Gabe’s location. Then, it’s time to enter the world of the tween, where social media and gaming takes over, allowing Ali to discover some new and disturbing clues that could help him with his search. As Alex is distracted with his own worries, young Ali takes a gamble or two to save his friend. Problem is, like his father, Ali sometimes forgets to put his safety first, which could have dire consequences. When Ali is able to reach Gabe through a video game they enjoy, this only leads to more complications and places both boys in a heap of trouble. A stellar piece by Patterson that will surely loop in a new generation of Cross fans, with a story that is equally appealing to those who have long enjoyed anything with CROSS in the title. Recommended for young and not so youthful readers looking for a great mystery, as well as Alex Cross fans who want a dose of something a little less intense. Nana Mama, Ali’s great-grandmother, is an admirable character living with Ali, his sister, his dad, and his stepmother. She steps up to calm a crowd of people who’ve collected outside the house to protest the police. She projects her voice with authority and manages to allay some of the tension. Ali has a habit of sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night and he feels like Nana Mama always knows what he’s doing. She never scolds him but offers thoughts to consider. She understands Ali’s behavior and worries and she does her best to lend support. She even lets him start dinner one evening even though it’s clear it will be a disaster. It’s supposed to be a big deal to get chosen for the children’s prayer at my church, especially on Christmas Eve. I guess you could say it was an honor. But my mind was like mush that night, and I was wishing they’d tapped someone else. Kudos, Mr. Patterson, for another great piece in the Cross series. This one has remained solid and I do wish you would focus on those pieces that are stellar, rather than mass producing every idea brought to your feet, for money and acclaim. But I didn’t get to answer. Dad was already stepping in to take over. Which was just as well, because I was ready to go off on these people.

ALI CROSS | Kirkus Reviews ALI CROSS | Kirkus Reviews

I will be the first to admit that my relationship with James Patterson books is hit and miss. However, with Alex Cross, I can usually get something great from the esteemed author. This branch-off into the world of young readers has worked well, with a strong narrative and short chapters to hold their attention. Poignant topics and writing that would connect with the younger crowd, Patterson does all he can to keep things ‘real’ and on point. While i do not read all of Patterson’s series, for adult or younger readers, this is one well worth my time and can be of particular interest to Alex Cross fans who need something lighter and shorter. I will keep my eyes peeled for more and nudge this series towards Neo soon!It was crazy. I didn’t believe Dad was guilty for a second—he said it was an accident. But try telling that to the crowd following us up the street that night. The closer Dad’s trial got, the more they were dogging him with nonstop questions everywhere he went. When Ali's best friend Gabe is reported missing, Ali is desperate to find him. At the same time, a string of burglaries targets his neighborhood -- and even his own house. With his father on trial for a crime he didn't commit, it's up to Ali to search for clues and find his friend. But being a kid sleuth isn't easy -- especially when your father warns you not to get involved! -- and Ali soon learns that clues aren't always what they seem. Will his detective work lead to a break in Gabe's case or cause even more trouble for the Cross family?

Ali Cross Series - James Patterson Book List Ali Cross Series - James Patterson Book List

In fact, if anyone had asked me, I would have told them there was only one thing I wanted for Christmas that year. I wanted Gabe Qualls to be found. Except, see, that’s the thing. People don’t just disappear. There’s always an explanation. That’s what my dad says, and he should know. His name is Alex Cross. He’s a homicide detective with the Washington DC police, and I’ll tell you this much: I hope I can be half the detective he is someday. The excitement in this book comes from an app that Gabe, Ali's friend, has developed. The app scans police frequency and they get alerted of crimes close to home. Ali sneaks out at night and observes the police in action over a range of different crimes. The crimes are setup to help support Ali's point of view on the police debate. Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, former detective and FBI agent Alex Cross. While solving some of the nation's most challenging crimes, his father always kept his head and did the right thing. Can Ali have the same strength and resolve?I hadn’t known him that long—only since the beginning of middle school. But we got to be friends right away. I saw him in the cafeteria one day, eating by himself and working on a pretty cool drawing. I mentioned something about it, and that’s when I found out he was a total Outpost fan, like me. Ever since then, we’d been gaming together, he’d come over to watch movies, and that kind of thing. But he never talked about himself much, and I never really asked. Now I was thinking maybe I should have.