That was amazing. Why hadn’t I heard of this award winning book?The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer absolutely captivated me. I read it in about a day and could not put it down. Essentially it’s a middle school to young adult book but the beauty of it is that it can be read on so many levels that anyone from about age 12 and up can get something out of this book. The book touches upon many themes: religion, politics, ethics, cloning, slavery, the drug trade, corruption and probably a few others that I have not mentioned.The story is beautifully written and is told in the voice of a young child. Matt is born to this world with a purpose. He is seen as a beast and treated like an animal. Later on in the story, he moves into the drug lord’s home and is given an indulgent childhood. He is educated, allowed to play the piano, and allowed to ride a horse. Matt has his own personal body guard who teaches him survival training. There are some dark undertones to this book and while El Patron looks like a doting father, something sinister is afoot. Don’t read the blurbs. Just go into the story with an open mind and enjoy.
