The House of the Scorpion

Written by Nancy Farmer

Narrated by Raul Esparza

Discover this internationally bestselling, National Book Award–winning young adult classic about what it means to be human.

Matt Alacrán wasn’t born. He was harvested.

His DNA came from El Patrón, the drug-lord ruler of the country of Opium. Most people hate and fear clones like Matt—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, and realizes escape is his only chance to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 21, 2008
• ISBN: 9780743572477

Nancy Farmer

Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which also won the National Book Award and the Printz Honor. Other books include The Lord of Opium, The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Islands of the Blessed, Do You Know Me, The Warm Place, and three picture books for young children. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and now lives with her family in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.

Reviews for The House of the Scorpion

[Jennifer Green · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This YA book is dark, but shockingly fantastic, and it has a core of what is essential about the human instinct to survive and even thrive when allowed, which is ultimately hopeful.
The story itself is so suspenseful and fascinating that it draws you through the painful ups and the downs.
This is a Futurism sci-fi story which extrapolates things like cloning tech, bio tech, the drug wars, political corruption and conglomerate globalization - and weaves a chilling yet also endearing (thanks to the main character) well imagined scenario of how a lot of things that concern us today could play out in the future to most of ours disadvantage.
This is really worth the read!

[Ramiro Cruz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this book, I was able to relate having growing up my self in a relatable but not same situation where for me my parents worked for a ranch owner and we are of Mexican decent. Several differences especially that I wasn’t a clone lol, I especially enjoyed reading about Matt in his search for his identity and purpose.

[Sarah Watts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I could listen to this narrator for days! This book is so amazing. It brings great ethical questions to the mind. Can’t wait to read or listen to the next!

[Ivylove Cudjoe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Unexpected plot twist but very engaging one. I enjoyed listening to it!

[phoebereading · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In The House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer slowly weaves the tale of Matt, a clone of the drug lord Matteo Alacron. Alternately pampered and tortured throughout his childhood (he slightly unbelievably goes from being kept in a pen of chicken litter to being given private piano lessons and tutoring in a few years' time), Matt grows up with a strong moral compass thanks only to his caretakers. Farmer does a good job of developing this bildungsroman--by the novel's end, Matt is a fairly complex character. Likewise, she builds her futuristic universe slowly: in the first several chapters, it largely resembles our own, but by the novel's conclusion we come to realize that this is a very different world, both in terms of technology and politics.But something intangible was lacking here. There's something perfunctory about Farmer's prose, and the characters who surround Matt feel flat. And, while the actual plot of the book is fairly interesting, Matt's movement from episode to episode feels disjointed, as if Farmer was keeping her characters at arms' length. Nevertheless, she raises some interesting questions here, not only about cloning but also about power and our genetic destinies.

[a_reader_of_fictions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Farmer's book has won many awards, most notably the National Book Award, so you do not need me to tell you whether it is well-written or interesting. Although I had not heard it particularly listed as such, The House of the Scorpion is a dystopian novel. Matt lives in the country of Opium, formed as a barrier to immigration between the United States and Mexico. Opium, as its name implies, earns money almost solely from the export of drugs. The workers are treated even worse than slaves. A steady supply of new workers come from the people in the U.S. hoping for better conditions in Mexico and vice versa. There is no better place: there is only Opium. Mexico has become a communist country, with all of the excesses and hypocrisy that brings.

Although the story was incredibly interesting, I had trouble relating to much to the characters. They all seemed to be driven by only one personality trait, which got quite old. People have more depth than that generally. Matt and El Patron were both driven almost entirely by the desire to preserve their lives, although El Patron includes with his life his hoard. Maria wants to save all creatures who cannot save themselves. Tom only cares about screwing with people. None of the characters were particularly likable, even Maria, who could be too trusting of people despite the evidence to the contrary.

Recommended for fans of dystopia and alternative futures. Especially recommended if you liked Neal Shusterman's Unwind.

