num_pages: 380
description: Newbery Honor author Nancy Farmer wows us with this riveting sci-fi thriller about a young clone struggling for acceptance in his tumultuous, sheltered world.Matt's last name is Alacrán, which means that he belongs to a powerful family that controls the drug Farms between the U.S. and the former Mexico. But Matt's different; he's a clone in a world filled with dangers for his kind. His only protection from the brutal surroundings are El Patron, the elderly patriarch/drug lord kingpin from which he was made, his caretaker Celia, and a bodyguard who has been assigned to him. Things fall apart when Matt learns the real reason for his creation and he makes a harrowing escape to a promising -- yet frighteningly insecure -- world.With all the makings of a modern classic, The House of the Scorpion is both shocking and intense, particularly because it looks toward an all-too-possible future. Matt is a courageous, sympathetic character, but his strong-willed fits of anger, which mirror El Patron's, leave a bittersweet taste amid his good intentions. Another impressive book from Farmer, this novel is true science fiction genius.
language: English
title: House of the Scorpion
titlecomplete: House of the Scorpion
characters: Tam Lin, Fidelito, Chacho, Ton-Ton, El Patron, Maria Mendoza
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Adventure, Teen, School, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fantasy, Dystopia
ratings_count: 90623
series: Matteo Alacran
awards: awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Newbery Medal, awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: National Book Award
category: Young People's Literature, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
category: Children's Literature, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Buxtehuder Bulle, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Michael L. Printz Award, awardedAt: 1136102400000
name: South Carolina Book Award
category: Junior Book Award, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Grand Canyon Reader Award
category: Teen Book, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Rhode Island Teen Book Award, awardedAt: 1072944000000
name: Vermont Golden Dome Book Award, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award
category: Senior, awardedAt: 1041408000000
name: Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award, awardedAt: 1199174400000
name: Lincoln Award, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Gateway Readers Award, awardedAt: 1104566400000
name: Oklahoma Sequoyah Award
category: YA
publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's