The House of the Scorpion

The House of the Scorpion is a science fiction novel by Nancy Farmer set in a future country called Opium, a strip of land between the United States and Aztlán, the nation that was once Mexico. Opium is ruled by El Patrón, an ancient drug lord whose poppy fields are worked by eejits, people whose minds have been reduced by computer implants. Matt is El Patrón's clone. As a small boy he is raised by Celia, the household cook, and when he is discovered he finds that most people treat clones as animals. El Patrón takes a special interest in him, and a bodyguard named Tam Lin becomes his protector. Growing older, Matt begins to ask why he was made. The novel explores identity, power and what it means to be human. It won the 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and received Newbery and Printz Honors.