Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider, #8)

May 07, 2013 Tien Dao rated it 4 of 5 stars

Do you like action? Adventure? James Bond? If you do, it is a great book to read. It comprises of high octane action and surprises in all corners of the story. It will leave you suspended, heart broken, and joy.

So this book is basically about a 14 year old boy named Alex Rider. He works for MI6, which is a spy agency for Great Britain. He tries to stop bad people from doing things that would create crisis throughout the world. Anthony Horrowitz also loves to use syntax throughout his book to exc...more Do you like action? Adventure? James Bond? If you do, it is a great book to read. It comprises of high octane action and surprises in all corners of the story. It will leave you suspended, heart broken, and joy.

So this book is basically about a 14 year old boy named Alex Rider. He works for MI6, which is a spy agency for Great Britain. He tries to stop bad people from doing things that would create crisis throughout the world. Anthony Horrowitz also loves to use syntax throughout his book to excite and rush readers which is crucial to a book like this such as the quote, "If he fell!...He could imagine it. Smashing into the shingles." He uses them so effectively that made readers stop and think before continue on reading all the while bombard with words that made readers feel like they are in the shotgun position along with Alex. It shows that syntax is used for a very good reason and Horowitz use them so good and masterful. Horowitz also loves using a lot of figurative language to describe things that Alex encountered. Like when Alex is describing the crocodiles that he was supposed to get eaten by, "They were really the eyes of death," and, "They twisted and sliced their way through the water like two knife wounds."

The author use informal diction here mostly because of the reputation of the series and to help readers connect easier with the character Alex who is 14, which is about the young adults age.

One point of the book that was a big hit for me was the problem of food scarcity for the Third World today, and the author demonstrate it very clearly that they need him because Desmond Mccain wanted to create the poison ricin to kill the people of the Third World, specifically Africa. To destroy the population of Africa would make Mccain a very rich man because he would be able to scam people out of their donations.

However, throughout the Alex Rider series, I didn't really like the ideas that at some point in the story, the villain will eventually reveal their plans. I would like it to be a surprise, diving into Alex's mind to figure out what he thinks and ultimately the whole plan. This is pretty much the one point that i did not like about the book and the series.

As just previously mentioned, ricin which is a genetically modified food and a very powerful poison that could kill a person very easily. It is the exact poison that a man from Mississippi tried to sent to President Obama and a Congressman from Capital Hill recently.

After reading this book, it made me think how difficult life is in other parts of the world and how some people are exploiting it for personal gains and it is just not right. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love actions.(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Imani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another awesome book in the series! However...

-Sigh-

Dont get me wrong, I love Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series. I've been reading them for 2 years ever since a librarian recommended his first story in the series. But...the stories all have one thing in common thats really starting to bother me.

Villians that seem more like a joke then a threat.

What I mean by this is the 'Im going to tell you all my plans and let my minons kill you instead of killing you myself. No. I will not kill you at thi...more

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May 21, 2010 Tigger rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2009

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Dec 27, 2012 Max rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Max Pawlick December Book Review (Crocodile Tears)

Crocodile Tears, by Anthony Horowitz is the 8th book in the Alex Rider series. In the beginning of the series Alex is for the most part a talented but normal English 14 year old boy who lives in London, who is taken care of by his uncle because his parents died in a plane crash when he was just a baby. That all changes with the death of his Uncle, Ian Rider, whom Alex later finds out is a spy for the British government. Alex is then recruited ag...more Max Pawlick December Book Review (Crocodile Tears)

Crocodile Tears, by Anthony Horowitz is the 8th book in the Alex Rider series. In the beginning of the series Alex is for the most part a talented but normal English 14 year old boy who lives in London, who is taken care of by his uncle because his parents died in a plane crash when he was just a baby. That all changes with the death of his Uncle, Ian Rider, whom Alex later finds out is a spy for the British government. Alex is then recruited again and again by MI6 to work for them; on many of these occasions Alex is more or less forced to work for them. This time Alex is approached by a reporter who has somehow discovered who he is and wants to pay him a lot of money for his story. Alex as always, is not interested in the money and especially not interested in the attention. One of the main themes throughout this series is Alex trying to be a regular teenager and fit in despite his spy adventures.

The title of the book "Crocodile Tears" meaning fake or hypocritical tears, refers to the Desmond McCain's plots to create fake natural disasters, thus causing people to donate huge sums of money, and then McCain keeps a substantial percentage of it as profit. The book starts with a worker at a nuclear power station who was paid off by McCain blowing up the power plant. At the same time Alex is approached by the reporter and turns to MI6 to help him out. As always MI6 can only help him if he agrees to investigate Greenfields, a scientific research facility that grows genetically modified plants and animals while on a school field trip there. While investigating Alex overhears the head of Greenfields talking to McCain whom Alex is familiar with, at this point it is clear something is going on but Alex has no idea what is happening other than it is something big. Alex's suspicions are confirmed when he narrowly escapes Greenfields after being chased by men with guns. Alex reports his findings to MI6 and later is captured by McCain, who as always throughout the series elects to not immediately kill Alex but to tell him the entire plan. McCain had Greenfields sell genetically modified plants to poor African Countries for several years, when the gene is activated by a substance McCain will put on the fields they will become extremely poisonous. When Alex is rescued by an badly injured Indian operative who plans on killing McCain he ignores orders and goes to stop McCain himself.