[anniegoodwin_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a speculative fiction novel about cloning. In this story, the reader is introduced to a clone named Matt. Matt was made from the DNA of El Patron, a lord of a small country near the Mexican border. Matt was placed in a petri dish, then in the womb of a cow. Normally, at birth clones have needles injected into their brains causing them to go brain dead. However, Matt was more fortunate than any other clone strictly because he was El Patron's clone. El Patron wanted Matt to live a healthy life, so that he could be available if he needed Matt's organs. Matt was raised in a small house by a housemaid, Celia. Most clones are thought of a monstrous creatures and live in cells or worse; again, Matt was more fortunate than most clones. Matt has lived confined to Celia's house until he meets the children from the house who find him. After his discovery, Matt is taken to the house were he lives in animal-like conditions. The book then follows Matt's journey as he meets El Patron, makes friends, finds love, escapes to freedom, and more.Due to the subject matter of this text in our very politically correct society, I do not know that it could be used in a classroom setting. However, there are many different themes, ideas, and connections that can be used in the classroom. This text would have a great opportunity to be used for vocabulary and word study. Words in the text such as "treacherous, corrupt, malevolent" and other words provide a learning opportunity for students to discover word meaning through context. My major concern with this text is that parents and administrators would have a hard time supporting this text because it is about cloning. Cloning, stem cell research, and similar issues are a sensitive issues religiously and politically. I feel the same controversy would apply with the topic of the eejits, who have computer chips placed in their brains and perform required tasks, like robots. I also feel that although according to Scholastic this book is at a sixth grade reading level, I would use it in a high school English classroom due to content. I had a very hard time getting interested in this text. The first section of the book, which followed Matt from birth through six years of age, were full of information. I found the information overwhelming and it made it hard to put all the pieces of the story together. Because I had a hard time getting into the book in the beginning, I did not ever get really attached to the story. Although i enjoyed the book more as Matt got older and watching his relationships form with Maria, Celia, Tam Lin, El Patron, and other characters. However, I did find it erie that El Patron was so affectionate and interested in Matt because he saw Matt as himself.

[bibliophile26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best YA books I have read. A clone of a Mexican druglord and designed to be an organ farm to prolong the original’s life, Matt struggles for survival in this fast-paced, thrilling read.

[rpultusk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Set in the future (at least 100 years), a boy discovers he is the clone of a prominent drug lord who rules over a corrupt opium estate/country. As the boy escapes from the estate/country and from his fate, he learns about what exists outside the life he's known.The characters are dynamic and believable, albeit sometimes terrifying. The plot is complex - lots of twists and near-endings. The setting is in the future, but not so far in the future that it is unrecognizable. Author does an excellent job of creating the world inside the book. Themes include humans vs. nature and humanity vs. science permeate the novel. There are no illustrations. Cultural markers include occasional Spanish words and phrases and references to Mexican food and holidays.Highly recommended for middle and high school libraries.

[sarahluv2sk8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The concept of this book is amazing, despite the fact that the language is not excellent. Personally, I highly recommend this book, especially to those interested in science fiction, fantasy or other worldly books. It is a fast read so why not?

[omrythea_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Is cloning something that will be available to us for a price in the future? Let’s look at what your money will buy you today. $295.00 + $100.00 annual storage fee—You can bank your pet’s genes and have a genetic lab maintain them in case you should want them at a later date.$1700.00 + $150.00 shipping + $125.00 annual storage fee—You can bank your new baby’s cord blood so that the stem cells can possibly be used in the future for your family’s health needs. $32,000.00—This is the cost to clone your cat at Genetic Savings and Clone Inc. So far about 6 people have had this done. The cost has been reduced from 50 thousand to 32. The company is working extensively to be able to offer this service for dogs, which would have a considerably higher demand.??????—cost to clone yourself or someone you loveHouse of the Scorpion really makes you think... Here is a plot teaser for you:Six year old Matt has no parents but lives with a friendly woman named Celia in a small house surrounded by opium fields. He does not know why, but he is never allowed out of the house and is locked in when Celia goes to work each day. One day he sees some kids playing and in a desperate attempt to make contact with other people his age, he smashes a window and jumps out, landing in a pile of glass. The other kids are worried about him and take him to “the big house” to get his injuries treated. Everyone in the fabulous house reacts, trying to help him, until someone notices the tattoo on his ankle that says “Property of the Alacran estate.” Suddenly a big man gets very angry at the kids saying “You need a vet for this little beast!... How dare you defile this house?” and throws him roughly outside.

[bkoopman_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A boy is cloned for sinister purposes and must find his way through a path of evil. As he grows, the love of a few people prove to be enough to buoy him while he discovers that he is smart enough and strong enough for the life he has been given to lead, and that life is precious because it is human. This was a fabulous book, difficult to put down. That it is classified as young adult literature is far too restrictive. The protagonist's issues are easy to identify with, and despite the fanciful setting, the conflicts are so very evil, complicated and yes, believable, that the young reader will be absorbed by the thrill, while the mature reader will contemplate issues of power, life and death. I give this book my highest recommendations.

