The House of the Scorpion
Nancy Farmer
2003 Newbery Honor Book
Science Fiction
I don't remember if this was the first Nancy Farmer book I read or if it was The Ear, The Eye and The Arm (1995 Newbery Honor Book). In any case, between those two books, Nancy Farmer quickly became one of my favorite authors.
This book is a science fiction novel that rides the line between children's lit and YA. It is set in futuristic, post apocalyptic Mexico. We are introduced to Matteo, a young boy living on an opium plantation. After an accident, Matteo is sent to live at the big house where we discover that he is not a normal boy, but a clone of the drug lord, El Patron. Matteo soon finds that there a people who see clones as fellow humans, and those who see clones as nothing but animals.
The book explores some controversial themes such as are clones actual people? Do they have rights? Can they be grown for replacement parts? There is a sequel to this book (The Lord of Opium) but I did not like it as much as I did the original.
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