Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card

Bibliographic Information:
Card, O. S. (1985). Ender's Game. Tor Science Fiction. ISBN-10: 0812550706

Book Awards:
1985 Nebula Award
1986 Hugo Award


Plot Summary
They were looking for the perfect battle commander to save humanity from the buggers. Ender's older brother, Peter, was brilliant but cruel; his older sister, Valentine, was brilliant but soft. Ender's parents were ordered to have the unthinkable--a third child. By the time Ender was six, they knew they had succeeded. Now all they had to do was train him in a manner that would break anyone, and pray he didn't break (at least, not before he saves the world).

Critical Evaluation
Card gets a little heavy on the political analysis for the 9-12 set, but there is plenty of action in Ender's chapters to satisfy them if they want to skip the other stuff. Ender's transformation from a 6 year old boy to a hardened battle leader over the course of 6 years is both horrifying and fascinating. While giving the reader the satisfaction of a technically happy ending, the ironic and tragic final twists reveal Card's true genius at storytelling and emotive transfer.

Reader's Annotation
Can a six year old boy become the perfect space fleet commander in six years? Better hope so, for humanity's sake.

About the Author
Orson Scott Card was born on August 24, 1951, in Washington state. He is a Mormon, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a theatre major. He has a masters in English from the University of Utah. He is the only author to have won the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award in consecutive years. He currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Genre:
Science fiction

Curriculum Ties:
Politics
Sociology

Booktalking Ideas:
What makes a child a child?
Battle school

Interest Age:
12+

Challenge Issues:
Mild scatological humor, violence.
If a challenge should occur,
Read the book! Urge parent to do the same. Cite awards and reviews. Refer to collection development policy. If dispute continues, parents' wishes regarding their own children will be respected.

Reason Included:
This was a favorite of mine as a tween, and we had to analyze it in depth for a college anthropology class, which increased my admiration of the book.