Crocodile Tears

by Anthony Horowitz

Book Overview

Alex Rider will soon be a star in his very own TV series

It's just another day in the life of an average kid. If you're Alex Rider, that is.

A con artist has realized there is big money in charity: the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified corn that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0399250565
• ISBN13: 9780399250569
• Release Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 388 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.8" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 12 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 10

Customer Reviews

Loved it, A really good book in the series

Crazy twists and turns in it and over all just a good book

A Total Blast from Beginning to End

Alex Rider returns for his eighth adventure in Crocodile Tears, and I had a blast with it. This book, more than any of the others, really takes a spin off the James Bond 007 franchise when it opens up on Alex playing Texas Hold `em with the big baddie of the book. I had to force my willing suspension of disbelief for this sequence, but Horowitz is one of those storytellers that I'm happy to do that for. After all, Alex is my favorite teen spy, and the one that truly kicked off a lot of the action-packed series that have since jumped on board. For the uninitiated, and with the books selling in the millions of copies so I can't believe there can be many of those left, Alex is a fourteen year old boy who lives in London and sometimes works with MI-6, Great Britain's version of the CIA. They love using him because he's young and generally slides beneath the radar of the bad guys. But Alex is a totally hardcore when it comes to martial arts and feats of derring-do. Usually Alex gets recruited into a mission for MI-6 through some bit of backhanded blackmail, but in this one he inadvertently steps afoul of Desmond McCain (our villain) and ends up first in the sights of a sharpshooter, then at the eye of the storm McCain unleashes on him. The fact that Alex involved himself in so much of the bad guy's overall plot was different, and it makes sense given that Alex is the kind of kid that he is. Most boys his age wouldn't walk away from a mystery or a grievance either, and would look for ways to strike back. The action in this one is over-the-top stuff that would make great cinematography. Hopefully someone will again pick up the Alex Rider film franchise and give it another go. The series really deserves that, and this would be an excellent story to film from. Another facet of the stories that I enjoy is the science that goes into the bad guys' plots. In Crocodile Tears, it's genetically modified foods and the threat they pose to Third World countries, as well as to the rest of the planet. The plot doesn't bog down with heavy explanations, but there's enough there to send curious young readers (and possibly older ones) scurrying to Wikipedia or the Internet for answers. Strangely, the spy gizmos in this novel seem to be toned down. There really isn't much here from Smithers, and quite frankly I was a bit disappointed. I love when Smithers takes the stage, because it's quite a lot like dealing with Q in the lab in one of the James Bond films. Usually Smithers does a lot with designing hardware for Alex that looks like teen-centric stuff. Overall, I was really happy with the book. The action flowed quite nicely, and the dangerous parts were exciting. I loved the rooftop race with the ductwork and the time when Alex hung suspended over the hungry crocodiles. Horowitz has maintained that Alex would never be older than fourteen and be a spy. At the end of this book, Alex's fifteenth birthday is only a few days away. I really don't want

Alex Rider: Crocodile Tears

Probably the best addition to the Alex Rider Series! You'll love it when you read it!

Captured - again

"Crocodile Tears" starts off when Alex Rider finds himself at a New Year's party with Sabina. This is when he gets himself in trouble - again. He wins a Texas Hold 'Em game against millionaire Desmond McCain, already creating a bad start with the rich man. Alex soon finds himself working for MI6 once again, spun up into a heart-racing story about the teenage spy. I was eager to keep reading the book, finishing it in two days. Any of you who seek action should definitely read this book.

Typical Alex Rider

This book is a typical Alex Rider book. Its full of the normal imposible situations that alex gets out of. Whats great is that this is just as good as the first book. Unlike tha City of Ember or Pendragon books, this series does not get worse as it goes along. I would recomend this book to anyone. I suggest you read the other ones in the series first, but that is not necessary.

One of the most exciting yet (a parent's review)

Crocodile Tears is an excellent addition to the Alex Rider series: fast paced, tense and dead exciting. It picks up two months after Snakehead. Alex is still 14 (although only just) and believes that he's completed his last assignment for MI6. The book starts off with a bang (literally) as a bomb is exploded in a nuclear power station in India. The action then moves to Scotland where Alex is holidaying with the Pleasure family. He attends a lavish New Year's Eve party in a remote Scottish castle hosted by wealthy philanthropist Desmond McCain, who runs an international charity, First Aid. Alex is disturbed by his first encounter by McCain and wonders if there's a connection when shortly afterwards he narrowly escapes from what he suspects to have been a deliberate car accident. Back in London, Alex is forced to turn to MI6 for help when a journalist threatens to expose his past. In return MI6 ask him to help them investigate the director of a highly secure GM research centre. Slowly the disparate threads of the story start to come together, but will Alex be able to pass on what he knows before the bad guys catch up with him? I thought it was an extremely exciting story, a real page turner. It is slightly darker and more complex than others in the series: this is definitely "young adult" territory, although there are also parts which are highly reminiscent of scenes in the previous books. Alex is an appealing hero who is brave and highly resourceful. He has an uncanny ability to keep his cool when he's in danger and pulls off some impressive stunts such as catching a spear in mid air. Here are some things that parents may like to know: - There is frequent violence in the book (similar to the previous books in this series). A couple of the villains die in particularly unpleasant ways. - Alex ends up in a variety of frightening scenarios including being trapped in a car at the bottom of a lake, being dangled over hungry crocodiles and being trapped in a burning building. - Alex causes the death of two people directly and several more indirectly. While the deaths could be attributed to self-defence, he never shows any signs of remorse or concern at their deaths. - He also witnesses the deaths of several others, including one individual who has previously saved his life. Again, he shows no particular concern about this. - No bad language, no romantic scenes. - Alex is once offered alcohol, which he refuses. - There are no positive female role models. With the exception of Alex's faithful housekeeper/guardian (and his friends the Pleasures), the women in this book are all either receptionists and nurses, or are emotionless and unpleasant.