The formula Anthony Horowitz uses in these books has become somewhat repetitive in that Alex is always captured and told the whole plan and then escapes or is rescued. The villains are almost always insane, and have similar life stories that involve tough childhoods, particularly from being bullied, and having bad or no parents. The series stays interesting because of Alex's battle to retain a normal life as well as how easy his is to relate to for most reader. Also an interesting element is his character progression from normal 14 year old boy to a less innocent and much more serious MI6 operative.
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Oct 08, 2012 Raghav rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was amazing. I really liked how the plot line of the book went. From Alex Rider being in Scotland to the Greenfields Trip to his trip to the film studio and finally to Kenya. Also, I could relate to the nuclear disaster in Chennai at the beginning of the book because I am of South Indian descent, and I have some family in Chennai, and I wouldn't want them going through that. I also liked how Alex met a RAW agent because they're Indian, and I've seen them in movies and I've always wante...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was much slower beginning than many of the others. The tension built more slowly, but one could sense that it was building to something mysterious and dangerous. It might have been also due to the presence of the Pleasures again that it took longer for me to get into this book. Fortunately, we are spared too much annoyance from Sabina. She is mercifully plugged into her iPod most of the time she is in the story. Most of Alex's interaction is with her father, and that turns out being mu...more This book was much slower beginning than many of the others. The tension built more slowly, but one could sense that it was building to something mysterious and dangerous. It might have been also due to the presence of the Pleasures again that it took longer for me to get into this book. Fortunately, we are spared too much annoyance from Sabina. She is mercifully plugged into her iPod most of the time she is in the story. Most of Alex's interaction is with her father, and that turns out being much more interesting. I was correct, at the end of the last book, in guessing that the person Edward Pleasure is writing about would be the villain of this book. I was a little worried at first that, since the villain is a priest, this story would end up being an attack on religion. Fortunately, the author was very tactful. The villain's religion is never named, it is only referred to as "some church no one's ever heard of," so no specific church can ever be tied to him. Aside from occasionally quoting from the Bible, it is easy to forget that the man is even religious at all. His conversion is a fake one, after all.

It is interesting that the mission Alex is given in this story is connected to his school trip. We are so used to having him out of school and going off to some exotic location to complete his missions now. This time is so different. It almost felt to me in some ways that this mission would have fit better nearer the beginning of the series. I guess it is trying to show us how hard Alex is trying to fit back in with the school crowd and the spy-free lifestyle. It is certainly interesting to see him try that, and begin to suspect that it won't be possible to escape the life of a spy. In addition to the school connection, Alex doesn't pull off his amazing escapes entirely on his own in this story as often as he does in the others. Instead, he is often rescued by someone else.

One interesting aspect of the story, nearer the end, is that Alex seems to be becoming more concerned about other people than he is about himself. In the previous stories he was compelled to take on a mission. He would complete it because he felt he had to, but mostly it seemed like he was just trying to do whatever was necessary to satisfy MI6 and keep himself alive. He did, of course, feel compassion toward others and not wish for people to be hurt, but much of the time it felt like he was just trying to get the job done. This time at the ending, however, it feels more to me like he is trying to do the right thing, instead of the safe thing. He puts himself into danger when he returns to the dam, knowing that he will almost surely be killed, but his main motivation is to try and save others. I like that. It seems to show, once again, that Alex is beginning to grow up as he thinks more of others than he does of his own safety.
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Jan 12, 2012 Ryan S rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, adventure

Alex Rider takes off on another adventure. He gets a trip to Scotland and gets invited to a New Year's party by Edward Pleasure, Sabina's father. The trip turns to diaster. After his trip, MI6 then recurts him again to have a look at Leonard Straik, the director of Greenfields. Alex's adventure then leads him to another continent.

I learned from this that I don't need to give up when others do. If Alex can, then I'm pretty sure that I can too. He has ecsaped many pchycopaths that want to kill tho...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, suspense

I've looked for a good spy series and I was simply delighted when I finally picked up the Alex Rider series. Seven books later and I was dearly wishing that poor Alex would get a break from everything. I was glad when Anthony Horowitz ended the series with Snakehead.

But then this one came out and I was a little worried. Series, even good ones, can carry on only for so long! From the very beginning, Crocodile Tears was not my favorite, but I wasn't disappointed, either. The very first page contai...more I've looked for a good spy series and I was simply delighted when I finally picked up the Alex Rider series. Seven books later and I was dearly wishing that poor Alex would get a break from everything. I was glad when Anthony Horowitz ended the series with Snakehead.

