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

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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

"Had to read this for school, and was pretty invested in it, but then got bored of it quickly. 3/5"

Rosella

"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"

Emily

"The lord of opium that is the sequel to this book"