Yeah, yeah, yeah. Look at the RACK of medals on the cover of this book. A friend told me she felt this novel changed the face of science-fiction. That's really high praise. But I didn't buy into the hype. In fact, I still have some issues with the extremely slow start of this novel. It has been sitting on my desk for almost two years (no kidding), and I finally got around to reading it.

After the first 80 pages of rather slow-moving material, I finally became invested in the characters, and I thought the novel really started to take off. I think this novel probably does change the face of Sci-Fi for MG audiences. That's because the novel tackles some really high-brow concepts like modern slavery, cloning, organ harvesting, Communism, Marxism, Drugs and drug trafficking, addiction, adoption, and forgiveness. Just like Lois Lowry's book The Giver, Farmer doesn't shy away from these complexities.

I really appreciated the way that Farmer finishes the book. Unlike Lowry, who closes with ambiguity, Farmer lays it all out on the table. Sequel??? I also predicted the ending with about 200 pages left to go in this book. I guess that's okay because I'm a Sci-Fi aficionado and not a sixth-grader. As an adult, this book probably would get a 3.5 stars from me. But I thought Farmer handled the material very well for her intended audience. That's why I gave it a five-star rating.

I HATED IT,

and hated it on so many levels that I truly do not know where to begin.

First of all, I will acknowledge one positive aspect of the story. It is about Matt, a clone raised in a shack on the opium plantation of drug lord El Patron. Matt is El Patron's clone, grown for spare body parts. In this near-future world, clones are considered property and livestock. Their embryos are implanted in cows, and people believe that anything born from cows is not human. After "birth," their brains are damaged to further dehumanize them. This campaign of dehumanization has historical resonance, like what happened to the Jews, enslaved Africans in America, and people of possible Arab descent today. Those in power manipulate the population to excuse cruelty, and it keeps happening throughout history.

However, there are several reasons why I did not like this novel.

1. The author seems unable to find her main point or theme. If it's about the importance of individuality, she fails as the ending negates this theme.

2. Her knowledge of cloning is incorrect. She tries to sway the audience against cloning without fully understanding it. Clones would not be exact copies, as environment also affects who we are. Even physical traits like fingerprints are influenced by the womb environment. Identical twins with the same DNA are not identical, and the same applies to clones. So, what happens at the end is impossible.

3. The plot is chaotic and has no direction.

4. The characterizations are flat, the emotions are hollow, and the reader has no background or sense of setting.

5. The author breaks the cardinal rule of writing by telling instead of showing. For example, we are told that Steven is "okay" but not shown why. When he betrays Matt, we have no emotional attachment to him.

6. There is no continuity or overarching theme. After leaving the compound, the story seems to devolve into a diatribe on socialism, but then it changes. The bit about the socialist orphanage is out of place.

Then, the story gets even worse and leaves me flummoxed and angry for wasting my time on this poorly written dreck. Ultimately, I'm most angry that this type of fiction is winning awards and our children are assigned it in high school English instead of quality literature.

I read this article with great enthusiasm as it serves as an excellent preview for future class use. I am seriously considering using it as a whole-class read in the future. It is truly packed with a plethora of great issues that are ripe for exploration in class discussions and writing assignments. What's even better is that it is a captivating story that will surely engage even our most reluctant readers.

In addition to its educational value, I also found personal enjoyment in it. The author, Farmer, has crafted a dystopian world that feels incredibly believable. This is because it is based on so many of the real issues we are grappling with today, such as illegal drugs, powerful drug cartels, illegal immigration, and cloning. Moreover, it delves into more universal themes like the longing for acceptance, the consequences of loneliness and isolation, and the boundaries of love and loyalty. I firmly believe that our students would have no difficulty making connections between the themes in this book and those of the classic literature we study. Additionally, during our research unit, we could further explore these topics through non-fiction pieces.

Beyond its abundant educational uses, it's simply a thrilling story that keeps you hooked from start to finish! I can't wait to read the sequel and discover what lies ahead. In essence, that sums it all up, doesn't it?

What a heavy book for a middle school library!