But then this one came out and I was a little worried. Series, even good ones, can carry on only for so long! From the very beginning, Crocodile Tears was not my favorite, but I wasn't disappointed, either. The very first page contained the action and sinisterness that is so trademark of Alex Rider, and it didn't stop. I wouldn't say that I was ever held in suspense (because the books are pretty predictable), but I was certainly interested.

Alex himself is a good character. I don't say that often about teenage boy characters - they are almost always as annoying as real-life adolescent males. But I liked Alex from the start and still do. I felt terrible that Alex was once more wrenched from his life. And while I was never in alarm for his life, I felt sorry every time he was injured.

This wasn't Anthony Horowitz's masterpiece. Those dealing with Scorpia are my favorites. But after a rest, this was a good comeback. His writing style was still very much the same - movie-ish. Normally I don't like that, but for a series like Alex Rider, it works. He still went into great mechanical detail, showing off the research he did, knowing full well that his Readers don't know what he's talking about, but hey! It sounds cool and we Readers get the general jest of it, right?

There was one scene, though, that sent chills up my spine: Chapter 9 - Invisible Man. When MI6 deals with the journalist. It did creep me out and it was my favorite chapter. I re-read it when I finished the book. It is like a nightmare. What would it be like if it happened to you?? Creepy!!

Two thumbs up for Crocodile Tears. Normally the 8th book in a series doesn't turn out well, but Anthony Horowitz was successful in his comeback. However, I do hope he gives poor Alex a rest sometime soon in the future.
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May 24, 2011 Gus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this for me was a really enjoyable book full of action, where you just didn't know what was going to come next. it started of in Alex's home with a journalist at his door. this journalist was named Harry Bulman and he was offering to publish Alex's life story, but Alex wasn't having any of this Bullman was just in it for the money so he went to M.I.6 to see what they could do about it they agreed to do something if Alex agreed to go on a mission investigating G.M. food (genetically modified food...more

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Feb 05, 2011 Sophie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this series in an unusual way when my dad bought me Scorpia when I was younger, because it was on Amazon's best seller list. I read the book, not knowing it was part of a series, because the books are very good as stand alone books as well as in a series.

While all of the series have common themes, they are extremely interesting to read, and I would recommend them to children and adults about. Yes they are about a fourteen year old spy, but they are very well written and fun stories to rea...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Will added it

The main character in this book is 14-year old Alex Rider. He is a spy for M16, an intelligence agency. He has been on several previous missions and is a good spy. Some minor characters are Sabina Pleasure (Alex’s girlfriend), Edward Pleasure (Sabina’s father), Desmond McCaine (the enemy), Harry Bulman (a journalist), Leonard Straik (McCaine’s partner), Myra Beckett (McCain’s fiancé), and Rahim (a Indian spy). It takes place in modern time in England, Greenfields Research Facility, and Kenya.

Th...more The main character in this book is 14-year old Alex Rider. He is a spy for M16, an intelligence agency. He has been on several previous missions and is a good spy. Some minor characters are Sabina Pleasure (Alex’s girlfriend), Edward Pleasure (Sabina’s father), Desmond McCaine (the enemy), Harry Bulman (a journalist), Leonard Straik (McCaine’s partner), Myra Beckett (McCain’s fiancé), and Rahim (a Indian spy). It takes place in modern time in England, Greenfields Research Facility, and Kenya.

The problem in this book is that Harry Bulman wants to write an article about Alex being a spy and that Alex is taken to Kenya later on in the story involuntarily. The solution is that M16 “deals” with Harry and Alex tries to find his way out of Kenya.

In the beginning of the plot Alex is going to McCain’s New Year’s Eve Party with Sabina and Edward because they are visiting England (they moved to America). When they leave the party the care loses control and falls into the water, but Alex is able get everybody up to the surface. Then they are found by Rahim (they don’t know his name) and he helps them get back to safety. Alex really thinks that the car was actually shot at by somebody, but doesn’t tell because he doesn’t want to scare them. When Sabina leaves, Alex is attacked by men when visiting his uncle’s grave. He defeats them, but they seemed to be holding back and not trying to kill him or even injure him. Then Harry Bulman visits him with photos of the fight. He wants to make a book about Alex Rider’s intelligence work, but Alex doesn’t want that at all because it will make him famous.
In the middle of the plot Alex goes to M16 and asks them is they can deal with Harry Bulman. They agree, but only if Alex gets them the information from Greenfields out of Leonard Straik’s computer. Harry is dealt with by M16. Then Alex goes to Greenfields on a field trip with his science class. He goes in and gets the information from his office, but gets stuck in hiding because McCaine and Straik walk in and start talking to each other about Poison Dawn. Then Alex takes a sample of liquid that he finds on a desk and tries to escape. The guards are alerted and Alex is nearly killed by them. He manages to escape, but gets stuck in a room with a lot of poisonous animals and plants. He nearly is killed there by a gardener but defeats the gardener and keeps running. He is chased more and gets cornered on the roof of the building and blows up a chimney to use as an escape method onto his class bus. They then leave Greenfields, but soon goes to the filming studio he heard about when Straik and McCaine were talking. He goes there to investigate although he has already done everything that is needed to for his mission.