[mjmbecky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting book about cloning and the possible dangers that could come of creating a clone for the purpose of staying young. This book pushes the boundaries of 'human rights' by considering what might happen if clones, with the ability to reason, were introduced into our world and lives. Not my favorite read of the year, but I think this might be more due to the reader on the audiobook I listened to it on.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aside from the whole "Matt's a clone" thing, this doesn't read as particularly science fiction-y. Maybe a little dystopian/alternate future, but the tone feels more like historical fiction--to the extent that the first mention of a hovercraft gives a kind of mental whiplash. The story is a little slow through the first half, but then the pace (and the adventure! intrigue! drama!) picks up. Unfortunately, something in this just never grabbed me. I wanted it to--I was interested in the story, curious where it was going, even enjoying both the writing and narration styles, but I never felt like I connected with the characters. Whether that's a deficit in the writing or in my current concentration levels, I don't know, but overall I'm left with a somewhat mediocre impression. Three, maybe three and a half, stars.

[uyenthy22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The novel, The House of the Scorpion, encompasses the topics of love, lust for power, and revolution. In the beginning, the protagonist, a clone of an all-powerful drug lord, struggles with living in isolation and discovering a whole new, terrifying world. Throughout the middle, he perseveres despite the prejudice against "filthy clones" and deciding his feelings for his aweful, yet caring master. By the end, he has learned to look at things from different perspectives and about the truth of his homeland, Opium. (380/380)

[jhunefeld_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Matt finds out he is a clone and searches to discover what that means and why it has happened to him. Treated like an animal, he struggles to find love... and eventual escape. This story occurs on a fantastical country between the US and Mexico, on a poppy plantation.

[luckmimi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book to the 5th power! It gives a look into a future thats seems so realistic tat you'll want to keep reading. Its science fiction mixed with a young boy fighting himself for his life. Just when you think the book can't get any better it smacks you in your face with a beautiful love story. The ending keeps you wanting more. And I pray that there will be a part two....

[maureene87 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was interested in the parallels between this and The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm given that the stories are set in such different cultures. Both books seemed very interested in young characters who find themselves confronting the differences between the world they were raised in and the world they find surrounding them. The House of the Scorpion had a more bitter-sweet feel to it than The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, but I found both very lovely. [May 2010]

[maggie_rum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book truly deserved its Newberry Honor Medal! I find that there are many post-apocalyptic/futuristic novels that often just miss the mark. The House of the Scorpion, however, hits it spot on. The story follows Matt, who is the honored outcast in his own home. As he discovers the truth of his existence, his life shatters before him and he strives to find out who he really is.

[queenoftheshelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Matt, a clone, grows up under the thumb and constant supervision of his maker, El Patron. He lives in the land of Opium, between Mexico and the United States, where normal laws don't apply and human life is hardly valued. Matt must choose between the life he knows where he has some power, and the unknown where he knows he doesn't belong.Farmer beautifully creates the world of Opium and the not-so-distant future, where cloning is commonplace, but frowned upon, and people can be bought and sold if you have the power. Matt's journey from childhood, into the understanding of his position, and finally into his choice of who he wants to be in life is at times touching, funny, horrifying, and always deeply moving. The only complaint is that, in a book that takes its time with everything, the ending feels rushed. REcommended for grades 9 and above due to violence and adult themes.

[robertson18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An exciting look into the future, where clones are considered animals. But one young clone, Matt, is the clone of the drug lord who rules the land that lies between the United States and Mexico. The reader becomes incredibly compassionate for Matt, who struggles to find his place in a world where most people hate him, but the man with the most power loves him - or does he?

[satyridae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Richly imagined, sensitively told tale of a young clone and his coming-of-age. Horrific parts balance with tenderness and the whole is both magical and redemptive. Highly recommended.

[rfewell_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book -- you know how I like those future reality where things are a little crazy. Zombie people as farm laborers with brain chip implants, clones born and bred for spare parts, and a drug empire set up in between the US and Mexico -- this was fantastic!

[bridgetteharmon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This thought-provoking futuristic tale examines the ramifications of many of the moral issues we face today: embryonic stem cell research, cloning, extending life through questionable medical practices, the power of faith, the prevalence of drugs, and what it means to be human. One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is Matt’s struggle with the fact that everyone tells him he has no soul because he is a clone. Yet he thinks independently, he loves, he chooses between good and evil, he strives to improve his mind, he sacrifices his own good for the good of others, he connects with music on a level beyond mere proficiency, and he is intrinsically unique from the original Matteo Alacran. He even shares Cecilia’s faith on some level, although he thinks it doesn’t really apply to him since he doesn’t have a soul.Another interesting moral dilemma in the book is how far medicine should go to preserve life. El Viejo, El Patron’s grandson, is mocked for allowing himself to die of old age rather than creating a clone and extending his life by harvesting the clone’s cells and organs. El Viejo says that he only wants to live the life that God has given him. Others, hungry for power, create and kill many clones in order to increase the quality and longevity of their lives. They use everything from embryos to full-grown adults to preserve their earthly bodies. I also thought it was significant that Catholicism is still very much alive in Mexican culture, even though the country is now nearly as technologically advanced as the United States. This novel does not assume that faith will disappear as humanity progresses; rather, faith remains a foundation for the preservation of morality, love, kindness, and individual free will in the human race.I would highly recommend this book, although I think some of the issues and scenarios are too mature for younger children. It is very well-written and engaging as it explores issues that many people would rather not think about. Through this novel, youth are encouraged that they can make a difference in the world and stand firm against evil and corruption.

