Reading Blog

The House of the Scorpion is a science fiction book about a boy named Matteo Alacran who is clone. He is the clone of El Patron. He is started as an embryo and a cow gave birth to him. Matt almost got "dumbed down" when he was born by having a shot in his head. This shot would put a microchip in his brain and make him dumber. At first, I thought this book wouldn't be very good, but when I read the summary on the back, I realized I might like this book. Turns out, I don't like it... I love it. I always want to read more to know what happens next.

First Sitting
Chapter 1- Eduardo is being forced to take thirty-six embryos and put them in cows and make at least one survive. Matteo Alacran is a clone. He is the only one that survives the process. Eduardo goes to lower his intelligence with a shot when Lisa, a co-worker, stops him because Matteo is an Alacran.

Chapter 2- Matt lives with Celia, the Alacran Estates cook. He tries to stop her from leaving to go to work because he doesn't want to be lonely. He finally lets Celia leave when she promises to bring a present back for him. Matt gets food and moves way away from the microwave. Celia padlocks it so Matt can't get in it. He goes to Celia's room to play with the stuffed animals. He realizes they don't understand him. He goes to watch TV and makes the same observation. Matt hears voices outside. He runs to the door and they talk to him. He doesn't reply. When Celia returns, he colors in the coloring book she brought him. He accidentally calls her mama and she gets upset. He asks her about the children and she tells him. He figures out the two must have been Steven and Emilia. He starts practicing what he will say to them the next day, while he was laying in bed.

Chapter 3: Matt waits all day for Steven and Emilia to come back. At last, they come back and they bring Emilia's little sister, Maria, with them. Steven and Emilia begin to leave Maria, so Matt breaks the window with a pan. Steven and Emilia come back. Matt jumps out of the window and he is barefooted. He gets glass all in his feet and he blacks out. He awakens to Steven and Emilia carrying him. They take him inside where Rosa, a worker, helps him. She lays him down and pulls the glass out. He has 'Property of Alacran House' on the bottom of his foot. Steven's father, Me. Alacran, comes in and tells them to get Matt out of his house. Rosa takes him out and lays him down before running back inside.

I read 23 pages.

Interesting Quotation- ""You can't come mi vida. You must stay hidden in the nest like a good little mouse. There're hawks out there that eat little mice."" ~Celia, Page 5, Line 11-12~ This quote interests me because you can tell Celia doesn't want people to know she has Matt. That's one reason she doesn't live with the others. she won't let Matt outside at all. She locks all the windows and doors and doesn't allow Matt to even touch the microwave. He isn't supposed to be as smart as he is. Celia doesn't want him outside or touching certain things.


Second Sitting
Chapter 4- Matt is put in a room where no one goes and everyone is to stay away from him. Rosa brings him food, but is awful to Matt. Maria is the only one who still likes him. She goes down to his room and they talk. Maria brought Matt food and they tell stories while eating. Matt tells Maria scary stories and she gets frightened. She starts crying. Maria lays down with him and then jumps back up to get newspaper for covers. Rosa comes in to find Maria and insults Matt and drags Maria off.

I read 10 pages.

Interesting Quotation- ""Too late, the children have seen it."" ~Page 28, Line 17~ Everyone thinks Matt is a dirty little clone, They don't want to be near him or touch him. They think just because he was born different, that he is nasty. Most clones are injected with a microchip that makes them horrible and they assume that Matt is like this too.