In the end (I won’t ruin the story for you) of the plot the filming studio is burnt to the ground and Alex is nearly killed trying to escape. Then McCaine and Straik get information about Alex Rider from Bulman, and then they kill Bulman. Alex is captured by McCaine and taken to Kenya, Africa in a plane. Then McCaine tells Alex his entire plan; to make an artificial disaster and get charity funds from First Aid, the charity he started. Then he takes Alex and tortures him until he tells him everything that he knows. Alex is left to die but is rescued by Rahim who also kills Beckett. Alex goes to Rahim’s base. Rahim is there to kill McCaine. Alex steals his bomb and runs to the dam to try to foil McCaine’s plan. McCaine has killed Straik out of greed. McCaine sends out his men at Alex. Will Alex survive? Read the book to find out, or get something or somebody to tell you.

I would suggest reading this book if you liked the other books in the Alex Rider series. If you haven’t read them then read them first, then if you liked them then read this one.
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Sep 23, 2010 Zaid rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have recently had the joy of reading Crocodile Tears (8th book in the Alex Rider series), this book was the best in an already amazing series. Crocodile Tears was written by Anthony Horowitz. The story takes place from England to Kenya. The story is about a fourteen year old boy named Alex Rider who works for the MI6 as a field agent. When Alex is ordered to snoop around a power plant during his field trip he discovers something deep. He then gets wrapped into a huge dark scam involving a rich...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, ya-fiction

James Bond...at 14.

I had picked up Stormbreaker (the first book in this series. There's also a movie, but don't waste your time.) on a whim. I wanted to see how and why a 14 year old boy would be recruited to be a spy for M16. Much to my surprise it was a perfectly plausible reason.

This series is a lot of fun. Lots of cool spy stuff and some over the top action. (In one of the books Alex goes into outer space. Jumping the shark? Maybe. Did I still read it. You bet.)

My only complains are after a...more

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Jan 26, 2010 Henry Lim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-2010-qt2

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I liked this book a lot. I prefer this is the second best book next to Scorpio.

Well this book began with Alex Rider going to a party with Sabrina. There he met a ex-boxer named Mccain. Alex Rider beat him in Texas Hold'Em and won $25,000. Instead, he donated that money to McCain's own charity. When Alex Rider, Sabrina, and Sabrina's was in the car going back home, they car tire exploded and the car went into the freezing water. Luckily, Alex Rider was a kid James Bond, and he was able to save

...more I liked this book a lot. I prefer this is the second best book next to Scorpio.

Well this book began with Alex Rider going to a party with Sabrina. There he met a ex-boxer named Mccain. Alex Rider beat him in Texas Hold'Em and won $25,000. Instead, he donated that money to McCain's own charity. When Alex Rider, Sabrina, and Sabrina's was in the car going back home, they car tire exploded and the car went into the freezing water. Luckily, Alex Rider was a kid James Bond, and he was able to save himself and Sabrina's father at the same time as Sabrina's father went unconsicious when they fell in the water.

Soon one day, Harry Bulman was a journalist and told Alex Rider that they could make a fortune because M16 (A secret agency) used Alex Rider, a 14 year old, four times to save the world and he was successful. He told Alex that if this is published in the newspaper, they will become successful and rich. Alex Rider didn't want this to happen, so he went to M16 to tell them about this. M16 made a deal that they will help Alex Rider as long as he agree to help them in a small mission. Alex had to agree, and he went to this mission. It turned out that this mission is much more difficult than what M16 thought, because McCain was involved in this and McCain had a plan that would make it 50 times richer than he has ever been, but it will also harm the whole world. McCain kidnapped Alex Rider where they were located in an island. McCain's plan was to poison the crops that is imported throughout the world, and due this, there will be a big disaster. Since, McCain owns a helping program calls "First Aid", many people will donate a lot of money to "First Aid", and McCain will keep the money and run away with it. So, Alex Rider had to stop it, even though he was in so much trouble. He managed to escape with help from another agent. Alex Rider got a bomb and went to the dam where the put the bomb there to explode. When the bomb exploded, all the water came out and flooded the wheat which destroyed all of McCain plans of becoming 50 times richer. McCain was furious and escaped. When Alex Rider and the other agent was going home, McCain got into their plane and killed the agent. Alex Rider managed to kill McCain. The book ended when Alex Rider was in the hospital for a long time as he was hurt badly and had a lot of recoveries to go.

