Card, Orson Scott. (1992). Ender's Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. 226 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: fantasy, science fiction, supernatural

Summary and Critique

This is a science fiction novel set in a future when Earth has been attacked by aliens twice. To protect a world living in fear of another invasion, the government is breeding and training young geniuses to be military commanders. None of these youngsters is as intelligent as Ender Wiggins. He dominates the games that make up their early training. Ender must deal with life at the Battle School, separation from his sister, his fear of his older brother, and the violence in his nature to become the military commander who can save humanity.

This novel is a fascinating look at how we may train future armies for combat in space. It is also a social commentary on war, military command, and political leadership. The world government depicted gives a new perspective on imperialism. This is a clearly written novel, and it can be interpreted on many different levels – read it for the exciting descriptions of the kids'war games (a zero-gravity version of laser tag) or read it for its political and philosophical message.

Awards

Hugo Award

Nebula Award

New York Times Best Seller

Author Information

Orson Scott Card attended Brigham Young University and has a Master's Degree in Literature. Ender's Game was originally published as a shorter novel and was Card's first piece of published fiction. Currently, Card and his wife reside in North Carolina.

For more information on Orson Scott Card:

http://www.hatrack.com/ Card's official Web site.

http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/sep99/card.htm Interview with Card.

Themes

Families

Friends and Enemies

Challenges and Triumphs

War and Peace

The Individual vs. Society

Adventure

Nature/Science

Media Connections

Movies

Henry V (1989) The film version of Shakespeare's history play shows a young king taking on the role of military commander as he leads an invasion of France.

Blade Runner (1982) Deckard, a Blade Runner, must leave retirement in order to find and destroy five replicants (clones designed to be slaves) who have escaped.

Gattaca (1997) In a futuristic society where genetically altered test-tube babies are the norm, a second-class citizen assumes a new identity to achieve his career goals.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) Mad Max becomes a pawn in a decadent oasis of technological society, and when exiled, becomes the deliverer of a colony of children.

The Patriot (2000). A former soldier in the French and Indian War opposes the Revolutionary War, but he must enlist in order to protect his family and avenge his son's death.

Terminator (1984) A cyborg from the year 2029 is sent back in time to murder the mother of a future leader.

Star Wars (1977) A farm boy and his new rebel friends attempt to prevent the evil Darth Vader from ruling the universe.

Music

"The Last Stop." Performed by Dave Matthews Band. From Before These Crowded Streets. RCA, 1998. Dave Matthews'commentary on war, hatred, and peace.

"The General." Performed by Dispatch. From Bang Bang. DCN Records, 2000. A song about a general troubled when he tries to figure out what he's fighting for.

Online Resources

http://www.usma.edu/ Information on the United States Military Academy at West Point.

http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/birth_order.htm ("Sibling Birth Order") This site offers a fascinating chart summarizing research related to typical characteristics of siblings based on birth order. A fun classroom activity would be to share this chart with students and ask if the findings reflect their personalities and/or those of their siblings.

http://www.theholidayspot.com/friendship/poems_for_friendship.htm Several poems with friendship themes

http://www.nylc.org/ Web site for the National Youth Leadership Council.

http://www.scifi.com/transcripts/1998/OrsonScottCard.html A transcript of an online chat on the SciFi Channel Web site, November 1998.

Related Texts

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 180 pp. A companion novel to Gathering Blue. Jonas, a young boy with a special gift, experiences the negative side of life in a seemingly perfect society.

Huxley, Aldous. (19). Brave New World. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran, & Company. 311pp. Huxley presents a society whose members experience only pleasure but are controlled by the ruling class.

Beatty, Patricia. (1987). Charley Skedaddle. New York: Morrow. 186pp. A former gang member joins the Union Army during the Civil War and learns that courage means more than fighting.

Card, Orson Scott. (1986). Speaker for the Dead. New York: Tor. 415 pp. When confronted by a new breed of aliens, Ender Wiggin attempts to prevent repeating past mistakes.

Card, Orson Scott. (1991). Xenocide. New York: Tor. 394 pp. Ender Wiggin attempts to save his planet.

Card, Orson Scott. (1996). Children of the Mind. New York: Tor. 349 pp. Ender struggles with his brother while he also attempts to save the people of his planet.

Card, Orson Scott. (1999). Ender's Shadow. New York: Tom Doherty Associates. 379 pp. A parallel novel to Ender's Game, focusing on Ender's lieutenant Bean, who helped Ender save their planet.

Card, Orson Scott. (2001). Shadow of the Hegemon. New York: Tor. 365 pp. Bean must secretly help the Hegemon save their planet.

Teaching Ideas

(1) Relate the novel to other pieces on war, heroes, and leadership. Have students examine and discuss how Ender compares to other literary characters, such as King Henry V or Odysseus.

(2) Tie this book into social studies class. Use the commentary the book makes on military command to talk about famous generals: Sam Houston, George Washington, the leaders of the Union Army during the Civil War. Or use it in discussions of the Roman or British empires.

(3) Have students choose an image or scene from the novel and represent it graphically, whether using paint, collage, ink, etc.

(4) Have students compare and contrast the experiences of the students of Battle School with the experiences of students at their own school.

(Review written by Amy Piotrowski and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)