House of the Scorpion
by
Nancy Farmer
Summary:
Matteo Alcran was created inside a petri dish and then cultivated in the womb of a cow. He is a clone of El Patron, the drug lord of Opium. Most clones have a procedure done at birth that turns them into thoughtless monsters, but not El Patron's clones. Matt was raised up to be like a normal boy. As Matt comes to grips with his existence as a clone, he is threatened by El Patron's power-hungry family. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. With help from his personal body guard and his mother he embarks on an incredible journey that might just change his world forever.
Evaluation:
This is an incredible book and I would highly recommend it to anyone over 12 years old! This book truly draws its readers young and old into its plot through its unique setting and interesting characters. Farmer really has the reader feelings as if they were learning, suffering, and experiencing life right alongside of Matt. The characters in this book are so believable that they make the reader have true feelings of compassion for the eegits and clones, and anger and disdain for those who treat Matt and other humans as worthless animals.Being told from third person point of view the reader is drawn into Matt's struggle as he tries to understand his purpose in life and read through the lines of what his loved ones are telling him about his future. Farmer ingeniously uses figurative language to keep the pages turning and drawing out the suspense. One great example of this from the book is, "So many hints! So many clues! Like a pebble that starts an avalanche, Matt's fear shook loose more and more memories. Why had Maria run from him when they found MacGregor's clone in the hospital? Because she knew! They all knew!"
This book is wonderful for its target audience of 12 years and above. Though it is classified as a science fiction novel it is also an extraordinary suspense and mystery as well, appealing to a wider range of readers. Preteens and juveniles alike can relate to Matt because they too are trying to find their place in the world. Just like Matt who has El Patron's same DNA, young readers at this age are usually trying to become their own person and separate themselves from their parents. Major topics in this book such as drugs, morals, stem cell research, immigration laws, nature vs. nurture, and disabilities are all tops that the target age group should be familiar with and relate to.
Links:
Orphan Black is the newest hit series to come out of the UK. It's plot is very similar to The House of the Scorpion and might be of interest to those reads who enjoy the book.
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