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Feb 17, 2012 h rated it 5 of 5 stars

Stormbreaker Point Blank Skeleton Key Scorpia Eagle Strike Ark Angel Scorpia Rising Alex Rider: The Gadgets

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Jan 07, 2012 Dalton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Teenage British secret agent, Alex Rider returns. This time its a wealthy villian also known as desmond McCain. His plan is to destroy things and then taking money from false relief agencies to pay for the damage to make himself look like a hero.

What i liked about this book is that the author is so descriptive and creative with his writing. he does a good job at keeping the story entertaining at all times. I liked that the whole time i just couldn't put down the book until i was done. i didn't f...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Devin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Anthony Horowitz does it again! He managed to put together another action- packed book in the Alex Rider series. Alex Rider is a 14 year old boy in the M16 that wants to be just a regular kid. The only issue is, his formula is getting kind of boring. Alex flirts with Sabina (Sabina being one of the few people that know of the M16 and is one of few people that still remained his friend after all of his adventures.), gets on another mission by M16, realizes a few things are really important which...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Bismark rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The title of my book is "Crocodile Tears"-by Anthony Horowitz. The main character of this book is Alex Rider. He is a 14 year-old boy. The story begins in a nuclear factory base that contained dangerous weapons and devices. Two men enter the factory disguised as factory workers. The book does not say the names of these two men. One of the men is promised to receive a lot of money for destroying this factory and this factory was heavily guarded. The man who is promised a lot of money enters the m...more The title of my book is "Crocodile Tears"-by Anthony Horowitz. The main character of this book is Alex Rider. He is a 14 year-old boy. The story begins in a nuclear factory base that contained dangerous weapons and devices. Two men enter the factory disguised as factory workers. The book does not say the names of these two men. One of the men is promised to receive a lot of money for destroying this factory and this factory was heavily guarded. The man who is promised a lot of money enters the main part of the factory set the charge and the other man before he entered the factory told him that he would have 30 sec to leave the main room. When he sets the charge the bomb automatically goes off. Pretty much everyone in the factory died except for the other guy the was disguised. Then the books turns over to Alex in Scottland who is with his dear friends that live in Scottland to celebrate the New Years. There is another character named Desmond McCain who is hosting the New Years Party. Nothing much happens at the party but after the party Alex and his friends leave the party. And as they start to drive away from the castle ( roads are icee) the car starts to slip and slide but Edward gets control of the car again. But the car slips again and they drive off into the lock. The car starts to sink but after awhile they manage to survive. Back at the hospital Alex remembers something the car did lose control. He rmembers seeing a guy standing at the castle. (The cars tires were shot off from under the vehicle. This event leads to many dangerous violence around the country. Alex was finally going to quit the SPY life, but now he is forced to once again go back on his missions. The man Desmond McCain who hosted the New Years party at the castle might have something to deal with all of this. He was a very rich man but then to jail and lost all of his money. After he got out of jail he started a charity. Alex doesnt think that he is the man the he says he is now. Will Alex find a way to come out on top and solve the major problems? In all the other books ive read by Anthony Alex has come out on top. You will have to read this book for your self to see if he does. I really like this book because it is very intense. Crocodile tears: fake or hypocritical tears. From the belief that crocodiles will pretend to cry in order to attract theird cictims and will then cry for real as they devour them.(less)

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Jun 24, 2011 Ernestrocks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Crocodile Tears has a very interesting plot. It is about a boy called Alex Rider which goes on a field trip to a Poison Dome. He is to gather information from a Leonard Straik. After a series of events, he was captured by Desmond McCain, a rich business man which turns out to be trying to create a disaster so that he's charity business would do well. He attempts to spread a plague among a country so that people would donate to his charity. Fortunately, Alex Rider is able to stop him in time with...more

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May 27, 2011 Iskreads rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: novel-studies

An action packed adventure that everybody loves, Crocodile Tears is a book you must read.The eighth book of the Alex Rider series will surely blow your mind. Join Alex Rider as he is taken to Africa by the multi-billionaire Desmond McCain. Death seems round the corner for Alex. Will he escape death and save the world from a deadly virus, or will he meet h is death at let McCain accomplish his plan? The action starts rom the first page and continues to the end. the part that I loved and I'm sure...more

