Book : The House Of The Scorpion - Farmer, Nancy

-Titulo Original : The House Of The Scorpion

-Fabricante :

Atheneum Books For Young Readers

-Descripcion Original:

Discover this internationally bestselling, National Book Award-winning young adult classic about what it means to be human with an updated, reimagined cover!Matt Alacran wasn’t born. He was harvested. His DNA came from El Patron, the drug-lord ruler of the country of Opium. Most people hate and fear clones like Matt-except for El Patron. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, and realizes escape is his only chance to survive. But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom. Review International Bestseller National Book Award Winner ALA Newbery Honor ALA Printz Honor“Its a pleasure to read science fiction thats full of warm, strong characters . . . that doesnt rely on violence as the solution to complex problems of right and wrong. The House of the Scorpion is a pleasure to read.” -- Ursula K. LeGuin“Fabulous.” -- Diana Wynne Jones“Strong, rough, exciting reading.” Chicago Tribune“A story rich in twists and tangles, heroes and heroines . . . and often dazzlingly beautiful descriptive prose.” The Boston Globe* “Farmers novel . . . hits close to home, raising questions of what it means to be human, what is the value of life, and what are the responsibilities of a society. Readers will be hooked from the first page.” - Publishers Weekly, starred review* “Powerful [and] ultimately hopeful. . . . A remarkable coming-of-age story.” - Booklist, starred review* “An inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence.” - Kirkus, starred review“Mind-expanding fiction for older teens that also works for adults. USA Today About the Author Nancy Farmer has written three Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm; A Girl Named Disaster; and The House of the Scorpion, which also won the National Book Award and the Printz Honor. Other books include The Lord of Opium, The Sea of Trolls, The Land of the Silver Apples, The Islands of the Blessed, Do You Know Me, The Warm Place, and three picture books for young children. She grew up on the Arizona-Mexico border and now lives with her family in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1: In the Beginning 1 IN THE BEGINNING In the beginning there were thirty-six of them, thirty-six droplets of life so tiny that Eduardo could see them only under a microscope. He studied them anxiously in the darkened room. Water bubbled through tubes that snaked around the warm, humid walls. Air was sucked into growth chambers. A dull, red light shone on the faces of the workers as they watched their own arrays of little glass dishes. Each one contained a drop of life. Eduardo moved his dishes, one after the other, under the lens of the microscope. The cells were perfect-or so it seemed. Each was furnished with all it needed to grow. So much knowledge was hidden in that tiny world! Even Eduardo, who understood the process very well, was awed. The cell already understood what color hair it was to have, how tall it would become, and even whether it preferred spinach to broccoli. It might even have a hazy desire for music or crossword puzzles. All that was hidden in the droplet. Finally the round outlines quivered and lines appeared, dividing the cells in two. Eduardo sighed. It was going to be all right. He watched the samples grow, and then he carefully moved them to the incubator. But it wasn’t all right. Something about the food, the heat, the light was wrong, and the man didn’t know what it was. Very quickly over half of them died. There were only fifteen now, and Eduardo felt a cold lump in his stomach. If he failed, he would be sent to the Farms, and then what would become of Anna and the children, and his father, who was so old? “It’s okay,” said Lisa, so close by that Eduardo jumped. She was one of the senior technicians. She had