The House of the Scorpion
2002
Nancy Farmer
With undertones of vampires, Frankenstein, dragons' hoards, and killing fields, Matt's story turns out to be an inspiring tale of friendship, survival, hope, and transcendence. A must-read for teenage fantasy fans.
At his coming-of-age party, Matteo Alacr谩n asks El Patr贸n's bodyguard, "How old am I?...I know I don't have a birthday like humans, but I was born."
"You were harvested," Tam Lin reminds him. "You were grown in that poor cow for nine months and then you were cut out of her."
To most people around him, Matt is not a boy, but a beast. A room full of chicken litter with roaches for friends and old chicken bones for toys is considered good enough for him. But for El Patr贸n, lord of a country called Opium鈥攁 strip of poppy fields lying between the U.S. and what was once called Mexico鈥擬att is a guarantee of eternal life. El Patr贸n loves Matt as he loves himself for Matt is himself. They share identical DNA.