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Jan 09, 2013 05EmilyH Heaton rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Alex Rider: Crocodile Tears written by Anthony Horowitz and was published in 2009. It is 385 pages long. The intended audience for this book is young adult. In this book, another in the Alex Rider series, Alex stops a plague from happening.
The setting of this book is in London, England and in Kenya. This story is set in modern times and Alex uses modern technology to solve his mysteries and to escape from the bad guys. This book needs to be set in an African country because of the animals and t...more Alex Rider: Crocodile Tears written by Anthony Horowitz and was published in 2009. It is 385 pages long. The intended audience for this book is young adult. In this book, another in the Alex Rider series, Alex stops a plague from happening.
The setting of this book is in London, England and in Kenya. This story is set in modern times and Alex uses modern technology to solve his mysteries and to escape from the bad guys. This book needs to be set in an African country because of the animals and technology that was used. Kenya is also necessary for the plague that almost happens.
The main character in this book is Alex Rider. He is a 14 year old boy who happens to be a teenage spy. In this book Jack Starbright, who is his caretaker in London, also is present. Harry Bulman, a journalist who wants to publish Alex’s story follows Alex around in the beginning. The bad guy in this story is Desmond McCain who is a boxer who went to jail and then reformed himself into a fake charity worker.
At the beginning of the story Alex is in London leaving school on his way home. After he gets home, Harry Bulman gets to Alex’s house and proposes that they split 50-50 any profits from writing the story of Alex’s life. Harry wants Alex to tell all about him becoming a spy. Alex goes to MI-6 to get help in trying to get Harry Bulman to not bother him anymore or to publish his story. MI-6 agrees to help Alex get Harry to leave him alone if Alex agrees to do a reconnaissance mission for them. So Alex heads out to Greenfields, a research medical lab to get some files off the main computer. While Alex is there, MI-6 frames Harry Bulman for murder, and then they make Harry Bulman agree to leave Alex alone if they free him. While getting files off the computer, Alex breaches their security and has to escape. Desmond McCain is involved with what is happening at Greenfields. He is making a biological weapon that will destroy crops so that he can make money. McCain’s men find out that Alex got files off their computer and they kidnap Alex and take him to Kenya. In Kenya they try to torture him but Alex escapes, but not before he learns what their plan is. After he escapes, Alex gets the help of an agent from India to help him blow up a dam that will flood the wheat fields that has the bad chemicals on it. I the end they succeed and Alex escapes.
In this book I liked how MI-6 got Bulman to leave Alex alone by framing for his own murder. I thought it was pretty hilarious. Crawley, and agent for MI-6 tells Bulman on page 149: “I could snap my fingers now and a van would take you to a mental hospital and lock you up, and that is where you would spend the rest of your life. Harry Bulman would be dead and you’d be the lunatic who killed him.” I thought that was a good way to scare the journalist enough to leave Alex alone. Another thing I liked was when Alex escapes from the medical lab Greenfields. He slides down the chimney and onto a moving school bus. The quote on page 207 talks about after Alex gets on the school bus. It says, “Everyone would be talking about this at school the next day—but this was Alex Rider. Somehow, any strange behavior was to be expected.” I liked this because it states exactly how Alex’s life seems to be all the time.
One theme in this book is that if you are determined you can get things done. Alex continues to work hard and try even when things get hard. Alex is brave even when he gets captured or injured. I would recommend this book to any young adult who likes James Bond themed books. This book has a lot of action and adventure and a little mystery.
This book is unique in the fact that most spy books have adults as the main character. This book has a 14 year old boy as the main character. Alex does things that would only be expected by adults.
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
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Jun 05, 2011 Karen Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Rider is back! He and Jack Starbright have decided he needs to be a normal teen -- no more missions for MI6, ever. But Alex is visited by a tabloid journalist who wants to expose him and what MI6 has had him doing for them over the last year. In order to stop that, Alex must ask MI6 for help -- which they provide, on the condition that he download all of the files from the computer of the director of Greenfields. It's a genetic engineering firm working on modifying plants... and they are su...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Simon Yu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-2010-2011

Alex Rider, one of the M16 agents, was very relaxed being a normal kid. He hangs out with his girlfriend, Sabina and her family in Scotland. They went to a party in a castle hosted by a rich businessman named Desmond McCain. It was a party for donation of poor people from storms or any disasters that made them unfortunate. When Alex and Sabina left with Sabina's dad to go home, they had a car accident. Her dad's car tires exploded and the whole car went into a lake. A sniper shot the tire of th...more

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Dec 09, 2009 Mariah Mccashland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz
Review by Mariah McCashland

I'm not a spy, but Anthony Horowitz made me feel like I was in Africa fighting along side Alex as he struggled to save the world yet again. Alex Rider is a forteen-year-old spy who works for M16, even though he never chose to be a spy. He was first introduced to the British intelligence agency when his uncle was murdered on a mission, and Alex was recruited to go and finish the job. Since then, he's been on six missions for M16. Al...more

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Jan 22, 2011 Lee Perry rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anybody looking for a book that has an amazing and surprising story.

