The House of the Scorpion

The House of the ScorpionThis modern classic takes on an iron fisted drug lord, clones bred for their organs, and what it means to be human. Winner of the National Book Award as well as Newbery and Printz Honors. Matteo Alacr n was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patr n, lord of a country called Opium a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was

This modern classic takes on an iron-fisted drug lord, clones bred for their organs, and what it means to be human. Winner of the National Book Award as well as Newbery and Printz Honors.

Matteo Alacr n was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patr n, lord of a country called Opium--a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster--except for El Patr n. El Patr n 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, including El Patr n's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacr n Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Published: 09/01/2002
ISBN: 9780689852220
Pages: 400
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.50d
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee
Award: Young Hoosier Book Award - Winner
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Nevada Young Readers' Award - Winner
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Winner
Award: Iowa Teen Award - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Tayshas Reading - Commended
Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award - Nominee
Award: Grand Canyon Reader Award - Winner
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Winner
Award: Colorado Blue Spruce Award - Nominee
Award: Rhode Island Teen Book Award - Winner
Award: Sequoyah Book Awards - Winner
Award: Evergreen Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Newbery Medal - Honor Book
Award: Bookseller's Choice - Winner
Award: National Book Awards - Winner
Award: Parents Choice Award (Fall) (1998-2007) - Winner
Award: Young Reader's Choice Award - Winner
Award: Michael L. Printz Award - Honor Book

Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 07/01/2002 pg. 954
Publishers Weekly 07/01/2002 pg. 80
School Library Journal 09/01/2002 pg. 224
Kliatt 09/01/2002 pg. 8
Voice of Youth Advocates 10/01/2002 pg. 293
Booklist 09/15/2002 pg. 232
Booksense '76 Childrens Wtr 02 11/01/2002 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2002 pg. 753
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 11/01/2002 pg. 104
New York Times 11/17/2002 pg. 39
USA Today 11/21/2002 pg. 1
Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2003 pg. 795
ALA Best Books Young Adults 03/15/2003 pg. 1296
ALA Notable Children's Books 03/15/2003 pg. 1309
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2002 pg. 94 - Superior,Well Above Average
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2003 pg. 94 - Superior,Well Above Average
Publishers Weekly 07/08/2002

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 61393 / House of the Scorpion
Reading Level: 5.1 / Interest Level: Middle Grade Plus / Point Value: 15