by Nancy Farmer
Genre: Sci-Fi
I will admit, for the past eight years I have looked at this book over and over, undecided about whether or not I would read it. I finally have and it was completely different than I expected it to be. I didn't realize how sci-fi it was.
Matt is a clone of the all powerful, 140-year old El Patron who's the leader of a corrupt drug empire located in between Mexico and the US. We follow Matt as he grows up from birth to 14 in this empire as he struggles being labelled as a beast.
The first few chapters were really hard for me to read because of the way they treated this boy because he was a clone. This touches issues in human treatment, what it means to be human, and of course, cloning. I really got into the story once we passed his first 6 years. Then I could relate and understood the reasons behind his actions. Farmer creates memorable characters that surround Matt as he grows up.
Halfway through, the book takes a turn that I wasn't expecting. It almost interrupted my journey of his world because the whole world changed. I don't want to spoil the book for readers so I won't go into it it.
Overall, I quite enjoyed the book though I enjoyed the characters more than the plot. It is well written, your morals and sense of reality are tested, and I would recommend this book.
4.5/5 STARS
Use in the classroom:
This book offers many interesting discussion topics, especially treating humans with respect. Good debate question: Is a clone a human? I would use this definitely if I had a strong group of readers for a literacy circle. An excellent choice for in the classroom.
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