Recommended to Lee by: Middle school friends

I picked this book because I have been reading this series for a while and I love it so much, I didn't have a chance to read the 6th and 7th book in the series because I didn't get to finish the series before summer. I definitely wasn't going to quit so I wanted to finish it. So i read this and I loved it. I liked the detail in this book because they always give you very good details to everything in the book so you can really picture what's going on in the book. I also love the twists and turns...more

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Dec 18, 2009 Ms. Patterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of the Alex Rider books, ever since I picked up STORMBREAKER several years ago. This action/adventures series is more than your typical shoot-'em-up. There's a real backstory that's revealed a little more in every installment. One of my favorite things about Alex is how even while in extremely dangerous situations he finds ways to not have to use a gun. It'd be so easy just to arm him and let him at the bad guys, but that's not what is done. Oh, and the tiny bits of humor that ar...more I've been a fan of the Alex Rider books, ever since I picked up STORMBREAKER several years ago. This action/adventures series is more than your typical shoot-'em-up. There's a real backstory that's revealed a little more in every installment. One of my favorite things about Alex is how even while in extremely dangerous situations he finds ways to not have to use a gun. It'd be so easy just to arm him and let him at the bad guys, but that's not what is done. Oh, and the tiny bits of humor that are thrown in from time to time just get me. Maybe it's a bit of an ode to Ian Fleming and James Bond, I don't know, but it's fun to read. It's been way too long having to wait for CROCODILE TEARS, but the wait was worth it.

In CROCODILE TEARS, Alex reflects on the last year of his life and the "jobs" he did for MI6, glad to have finally made a break from working for them. He's spending his Christmas holidays in Scotland with Sabina and her family. While there he attends a New Year's Eve party at the castle home of a wealthy and famous British ex-politician, Desmond McCain. Ultimately, this brief meeting of McCain is what leads Alex to do another job for MI6, this time involving genetically enhanced farming and world aid charities.

Sometimes in long running series I start to get tired of the characters, but that hasn't happened yet here. Alex is still as fresh and exciting and he was in STORMBREAKER. Granted, he's grown out of his naiveness and become a bit more callous. (Though, not completely callous yet.) The plot was not quite as engaging as some of the prior ones, but I was still involved enough to want to know how it ended.

There are many things to like about the Alex Rider series, and CROCODILE TEARS is no exception. I especially love how this series even attracts reluctant readers and has them eager for the next book. While it's not the best of the series, CROCODILE TEARS will appease those Alex Rider fans and fans of action/adventure books. It's a solid B for me, Recommended!(less)

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Nov 02, 2011 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-humanities

This book is about a teen spy named Alex Rider who works for the British Secret service. In the first book Alex’s Uncle dies and his parents died in an explosion while on a plane. In this book though Alex is sent to go on a school trip to Greenfields Bio Laboratory where Genetically Modified plants are created. Alex has been told by the Secret Service that the owner of Greenfields has been acting suspicious and that Alex should hack into his computer and look for any information that might prov...more

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Apr 18, 2011 TheBookAddictedGirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: 11+ Children: Contains Violence and Loads of Brilliant Action!

Shelves: british-fiction, pre-teen, read-2011, thriller-suspense, ya, action-adventure, ya-child-crossover, spy

4½ Out of 5*

I’ve always loved Alex Rider books, from when I read the first, Stormbreaker, I don’t know how long ago. This one has been sitting on my shelf for a quite a while, and the main reason I finally picked it up is because the final book has just come out. I’m annoyed I didn’t pick it up sooner, because this was a brilliant book.

Lots of people have been saying that the books are getting repetitive, but I have loved them all. They’re fast paced, exciting, full of twists, non-stop action an...more 4½ Out of 5*

I’ve always loved Alex Rider books, from when I read the first, Stormbreaker, I don’t know how long ago. This one has been sitting on my shelf for a quite a while, and the main reason I finally picked it up is because the final book has just come out. I’m annoyed I didn’t pick it up sooner, because this was a brilliant book.

Lots of people have been saying that the books are getting repetitive, but I have loved them all. They’re fast paced, exciting, full of twists, non-stop action and I always seem to learn something from them. Take Crocodile Tears: I’ve learnt loads about genetically modified plants, how to escape gunfire, and so much more. And, even better, Horowitz makes learning it all fun.

Can you believe it’s been ten years since the first book in this series? And did you know that Alex has only aged one year? Very unfair. But, mentally, he’s changed a lot. As I read, I could see he’s been damaged from all the times MI6 have used him (I found myself hating them), and everything he’s learnt about himself and his family. He’s still brave, if slightly reckless, fearless, and you can’t help admiring him. He’s been through so much, and he’s just so strong. And he’s still only a fourteen-year-old boy.

The supporting cast were brilliant, and, as always, believable and well padded-out. I especially like Jack (Alex’s guardian), Smithers (an inventor at MI6) and Sabina (Alex’s girlfriend).

And as for the villain, his name was Desmond McCain, and in my opinion, he’s the worst from all the books so far. He was seriously unhinged, and I got shivers down my spines at times when he was talking. I know a fair few readers are annoyed when a villain sits the spy down, and says something along the lines of, “Well, this is my master plan...” but in this case it worked. McCain was one of those that needs to gloat, and boy did he. As I said: chills. The second, minor villain was equally twisted, and went perfectly with McCain.

