The House of the Scorpion

This multi award winning YA novel stands head and shoulders about most YA dystopia.It has several interwoven themes,such as cloning,the drug wars,immigration, child slavery and so on,but all subsumed in the tale of Matt,so kind,intelligent,basically sweet,yearning for love and affection while struggling with matters of identity and the harsh cruelty of being classed as an animal or an abomination.Adults can read this because while we follow Matt's point of view,Farmer's skilful use of dramatic irony allows us to see beyond his childish understanding,so the horrors of cloning etc dawn on us quite quickly.Original plot,fascinating characters,heartbreaking emotions and even the brilliantly drawn mexican background make this a satisfying and enjoyable read for the target audience and adults alike.Impressive.