The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a complex story with many characters revolving around a boy named Matteo Alcran, or Matt. Matt is a clone made from the DNA of the lord of his country, Opium, a country between the United States and what used to be Mexico, completely devoted to growing poppies for opium. Though he is treated well, Matt is shunned by almost everyone except El Patron, the lord of Opium. He had no idea El Patron would be the one who would try to kill him. As he got older, secrets about the evil in El Patron, and his past and future unravel and Matt realizes escape from the well-guarded Alcran estate is the only answer. A few years after having escaped to the former Mexico, Matt receives knowledge that since El Patron is dead, Matt is the new lord of Opium. When he finally returns to Opium, the book ends on a happy note with Matt making plans to replenish his country and undo the evil El Patron had done.
One of the main themes in the book is trust and deception. One example of how this is shown is when Matt finds out that El Patron wants to kill him to keep himself alive. El Patron treated Matt very well and Matt loved him so much. He was devastated when the truth of his DNA supplier was revealed. That is the main theme of The House of the Scorpion.
I would recommend this book to other 7th graders because it’s very exciting. It’s a good book for everyone’s interests, because it includes adventure, trickery, futuristic ideas, friendship, outdoors, and even a little romance. Though this book is lengthy, it goes extremely fast. By the time I finished The House of the Scorpion, I almost cried because I wished there was more! In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.
I got this picture from
http://www.rebeccacaudill.org/teacher/covergallery/2005/house.jpg
Good start here, Celia!
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