The House of the Scorpion

Name: The House of the Scorpion
Brand: Simon & Schuster Audio
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.1 (32 reviews)
Author: Nancy Farmer
ISBN: 9780743572477

Author: Nancy Farmer

Narrator: Raul Esparza

Unabridged: 10 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Published: 10/21/2008

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

Synopsis

A National Book Award winner
A Newbery Honor Book
A Printz Honor Book

A clone grapples with his sense of self against the backdrop of the dangerous world of drug trafficking in this acclaimed and internationally bestselling young adult classic about what it means to be human.

Matt Alacrán wasn’t born. He was harvested.

His DNA came from El Patrón, the drug-lord ruler of the country of Opium. Most people hate and fear clones like Matt—except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.

As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, and realizes escape is his only chance to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom.

About Nancy Farmer

Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which also won the National Book Award and the Printz Honor. Other books include The Lord of Opium, The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Islands of the Blessed, Do You Know Me, The Warm Place, and three picture books for young children. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and now lives with her family in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.

About Raul Esparza

Raúl Esparza starred on Broadway in The Homecoming, Company (Tony nom., Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award), Taboo (Drama Desk Award), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Cabaret. On television he had a recurring role on the ABC series Pushing Daisies. His film credits include Sydney Lumet's FInd Me Guilty.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily May on January 09, 2015

This book has been on my goodreads shelf since pretty much the beginning of time... so why on earth have I been wasting my time with every other poorly-constructed dystopian world instead of reading this? I have absolutely no excuse: I own a copy, it's won practically every award going, and all......more

Goodreads review by Linda on September 11, 2007

This is one of the almost perfect books written for young adults. It is an exciting story that will keep you turning the pages, but it also makes you think about the world we live in. It is a Newbery and Printz honor book and winner of the National Book Award. In the House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farm......more

Goodreads review by Jack on October 06, 2008

A really hit and miss book, with some terrific ideas and terrible plotting. The main character, Matt, is a clone of the world's biggest drug kingpin, the 140+ year-old El Patron. Matt lives in El Patron's sprawling estate and is hated by most of the residents there, aside from his care-taker Celia an......more

Goodreads review by Neal on March 20, 2011

One of the best young adult novels I've ever read.......more

Goodreads review by Esther on October 01, 2008

Recommended to me by my teenaged son, the book had a promising start and an interesting middle, but it all kind of fell apart towards the end and finished with a very unsatisfying ending. I liked the ideas presented about prejudice and predetermination vs. self-determination, and about the relative......more