The content is truly disturbing, yet it is also thought-provoking, has the power to ignite discussions, and is extremely complex.

My rating isn't higher because I had to force myself to read it for Battle of the Books, even though its contents really upset me.

To those who have the same issues as me, I want to issue a warning. There is a sociopathic character in the story, along with the requisite animal abuse, scary medical scenes, and major mistreatment of children.

I simply can't handle any of that stuff, so this was really hard to read.

However, it is notable for its brave confrontation of controversial issues. The narration is skilled, and the plot is unique.

It's unlike any other tween book that I've ever read. But frankly, I would probably sleep better if I hadn't read it.

Nevertheless, it does have its merits in terms of addressing important and challenging topics, which is something that can't be ignored.

Overall, it's a book that elicits strong emotions and reactions, and while it may not be for everyone, it does have its place in the literary world.

Perhaps it's a book that can spark important conversations and discussions among readers, which is always a valuable thing.

The book "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer delves into the early life (0 - 14) of a young boy named Matt.

It vividly portrays the hardships he endures as a clone in a household of "pure" individuals.

Throughout the story, Matt experiences events that have the potential to transform him both physically and emotionally forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish.

The writing was exceptionally smooth and easily comprehensible.

Nancy Farmer does an outstanding job in developing the characters.

She describes them in a seamless manner through dialogue and detailed descriptions.

The way she depicts the world is truly brilliant.

She goes into such great detail that it provides a vivid mental image of what she is describing.

She effectively uses the "show, not tell" technique in the story, which further enhances the visualization of the described elements.

One aspect that I particularly liked about the writing style is that the author incorporates some Spanish into her work.

Whenever she writes something in Spanish, she provides the meaning, eliminating the need for readers to look it up.

"The House of the Scorpion" has several themes, such as the idea that even if you are different, you can still find a place to belong.

Another theme is the introduction of two real-world problems, namely slavery and drugs.

In the book, she refers to slaves as "eejits," who are essentially robots that only follow orders.

The story is set in a land where Opium, a drug sold in the real world, is also sold.

However, one thing I did not appreciate was that the sentences were rather basic.

They were quite short, and the vocabulary range was not overly complex.

Nevertheless, aside from this minor drawback, the book was excellent.

I have never come across a book that can be compared to this one, which makes it unique in its own way.

In conclusion, I believe this book was great in most aspects, and I highly recommend it to you!

I would suggest this book to those who enjoy a plot filled with surprises.

However, it should be noted that the book progresses at a moderately slow pace towards the plot, so if you don't like that, this book may not be to your taste.

Initial reaction: I'm completely at a loss for words right now. I never expected this story to have such a profound impact on me. Matt's journey in this book is filled with countless ups and downs, tragedies, and triumphs. I must admit, I haven't come across many MG/YA dystopian novels that are as well-written as this one.

Full review:

Nancy Farmer's "The House of the Scorpion" is a story that I took years to pick up. Seriously, there seemed to be every possible barrier preventing me from reading it. Either I had other academic reading to do, or it was always checked out or unavailable at my library or bookstore. But then, one evening, during a spontaneous trip to the library, when I wasn't even looking for it, I found it.

Picking it up and reflecting on it now, I can't help but mentally kick myself for not reading it sooner. There are very few novels that truly blow me away while I'm reading them. In the sense of capturing my attention, pulling me along for the journey through the eyes of the perspective character, and keeping me engaged all the way until the last page. And there are even fewer narratives that I stop to savor every page because the writing and the characters connect with me so deeply that I don't want it to end.

This novel was one of those rare gems for me.

The main character, Matt, has a difficult journey from the very beginning. He is the only clone to survive in a batch of cells cultivated from a powerful but elderly drug lord. The story follows him from birth to the age of 14, and it's impossible not to be captivated by his development over those years and his experiences. He is a fascinating character to watch throughout the novel - funny, charming, sincere, and even in the moments when he feels the most intense pain. The hardships he endures, the hatred directed at him because of what he is and what he represents, the conflicted feelings he has about his own identity, and his learning about the world and the family he is involved with are all palpable.

