[Jeremy]

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a seminal novel in the genres of both children’s literature and science fiction, for it deals with a very important and controversial subject in science: human cloning. Matt is a boy raised in isolation from all human contact except a doctor and a loving woman known as Celia. However, an encounter with three children ends his sheltered existence forever and forces him to live with a wealthy and powerful family, whose members treat him with utter disdain and disgust once they learned what he is. Fortunately, Matt has the protection of the head of the family, an old man called El Patron whose name is Matteo Alacron, whom Matt admires until the boy finds out what his purpose in life is. This is a profound novel that raises many ethical and moral questions about human cloning. At the same time, it is a very exciting and fun adventure story that readers of all ages will enjoy. Nancy Farmer’s characters are well-developed and will elicit strong emotions in the readers, whether love or hate.