Ali experiences racism and prejudice first hand when he tries to help a homeless woman being treated badly by police.ĭigging deeper and refusing to give up, Ali finally discovers the truth about why Zoey won’t reveal the shooter. They, like Ali’s classmates, are angry that more isn’t being done to combat the constant shootings of Black Americans. In his investigation he follows Zoey to a homeless camp where he learns her father lives. With his friends he is soon on the hunt for possible suspects and clues. After Zooey’s strange behaviour both at the shooting and afterwards in hospital, Ali has decided to dig deeper into the shooting.
Is she hiding something?Īli is in trouble with his nanamama and his dad for lying about where he was, but not before he’s labelled a hero by Zoey’s famous (in Washington DC) singer mum. She’s woozy with shock and pain, but acts weird when Ali asks her about the person he saw her with. Ali applies first aid, ensuring Zoey doesn’t lose too much blood. Ali and his friends find her with a bullet wound to her wrist. Suddenly people are running at them from that direction, but he only has thoughts of Zoey.
#ALI CROSS LIKE FATHER LIKE SON TV#
Ali is the son of Detective Alex Cross and a big fan of the TV Show Law and Order. Zoey says she is going to catch up with her mum backstage and she’s not gone long when they hear a loud bang. Zoey’s mum is an up and coming artist in the Washington DC music scene. He told his nanamama (Great Grandmother) he was doing his school project at his mates’ house but he’s actually at a music festival with his friends and a girl he likes. It is great read for summer assignments.Ali Cross isn’t where he should be. We both recommend this book (audio or print) to Alex Cross fans and their children. The characters are relatable, and fun to read. There is action, mystery, tension, and various family issues that move the story at a fast pace. The performances made the story and the characters real. According to my granddaughter, she loved this so much, she will listen to more audio books in the future. The narrators, Zeno Robinson and Wayne Carr do an excellent job bringing the characters to life. There are good father-son moments and a little tension among Ali, his parents, friends, and police. This isn’t his case, but he does use his police connections to get and give information. Ali is the primary investigator with his friends helping him investigate. The story is reminiscent of the Nancy Drew / Hardy Boys mysteries that I loved. homeless community, which set off a long discussion between my granddaughter and me. She could relate to the kids anxious for more privileges while their parents are reluctant to recognize they are growing up. My 9th grade granddaughter listened with me and loved it. While written for middle schoolers I enjoyed the story and audio too. Ali and friends are determined to find out what happened and why Zoey is so nervous. The police are called, Zoey is taken to the hospital, the kids get in trouble, Nana mama and Alex Cross ground Ali for life, (not really but he gets a long punishment without technology). Ali believes he sees the shooter running away, but Zoey insists there wasn’t anyone near her. Besides, he is crushing on Zoey, and does not want to appear wimpy in front of his friends.Īfter the group hit the food booths, Zoey runs off to get the venue passes from her mother, one of the singers. Ali is strictly forbidden to go to this area alone, but, like many teens, he is pushing his restrictions to get his parents to look at him as older.
The story opens with Ali and his friends, Gabe, Sedgwick, Ruby, Matteo, and Zoey sneaking off to attend a music festival at a Washington DC park.
While it is not 'own voices', I think it's important for white authors - especially white authors who write crime books from police POV - to write about the police in non favourable ways. I think it also handles the topics of homelessness, police brutality (especially against black Americans), and the anti-police sentiment and failure of the police service in a very manageable and understandable way, especially for non-black children (or just white - I'm not American and I'm white so I'm very much on the outside). I think this would be a great book for 9-12 year olds - I know I would have loved it around that age. I was quite engrossed for the entire book and cared about the books, and the topics covered. This didn't distract from my enjoyment, but may have increased the limited connection towards side characters. This is the second in the series, but I didn't realise that until the previous "case" was mentioned over 10% into the book. Audio specific - brilliant narration and easy to follow.