The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Published by Simon & Schuster

Matteo Alacrán knows he is different from everybody else but he doesn’t know why.  This story is about his struggle to find out who he exactly is, why he is so important to El Patrón plus how he escapes from the evil Alcrán Estate to freedom.  It is an exiting futuristic adventure set in a world with a hint of Mexico plus a mix of drug lords, gangsters and human cloning thrown in.  Ideal for pupils who like unusual fast moving thrillers.