• The House of the Scorpion

  • By: Nancy Farmer
  • Narrated by: Raul Esparza
  • Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (2,086 ratings)

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The House of the Scorpion  By  cover art

The House of the Scorpion

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

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly imaginative

If you could sum up The House of the Scorpion in three words, what would they be?

Creative Futuristic

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where the boys were thrown into the bone pit was so well described that I felt I was there with them. I was holding my breath during the entire scene.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I couldn't put the book down. Unlike most books, there was no way of knowing where the story was going next. From the very beginning, the reader is being pulled along wondering what is going on and where is it leading.

Any additional comments?

Nancy Farmer has an incredible imagination, and I look forward to reading more of her books.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Must read

Love it! The story is really engaging. I wish they can make it a TV series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

LOVE IT

love it so much so i can wait to read one more time and voice actor did a good job in emotional acting.so the main character's emotions were delivered well to the reader.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story of Teens

What made the experience of listening to The House of the Scorpion the most enjoyable?

I used this recording to accompany the book with students. It added a lot drama and interest having an actor read the book.

Any additional comments?

The audio book is not separated by chapters but by sections which is a HUGE problem when you try to start and stop the book for multiple classes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Intresting

I loved it the book had so much excitement it was like a life book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Love this

The ending just made me want to continue the book series I fell in love with Matt’s story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love this book.

I loveeeeeeeeee this move if you Nancy farmer made a part two I would instantly read it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating story with an incredible performance!

The writing is wonderful and the performance by the narrator adds depth to the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Dynamic reading

I'm so glad I listened to this instead of reading it. Such amazing performance!!! Highly recommended to all listeners.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

Seriously amazing. Such a gripping story and so well read! Everyone needs to read or listen to it!!!

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