The House of the Scorpion
Books | Juvenile Fiction / General
4.3
(2.3K)
Nancy Farmer
Newberry Honour Award Winner & National Book Award Winner.Matt is six years old when he discovers that he is different from other children and other people. To most, Matt isn't considered a boy at all, but a beast, dirty and disgusting. But to El Patron, lord of a country called Opium, Matt is the guarantee of eternal life. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself - for Matt is himself. They share the exact same DNA. As Matt struggles to understand his existence and what that existence truly means, he is threatened by a host of sinister and manipulating characters, from El Patron's power-hungry family to the brain-deadened eejits and mindless slaves that toil Opium's poppy fields. Surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards, escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But even escape is no guarantee of freedom . . . because Matt is marked by his difference in ways that he doesn't even suspect.Praise for The House of Scorpions: 'It's a pleasure to read science fiction that's full of warm, strong characters... that doesn't rely on violence as the solution to complex problems of right and wrong. It's a pleasure to read.' Ursula K. LeGuin 'Fabulous' Diana Wynne Jones Also by Nancy Farmer:The Sea of Trolls Land of the Silver Apples The Islands of the Blessed The Lord of Opium
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Nancy Farmer
Pages
400
Publisher
Simon and Schuster
Published Date
2013-08-01
ISBN
1471120384 9781471120381
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"When I first read this book in middle school it blew my mind. It was way beyond anything I’d ever read in terms of world-building, character development and disturbing content.<br/><br/>Years later and long after the YA wave came and went, House of the Scorpion can still hold its own. It tackles topics that not many YA these days would dare touch in an intense, realistic package. Drug addiction, mind control, toxic families, religion, cloning and Mexican immigration are among only a few of the topics explored in this gem buried under all the other YAs that came after it."
Connor Veenstra
"Love this book. Stole it from a teacher so I could finish it "
Katie
"This was enjoyable enough to read but also didn't blow me away or anything. Someone pointed out that people with identical dna don't have the same fingerprints and I couldn't get that out of my head. Also I don't like that Maria's mother doesn't seem to care about the rights of clones that already do exist. I mean, I guess she never purported to, her cause was more about the drug trade, which lol I guess we can fight by letting a nice kid inherit the drug empire and by just making use of the really weird clone laws. It is Celia and them who care more about the clones and zombies. OK it's fine whatever.<br/><br/>3.5"
E
Emily
"The lord of opium that is the sequel to this book"
Apurva Pathak the the
"An amazing book full of twists and turns that make you feel as though it's happening to you. "
Nico Casillas
"hola"
fox
"no cus this was good"
eliza
"Good writing.. I was really engaged with the story. Strong Characters."
Hope McLain
"I have heard many good things about this book but I never learned the premise till last week. I was startled to realize it was about cloning. I flew through this book. I really liked Matt and the ending was satisfying. I don't know what took me so long to pick this one up but it was great. This talked about a very controversial subject and it is a great book for group discussion. Highly recommend this book!"
A F
Allison Freeman
"Favorite."
This Is A Name
Similar Books
3.8
4.3
3.8
3.7
4.5
4.1
4.3
3.9
3.8
3.7
3.8
3.6
4.3
4.1
4
3.7
4.1
3.8
3.5
4
