Charlie Stenhouse

Charlie Stenhouse
The House of Scorpions
Nancy Farmer
Fiction
Just Right
219

1. Right now, Matt had escaped the Big House. After El Patron died, Matt wasn’t needed anymore. The Farm Patrol was going to kill him. So Tam Lin had helped him escape the house and flee to the oasis. Tam Lin left Matt there to sleep and to prepare for the trip to Aztlan. In the morning, Matt packed his food, water, and maps and started his journey. He had traveled through the forest and through the desert until his path was crossed with a steep rock slope. The climb sucked a lot of energy out of him, so he camped at the top for the night. The next morning he started his journey down the other side of the mountain. When he was near the bottom, he spotted the Farm Patrol. He thought about how he was going to cross the border to Aztlan. At night, many people try to cross the border so Matt had joined the rebelling group and became successful. He was sent to orphanage until he was sent to San Luis.

2. I feel bad for Matt because when he arrives at the orphanage, every boy and girl are working. Some kids are making pills and others are building machines for factories. Matt thought that Aztlan was going to be a pleasure to live in, but it is only a working environment. I also feel bad for Tam Lin because for all he knows, Matt is having a good time in Aztlan, when he is really being worked to exhaustion.

3. The theme that I recognize in this book is perseverance. I see this theme when Matt is traveling to Aztlan. He puts all of his strength and energy into traveling to the new lands. From when he used all of his energy climbing the steep mountain, to sprinting away from the Farm Patrol, he persevered through his journey.

4. My favorite character is Matt. He is my favorite character because he has a lot of confidence in himself. He knows that he is going to make the journey to Aztlan and he knows that he is going to find Maria in San Luis.

5. My least favorite character is Mr. Alacran. He is my least favorite character because he was the one that drove Matt out of the Big House in the first place. Mr. Alacran was planning on killing Matt because “he was not needed anymore”. I believe that every person or thing in the world has an option of living or dying, not having someone else make the decision for you.

6. I think that Matt is going to be shipped to San Luis and find Maria. I also think that Matt is not going to have time to spend with Maria because he has to work. Maybe, Matt will escape working and find a way to live with Maria.