posted Jul 16, 2010 at 5:51PM

A science fiction novel that is so realistic it will have you believing that if you cross the United States southern border, you will not encounter Mexico...

posted Jan 22, 2010 at 9:59PM

The House of the Scorpion is a hard world of drug lords, lost boys, computer implants, and clones. Between the U.S. and the nation formerly known as Mexico lies Opium, a country covered in poppy fields and ruled by the ruthless drug lord Matteo Alacrán, better known, because of his great age and power, as El Patrón. El Patrón keeps his country, his “eejits” (servants who have microchips in their brains to keep them slaving away without question), and his extensive family well under his thumb. El Patrón also has clones. Most clones get the numbing-and-dumbing brain chip, but not El Patrón’s. The newest Matteo Alacrán—young Matt—gets to grow up with a normal intelligence, though not, he soon learns, with a normal anything else. Clones are unnatural, lower than animals, inhuman monsters. But there are people who love Matt—Celia, the maid who raises him; Tam Lin, the bodyguard appointed by El Patrón; and María, a little girl who’s too young, innocent, and stubborn to let the usual prejudices guide her. Matt is occasionally called to the side of El Patrón and showered with gifts from the old man, but he’s mostly left to face the cruelty of the Alacrán family. Even when Matt discovers the truth about the real reason for his existence, escape is no guarantee of freedom. There are more trials to face, prejudices to overcome, a past to atone for, and a future that is uncertain to say the least. A Newbery Honor book, a National Book Award winner, and a recipient of the Printz Award for Young Adult Literature, this is work of fiction that borders uneasily on fact. There’s no guarantee that author Nancy Farmer has imagined a future that couldn’t really happen, which makes The House of the Scorpion a disturbingly addictive read.

posted Oct 8, 2009 at 3:21PM

I can’t wait to read it.... I went to check it out the other day but it was already taken at both of the libraries by me.... Must be good!?

posted Jun 11, 2009 at 12:31PM

This is an excellent coming of age novel.

posted May 23, 2008 at 4:45PM

Matt is not like any other boy. In fact he is exactly another boy. Matt is a clone. El Patron, the most powerful man on the earth, has a secret. This secret means the difference between life and death for Matt, the pampered teenage version El Patron. When his life is on the line, what else can Matt do but escape into the wilds of the opium fields and avoid being turned into a brain damaged slave at all costs. But when drug cartels rule the world, and clones are hated for even existing, does Matt even stand a chance?

posted Mar 18, 2008 at 7:45PM

I loved this book! I could not put it down and it was so hard to pay attention in school when I knew that my book was sitting right in front of me. You definitely want to read it. It is one of the best I’ve ever read.

posted Sep 20, 2006 at 9:42PM

I thought this book was exclent!!! I asked some other ppl who have read this book and they thought it was creepy!!! i thought it was sort of creepy, I just felt bad for Matt the main character and all of his friends and family, I thought Nancy Farmer put a lot of effort into this book and i would enjoy reading more!

posted Jun 7, 2006 at 7:04PM

I thought this book was exclent!!! I asked some other ppl who have read this book and they thought it was creepy!!! i thought it was sort of creepy, I just felt bad for Matt the main character and all of his friends and family, I thought Nancy Farmer put a lot of effort into this book and i would enjoy reading more!

posted Jun 7, 2006 at 7:04PM

It starts out at a lab. They will create a new clone named Mattemeo Alacran and, unlike most clones his mind won't be destroyed. The real Mattemeo Alacran is 130 years old and evil. This Science fiction novel is bone chilling, funny, and scary. Any Sci-Fi fan will love it.

posted Dec 19, 2005 at 12:30PM

A realistic book of how in reality a clone would face life as an outcast and possibly a burden. The neglect and harest of clones is truley saddening and bloodcurling.

posted Jun 21, 2005

Farmer tackles the subject of human cloning skillfully and with feeling-I loved it! Two thumbs up!

posted Feb 8, 2005

This book was awesome! I recommend to anyone who likes a good read! It is very exciting for I could not stop reading it. Anyone who likes adventure will surely like this book!

posted Oct 11, 2004

I really enjoyed reading this book, I think it is a must-read for anyone who likes science fiction, it makes you think about cloneing and in the end it leaves you satisfied with the beautifully written tale.

posted Aug 10, 2004

It's science fiction and drama about a clone of an all-powerful man. It is the future and is a compelling action-packed book. Please Read It!

posted May 6, 2004 at 6:25PM

This was such a good book! The story follows the life of Matt, the clone of a powerful drug lord. Matt lives in a futuristic world where everyonbe hates clones. Different stories weave together to tell the tale of Matt trying to survive with these murderous people. I couldn't put it down!

posted Apr 9, 2004

This is a really cool book that you can't put down until you've read the whole thing. Matt, the main character, discovers alot about himself, and the man who created him. He has trouble making friends because of who and what he is, but he manages to make friends who all help him in the end.

posted Apr 9, 2004

I thought it was very good. I read it in a short amount of time because I couldn't keep my eyes off of it. It all starts out at a lab. A lab where Matthew is produced. Yes produced. This "boy" is a clone, a clone from a very old man who is perhaps the most powerful alive. As Matthew discovers how he is not really human and how he is different from everyone else, he is treated horribly or royaly through out the book.

posted Apr 9, 2004

I did not like this book very much. The only good thing about it was that it kept your attention. The story is about the clone of a drug lord, but while I found the idea of a clone interesting, the rest of the book was a bit of a let down. I hope that I have not offended the people who rated this book as good. I would recommend this book to people who want to read an action packed fast book that is based in the future and has elements of science fiction. If you don't want to bother reading a long, complex book, read this one.

posted Apr 9, 2004

I think this was a really interesting book, since it was based in the future and each page was filled with things that want to keep you reading.

posted Apr 9, 2004

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