The House of the Scorpion

*****The House of the Scorpion, written by Nancy Farmer, Athenuem Books (2002). (YA) SciFi, 380 pgs. ISBN 978-0689852220.

This book has been the recipient of many awards:

• Newbery Honor
• National Book Award
• Michael L. Printz Award
• Sequoyah Young Adult Award

It is the story of Matt Alacranz, a young boy (clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord and creator of the Opium Empire). Matt lives in a futuristic land called Opium, an area between California (United States) and Azatlan (Mexico). Farmer is an excellent weaver of an extremely believable adventure as young Matt finds out who he is, how he was "conceived," and what is his purpose.

Issues discussed: moral/ethical issues surrounding human cloning, legal worldwide drug distribution, authority, communism, aristocracy, etc.