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The House of the Scorpion Review

Matt, a small boy who lives with a caretaker, does not know who his parents are. The truth is he is a clone of a powerful drug lord, Matteo Alacran. He, himself, is illegal, because at birth, he did not have his brain numbed.

My favorite part is when Matt must escape for a better life, one he can live in. I think this is a very good book because it balances action, adventure and romance just enough. I would recommend this book to anyone 5th grade to young adults. -- Michael

A dramatic and life-changing sci-fi story.

This is a story of an illegal boy named Matt. Why is he illegal? Because he's a clone! The book is about a clone of a drug dealer/king in some hard times. They have slaves and even people with chips in their brain called ijits. The king produces this clone to take over his position as king when he is dead. But as Matt grows up he finds love with a girl, and he makes a life-changing decision.

My favorite part has to be when he has to decide between becoming a king or running away. Overall this book is a must-read because it balances action, adventure, drama, and romance very well. I recommend this book to kids from 11 and up. -- Andrew

The House of the Scorpion Feature

ISBN13: 9780689852237
Condition: New
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The House of the Scorpion Overview

Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster -- except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacr n Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

The House of the Scorpion Specifications

Fields of white opium poppies stretch away over the hills, and uniformed workers bend over the rows, harvesting the juice. This is the empire of Matteo Alacran, a feudal drug lord in the country of Opium, which lies between the United States and Aztlan, formerly Mexico. Field work, or any menial tasks, are done by "eejits," humans in whose brains computer chips have been installed to insure docility. Alacran, or El Patron, has lived 140 years with the help of transplants from a series of clones, a common practice among rich men in this world. The intelligence of clones is usually destroyed at birth, but Matt, the latest of Alacran's doubles, has been spared because he belongs to El Patron. He grows up in the family's mansion, alternately caged and despised as an animal and pampered and educated as El Patron's favorite. Gradually he realizes the fate that is in store for him, and with the help of Tam Lin, his bluff and kind Scottish bodyguard, he escapes to Aztlan. There he and other "lost children" are trapped in a more subtle kind of slavery before Matt can return to Opium to take his rightful place and transform his country.

Nancy Farmer, a two-time Newbery honoree, surpasses even her marvelous novel, The Ear, The Eye and the Arm in the breathless action and fascinating characters of The House of the Scorpion. Readers will be reminded of Orson Scott Card's Ender in Matt's persistence and courage in the face of a world that intends to use him for its own purposes, and of Louis Sachar's Holes in the camaraderie of imprisoned boys and the layers of meaning embedded in this irresistibly compelling story. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

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Customer Reviews

Amazing - -
One of the best and most well writen books of all time. Girls and boys alike will enjoy this book.

son couldn't read this book fast enough - Robin Ryan, author and career coach - Seattle, WA United States
AN amazing, awesome, fantastic book or so says our son. It was so engrossing our 6th grader stayed up at night + skipped TV to read this book! Definitely buy it and you'll also have your kids have their "nose-in-a-book" enjoying this terrific read.

Plot holes, and rather strong political overtones - Krystyna Westfield - TX USA
I got this book because my book club selected it. I know it won a bunch of awards, but I'm not sure exactly why. I understand that it is a junior reading level, but I found it lacking even still. My husband, who is a huge sci-fi fan also read it and was pretty unimpressed. There are several glaring plot holes in the book. And the political messages were very overt; after a while it was annoying how intense the author's views were on certain topics. All in all, an ok story to read in an afternoon, but one that I'm turning right back around and selling, and would not read a second time.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 27, 2010 19:06:04

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Friday, August 27, 2010