Book Three

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer:

I'd been meaning to read this book for a while and never got around to it.  When I saw it cheap in a used bookstore I had to get it.  Unfortunately I'm in the process of moving from Texas to Kansas so I haven't had a lot of time for reading, none the less I found myself up at all hours reading this in every spare second I could find.
This young adult sci fi novel comes with plenty of awards that had my expectations high.  I was surprised when the novel fell slightly short of my expectations.  It was still an excellent read, but it did have it's slow places and a scattered plot that left me wondering what the point of the story was in places.  The character more than made up for any plot flaws.  Each major character was unique and realistic.
When it comes to characters I like my heroes with some flaws and my villains with their good qualities.  Nancy Farmer does an excellent job balancing her characters so that the reader is hoping the good guys will succeed, but the reader also understands why the villains do the things they do.  When it comes to a book I find a well balanced cast of characters is the most important thing to me.

Recommendation:
I recommend this to a strong young adult sci fi reader.  The slow parts require a reader who is willing to plow through the dull drums.  Readers who enjoyed Hunger Games or The Giver will also enjoy this novel.

Stars:
8 out of 10