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  • The House of the Scorpion

  • Written by: Nancy Farmer
  • Narrated by: Raul Esparza
  • Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (39 ratings)

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The House of the Scorpion

Written by: Nancy Farmer
Narrated by: Raul Esparza
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Publisher's Summary

National Book Award, Young People's Literature, 2002

Matt is a clone of El Patrón, a powerful drug lord of the land of Opium, which is located between the United States and Mexico. For six years, he has lived in a tiny cottage in the poppy fields with Celia, a kind and deeply religious servant woman who is charged with his care and safety. He knows little about his existence until he is discovered by a group of children playing in the fields and wonders why he isn't like them. Though Matt has been spared the fate of most clones, who have their intelligence destroyed at birth, the evil inhabitants of El Patrón's empire consider him a "beast" and an "eejit".

When El Patrón dies at the age of 146, 14-year-old Matt escapes Opium with the help of Celia and Tam Lin, his devoted bodyguard who wants to right his own wrongs. After a near misadventure in his escape, Matt makes his way back home and begins to rid the country of its evils.

©2004 Nancy Farmer (P)2008 Simon and Schuster

What listeners say about The House of the Scorpion

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Excellent Story

I have read this book a few times and just finished the audiobook. It’s still one of my favourite books.

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Unexpected and Insightful.

Read as a teen and revisited it via Audible. Original concept and excellent characters. Kept me on the edge of my seat!

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One of my all-time favorite books.

Always a great listen. More of a young readers book but I still enjoy it as an adult.

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Good book! Perfect for a 14 year old!

Good book! Perfect for a 14 year old! I enjoyed listening after my son finished.

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Excellent book to listen to

Read as a teen listening to it was great. Awesome book the narration was good. very recommended 👍

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Just as solid as i remember from years ago!

As stated above,

Read this book back in like grade 5 or 6 cant remember exactly but it was the first book i ever read! This time listening now (im 30) was just as great as my first time. The voice actor did a solid job too! 5 stars from me

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Great Read with Grade 7 Class!

This is an incredibly engaging story. My students were hooked right away. As a teacher, I appreciated the opportunities it offered to teach about social and environmental issues, writer's craft, and figurative language. The audiobook is very well done.

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