The House of The Scorpion: Summary and book reviews of The House of The Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, plus links to an excerpt from The House of The Scorpion and a biography of Nancy Farmer.

National Book Awards, 2002 At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacrán asks El Patrón's bodyguard, "How old am I?...I know I don't have a birthday like humans, but I was born." "You were harvested," Tam Lin reminds him. "You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her." To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium -- a strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico -- Matt is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.

Media Reviews

New York Times - Roger Sutton The author ably keeps her elements in balance, so that the Dr. Frankenstein moments never become gratuitous; in fact, the unemotional narration at times seems detached, wary of lingering too long in any one place.   School Library Journal - Susan L. Rogers Gr 6-10. Fans of Farmer's work will seek out this title. Some readers may be put off by its length, but those who dive in will find it worth the effort.   Publishers Weekly The author strikes a masterful balance between Matt's idealism and his intelligence. The novel's close may be rushed, and Tam Lin's fate may be confusing to readers, but Farmer grippingly demonstrates that there are no easy answers. Ages 11-14.   Kirkus Reviews With undertones of vampires, Frankenstein, dragons' hoards, and killing fields, Matt's story turns out to be an inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence. A must-read for SF fans. (Fiction. 11+)

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by legenddarkrai
AWESOME!
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!! It gave lots of exciting things and I like how there were different sections. I think the ending is really cool, yet sad. But overall, I LOVED IT!!

Rated of 5 by Lia
House of the Scorpion
This book was amazing!!! I had to read it for a book club and didn't think it was convincing by the back of the book. I fell head over heals for this book and couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book if you like the following...   Read More

Rated of 5 by 7th Grader
Interesting in a unique way
I loved this book. I read it in a week because I was so addicted to it. I loved how the parts were put according to his age. I know it sounds dumb but it was kinda cool to see how everything changed as the years went by, and how Matt slowly learned...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Blake
Awesome
My biology teacher assigned my grade a project, make a model and present it to her, or read a book. We had an option of three books. I chose this one. I'm sure glad I did! I loved it! Everyone is saying its long... its not that long, only 380...   Read More

Rated of 5 by ncmnt2
8th grades Only!
I am amazed that so many feel that this is appropriate literature for 10-12 year olds. This novel is very dark and offers little by way of the positive for young readers. The content describes several forms of government and contains some very...   Read More

Rated of 5 by JK
JK's review
This is like a great book! I usually read classics , but this a one of a kind book! I would recomend it to anyone ages 11 and up.

...137 More Reader Reviews

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