Even for the characters with a darker presence in this novel, it's hard not to be charmed or drawn into their perspectives and experiences because Farmer creates them so carefully. There were moments when I chuckled at the interactions between characters (Matt and Tam Lin had several such moments for me - and I loved Tam Lin despite his conflicted background). But there is also a darkness to this story, and it deals with some very heavy themes that leave an indelible impression with respect to the characters involved. Themes such as cloning, slavery, the drug trade, prejudices, the hierarchy and power struggles within a family, belief systems, and more. There are also many characters to keep track of in the story. However, Farmer makes the narrative and the characters' experiences flow so smoothly and easily that it feels natural throughout the work. Even now, as I reflect on the entire story, its players, and conflicts, none of it has left me. And for me, that's a sign of a great story: when it can immerse you, evoke a range of emotions that keep you engaged, and leave you thinking about it long after you've finished reading. This is the kind of story I expect from a strong MG/YA dystopian work - one that can give me a clear picture of the world it takes place in, the characters and the stakes they face, and keep me firmly rooted in those conflicts and engagements. To say that I was impressed with this novel is an understatement.

Having said that, I'm not going to pretend that this novel was perfect. The first two-thirds of the story had me eagerly devouring pages to see how Matt would handle the costs, mistakes, and hardships he had to face. But there was a point in the last third where the narrative slowed down a bit. I think this was because the story had reached a transitional point from the family Matt had left behind to the orphanage where he meets the other boys. Introducing those new characters in that part of the story was like starting over again, and it took a while to find the flow before it picked up speed and raced to the end. Even with this consideration, I really enjoyed the journey this novel took me on. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next chapter in Matt's journey, and I think this is a novel that does so many things remarkably well. It's a book I won't forget, one that I believe many MG and YA readers, as well as those outside of that audience, will enjoy. It gets my highest recommendation.

Overall score: 5/5

I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

This wasn't truly a book that I relished reading. It bored me with its repetitive conflicts. Virtually nothing changed throughout the story, and there were merely about 3 shocking moments.

I'm rather picky when it comes to the books I read. If within the first 200 pages I'm not completely engrossed, I usually give up on it. This was precisely the kind of book that I would have abandoned, and if I could, I would have given it away.

The annotating didn't "ruin" the book for me. Even if I had read this book as it is, I would still be dissatisfied with its quality.

Matt seemed like an ordinary kid who just happened to be ostracized by society. In my view, that's such a basic plot. He has to leave or else they'll kill him. Once again, another basic conflict. And lastly, he encounters another mean man when he escapes, but then he meets people who care about him. Big deal. It's all so predictable and the same as countless other books. That is the reason why I give this book only 3 out of 5 stars.

Matt is a clone, a being who is regarded worse than an animal by almost everyone except his few friends.

He endures a life of hardship and mistreatment, constantly facing the cruel reality of being an outcast. However, when one of his friends betrays him, Matt realizes that his life is in grave danger.

He understands that he must either escape or face the certain fate of being killed.

I read this book for school, and perhaps that's why I didn't like it as much as I might have under different circumstances. Nevertheless, I decided to give it 4 stars instead of 3.

Overall, it was a good book. The story had its moments of excitement and tension, but there were also many spots where not much really happened.

These lulls in the action made the reading experience a bit less engaging at times. Despite this flaw, the book still managed to hold my attention and make me think about the themes of identity, friendship, and survival.

It was an interesting read that I would recommend to others, especially those who are interested in science fiction and stories about the human condition.

Recommended to me by my teenaged son, the book initially had a very promising start. The beginning was engaging and full of potential. As I delved deeper into the story, the middle part also proved to be quite interesting, presenting various thought-provoking ideas.

However, as I reached the end, it all seemed to fall apart. The conclusion was very unsatisfying. I really liked the concepts that were presented regarding prejudice and the contrast between predetermination and self-determination, as well as the relative values of evil. The book was filled with numerous evil-doers. Some of them were truly despicable, while others were actually loved by the readers. And then there was Tam Lin, the most interesting character of all. He was a compelling mixture of sin and repentance, loyalty and betrayal. He was an evil-doer who, at the same time, managed to be a good man.

