The House of the Scorpion

Reader reviewed by Shreel Parikh

This is a great book. It is about a boy named Matteo Alacran, who is a clone of the most powerful druglord in the world. The drug lord, El Patron, lives in a country that is in the place of modern day Mexico. Matt was supposed to have his mind destroyed at birth, but under special orders, he did not have the process undergone. This led to him being put in a house with a lady named Celia. The house was situated in the middle of the opium fields of El Patron's country. He desperately wanrs to see the outside world, but Celia keeps all the doors locked and the windows sealed. One day, three kids come to the house. Matt sees them and breaks the window, and jumps out. when he lands, he is badly cut on the glass. the three kids take him to "the big house" or the house in which the real Alacrans live. The story then unfolds, proving to be one of the most exciting books i have ever read.