[chocolatechip_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

this is an odd book about cloning and clones in general, it won tons of awards, but i really didn't enjoy it that much

[jasminew_915194 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is about Matt who is a clone in House of Scorpion. El Patron, a powerful drug lord, is the original Matteo Alacran. Patron is the master mind beind the whole thing. He uses Matt's clone from cells of a cow. In Opium, El Patron catches the "illegal immigrants" that try to cross the border. If they get caught, they will become enslaved. They refer to people as eejits, who suppose to have a computer chip in their brains. What will happen to Matt? Will El Patron get caught? Read on and see.One thing we can do is fill out a K-W-L chart on cloning. Since most students wouldn't be too familiar with cloning, we can start with this activity to activate some background knowledge (if any). A K-W-L chart is a graphic organizer that stands for what we know, what we want to know, and what we learned. So, with the topic being cloning, I would let my students fill out what they know first and then what they want to now. Next, we will learn about cloning and what it is and then go back to our K-W-L charts to write what they had learned. The next idea I had was for my students to take a picture of themselves (a photo) and bring it to class. With their picture, the student is going to play the role of El Patron. On paper, the student will look at their picture and draw how their clone would look, if they were creating one like Patron did.I didn't enjoy the book. I'm not too familiar with cloning and it would't be a topic of choice that I would want to read about anyway. I'm not sure if I would share the book with middle schoolers. I give it 2 stars. I did make the connection of House of Scorpion (cloning) to the Movie Splice, which I enjoyed watching. Finally, others may have liked it, but I really didn't. It didn't interest me nor keep me motivated to keep reading more.

[colinflipper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was an entertaining book. It's got some apocalyptic sci-fi, but keeps it hidden behind a pastoral setting for the first two-thirds or so. I also enjoyed the southwestern/Mexican tinge of the setting and language. Still, I was a bit disappointed by the simplicity of how the book addresses the key moral issues (cloning, slavery). Farmer tries to convince us that the main character has affection towards his "father", the ancient and amoral drug lord, but it doesn't really ring true. Maybe this is to be expected in a book written for a younger audience, but I was hoping for more.

[missboyer3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[fromthecomfychair · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book! Farmer sets this sci fi in the near future, but does it in a way that it will not easily become dated. The main character, Matt Alacran, is the clone of a powerful opium grower, called El Patrone, who, at 146 years of age, has been keeping himself alive by harvesting "spare" parts from his clones. Usually clones have their intelligence surgically blunted at birth, but El Patrone allows his to grow up normally, his "gift" to them. El Patrone's farm is set in the fictional country of Opium, between Mexico and the U.S. His field workers are illegals caught while trying to flee to the U.S. Once caught, a computer chip is imbedded in their brains, turning them into mindless drones, programmed to do only what their keepers need them to do.Farmer herself spent many of her formative years in Yuma, Arizona, on the Mexican border, so was very familiar with the setting. The estate where El Patrone lives is modeled on a famous house in Yuma, now a museum.Farmer won many awards for this book, and it's easy to see why. Her writing skills and her imagination created a very believable fictional world and a thought-provoking read that should stand the test of time.Robert Ramirez, the voice actor for the audiobook, does a wonderful job of bringing the story to life.

[fatlamb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had a lot going on in a good way, totally a science fiction book but the author does a great job in providing more than just a far from this world science fiction book, the book provides depth and substance. The story goes deep into characters and many issues. Intense is a great way to sum up this book. Interesting it deals with many controversial issues, yet it does not deal with these issues in a manner that it becomes inappropriate for younger readers. Issues this book deals with cloning, war on drugs/cartel/political, family relations, some religious overtones, inner struggle, acceptance, cultural problems, and a bit of romance thrown in. It was difficult not wanting to continue reading this book. Elements of the story that was science fiction; cloning of humans (for advancement in life, for labor, for medical), takes place in the future (but is believable because it seems as if this can take place in the not too distant future). The plot is creative and original, I was guessing through out the pages of what would become of Matt (the main character a boy who is a clone). The author does a great job in creating Matt into a boy with substance, feeling, and emotion thus the reader forgets he is a clone. Very difficult book to recommend to young children, the reader must be mature enough to handle these issues. Ages 13/14 and up