It felt as if after presenting all her ideas and laying out the moral dilemmas so well, the author simply ran out of steam. She then dashed off an ending that, I suppose, she thought would neatly tie up all the loose ends. But in reality, it left just about everything hanging.

For instance, in the workhouse/orphanage setting, which made the Dickens orphans seem positively privileged (at least they got genuine gruel), we are led to believe that all the abuses would be corrected once one of the orphans managed to get word out that they were being mistreated. I guess the world would indeed be a much better place than what is portrayed in this book (or in reality, for that matter) if it was that easy to overcome evil and corruption.

It belonged to that category of novels that are labeled as science fiction and yet are not really science fiction.

Of course, I firmly believe that the boundary of genre classification in today's world has become blurred and it is no longer possible to confine a book to just one genre. Genres have intertwined and every book can have a bit of each genre. But some books simply do not belong to certain genres. Like this book which was not science fiction at all. It only had a repetitive science fiction idea. The use of twins or copies to harvest body parts in case of illness or accident for the main individual. In this idea too, nothing new had been added. The other parts also did not have any trace of a science fiction subject, although apparently the events in the future were not going to happen very soon.

There was only the existence of twins, anti-gravity flying vehicles, and a scanner on the head of a human or an animal for complete tracking. Without any explanation or interpretation.

It was more of a social novel.

I really enjoyed this book. At first, it took me a little while to get fully immersed in the story, but once I did, it turned out to be quite good.

I truly hated the fact that Matt had to go through life being treated almost like an animal. It was heartbreaking to see him endure such mistreatment. However, I loved that Maria had loved him from the very beginning and always treated him with kindness. Her love and kindness were like a ray of hope in Matt's difficult life.

Another thing I loved was that his bodyguard, Tam Lin, helped him through everything. Tam Lin not only protected him but also set up a home for him with books in it. It was so touching to see how much Tam Lin cared for Matt.

Unfortunately, I hated that Tam had to die at the end. But I was glad that he thought his sacrifice would make things right.

I also hated how the boys at the orphanage were treated. It was cruel and unfair. But I was relieved when they managed to get away and I loved seeing how close they became.

Overall, this was a really good book. I would rate it 4.5 stars. It had its ups and downs, but it kept me engaged throughout and made me feel a range of emotions.

The House of the Scorpion had me completely engrossed in the first half. The tension was palpable, arising from the inevitable clash between Matt's reason for existence and El Patron's declining health. However, once this conflict was rather casually resolved a little over halfway through the book, the story took a strange turn, similar to that of 1984. It then concluded with a rather contrived deus ex machina and left me with a sense of confusion.

When El Patron died, the story really took a hit for me. He was such a dominant figure throughout most of the book, and we knew that Matt was essentially created for El Patron's spare parts. We spent the first half eagerly awaiting the crucial moment when Matt would have to face this reality. But when it finally came, it was over in a rush, with El Patron passing away off stage. And yet, there were still over 200 pages left.

I'm not the brightest, so perhaps I didn't fully understand the "Boy's Town from Hell" segment. It seemed completely out of place to me, as if it belonged in a different story. Maybe it was intended to symbolize Purgatory (as one character makes a reference to Purgatory-to-Hell, and Catholicism is prominent throughout), but this entire episode lacked the previous tension of the book. The Keepers, who were supposed to be menacing overlords, turned out to be inept and foolish. Once the boys escaped the plankton farm, it never seemed in doubt that they wouldn't be forced to return. What exactly were the laws that kept the children in the orphanage? If they poisoned the guards and escaped, was that it? Were they then free citizens? This part of the story, from the escape to the end, felt rushed and confusing, just like El Patron's death.

The real letdown was the end of the book. Esperanza, who wields great power and seemingly rules at least two different nations, shows up, and miraculously, Matt basically owns the country of Opium and all his enemies are dead (again, off stage). And that's it. The End.

To be fair, Farmer does pose some interesting questions about the morality of cloning, but these seem to be abandoned after El Patron's death. Matt, too, is an engaging and flawed character that we still root for. But overall, I still feel like this is only half of a truly great book.