I just have to say that Anthony Horowitz is a genius. He takes subjects like thriller, death, suspense, violence and even torture and manages to make them suitable for young or pre teens, without taking the excitement and interest out of them. He created a book that had me 160pages through without me even looking up: I was hooked.

Obviously, I’m a fan of Horowitz and Alex, and I loved Crocodile Tears a lot. It was one of those that made me race to get to the end, my heart pounding. Non-stop action, never relenting, break-neck speed: three things that make the perfect action-adventure story. Only downside: the ending was a little too abrubt.

Overall, yet another amazing book from an amazing author. Loved it!
(less)

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Mar 27, 2010 Evelyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: action-adventure, protagonist-club

It's been a long time since I read any Alex Rider, which may have been a factor in how I perceived this one. To start: I'm a year more mature, so I sympathized more with Alex's feelings of helplessness. Second, the distance has left me unable to judge how different this book has been from the others. Personally, I feel that the plots are getting kind of similar. Crazy villain with grand designs of money/power/both. Coincidence played a larger part in this book, though, and I feel certain charact...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Chase Murdaugh is currently reading it

assignment 1

In the book so far the main characters are being introduced and there are two different stories going on at the same time... the reason for this is that the author wants you to get a perspective from both opposing sides of the problem. On the antagonist side, an agency has tricked a man who is in desperate need of money to blow up a nuclear power plant to receive all the money that he would ever need, but when he set the bomb, it went off in ten seconds instead of ten minutes on purp...more assignment 1

In the book so far the main characters are being introduced and there are two different stories going on at the same time... the reason for this is that the author wants you to get a perspective from both opposing sides of the problem. On the antagonist side, an agency has tricked a man who is in desperate need of money to blow up a nuclear power plant to receive all the money that he would ever need, but when he set the bomb, it went off in ten seconds instead of ten minutes on purpose. He was killed and the agency got what they wanted...
On the protagonist side of the story, Alex Rider, a 14 year old retired spy, has received an invitation to Rev. Desmond McCain's New Year's Eve party and anybody who is anybody will get invited. Alex took his best friend Sabina to the party with him and he was to investigate. He was dragged into a game of texas hold-em with McCain and Alex was underestimated with his skill and knowledge of this game. McCain thought that he had won and didn't even give Alex a chance to reveal his cards. Alex turned up a royal flush and embarrassed McCain at his own party. With all the money Alex had won he was to be the richest 14 year old in all of Scotland. Alex turned down the money and gave it all to McCain's charity, First Aid, and gets applauded for his selflessness. Now he continues his investigation and nobody knows what will happen next?

assignment 2:

After embarrassing desmond McCain at his own party alex seriously doubted that was going to be invited to his parties ever again. Alex and Mr. pleasure later wonder sabina pleasure has disappeared to... anyway McCain soon paced towards alex and Mr. pleasure recognized McCain as if he was an old friend or something. He goes on talking to them and briefly ends the conversation by having to make his grand speech to all of his party guest. During the speech Sabina pleasure turns up and they decide to leave the party and as they walk out they herd McCain talk about how everybody raised 875,000 to first aid. Alex feeling ashamed of himself because of all the mistakes he has made in the past,McCain had more than redeemed himself. Once they leave the party Alex, sabina's, and her father climb into the car and set off. But suddenly the car looses traction on the icy surface and looses control, they spin around off the road and land in the freezing water. "it was as if they were falling into a black hole". now we wait to read on as to what Alex will do to get out of this situation?

Assignment 3

Alex was very confused at this point in the book he had no idea what to do except for knowing that he had to get out of the dangerous situation. He first made sure that everybody was alright and not hurt, he checked Mr. Pleasure and it seemed as if he had died instantaneously, but he was still breathing, and as for Sabina she also was trying to get out of the car to escape. The water had been rushing into the car from all sides and time was very limited when you are in a frozen lake trapped 60 ft. down. Alex came up with this idea that they would just open the doors and swim as fast as you can to the top, but Alex was never in this situation before and couldn't just be that simple, as he knew you had to not hold your breath under water at these low temperatures or your lungs would burst, you had to hum a song and swim up and up as fast as you could and hope that you didn't run out of breath. Alex took Mr. Pleasure who was blacked out and did exactly that with Sabina following closely. Luckily, they made it and once they reached the top of the lake and swam for shore, a man rushed over to see if they were alright and Alex knew right away that they would need paramedics to help Mr. Pleasure and they needed to get warm fast or they would die. Alex new that this was no accident sliding off the road and into the lake. He knew that it was caused by a gun shot to the tire. Somebody wanted them to die, Alex thought right away that it could be Desmond McCain, but it couldn't be because nobody kills over a card game.(less)

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title link	preview: Crocodile Tears
avg rating	preview: Crocodile Tears Goodreads rating: 4.19 (10223 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6566616-crocodile-tears?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347368042l/6566616.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6566616-crocodile-tears?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz[/url]

Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider #8)

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