The House of the Scorpion

Nancy Farmer (born 1941) is an American author of children's and young adult literature, particularly science fiction and fantasy. She is best known for The House of the Scorpion, which won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and a Newbery Honor, along with two other Newbery Honor books: The Ear, the Eye and the Arm and A Girl Named Disaster. Her works often incorporate African settings and themes drawn from her years living in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.