Lexile = 660
First: I think the Lexile number that gives a reading level on this one is way off.... too low. I imagine that there aren't giant words in this book, but a Lexile of of 660 implies that it is approximately for sixth grade students. Huh. I would argue (at least for the first half of the book) that this is a great high school read. I mean human cloning, drug lords, opium farming using human slaves.... I think that these themes and subjects aren't interesting or digestible for 11-year-olds. But I guess I agree that the reading level is low.
The House of the Scorpion is a big award winner: Newbery, Printz, and National Book Award. No question of the literary quality here. I think the story is very thought-provoking. Here's a snippet: Little Matt Alarcon is being raised in secrecy on the estate of a "El Patron" located in between the United States and (the former) Mexico. Matt was cloned; he is a perfect biological match of the Drug Lord El Patron. Most clones are "fixed"... their brains removed and the bodies maintained as spare parts for the original person. Ick... just typing that bothers me. Matt was not fixed. He is educated, cared for and even loved by his caretaker. But most people on the estate think of him as not even human... even less than an animal.
I really liked the family structure portrayed in the house of El Patron. It actually felt a lot like a telenovella.... the afternoon soap operas popular on Spanish TV. Matt's story will raise lots of ethical questions for most readers, beginning with, "Is Matt a person?" I actually came to this book after a suggestion of a comparison with Shelley's Frankenstein. There is also a sequel! The Lord of Opium is also available in the library!
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