Ender’s Game

• Genre: Fiction; science fiction/speculative
• Originally Published: 1985
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 780L; grades 8-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 15 chapters; approximately 352 pages; approximately 11 hours, 57 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a young boy who is recruited into Battle School, a military training facility in space. Ender is chosen for his exceptional tactical skills and intelligence, and he quickly rises through the ranks as he undergoes rigorous training and participates in simulated battles. The central conflict revolves around Ender’s struggle to prove himself, his internal moral dilemmas as he is pushed to his limits, and his unwitting role in a larger interstellar conflict against an alien race known as the Formics or “Buggers.”
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Intense simulated combat scenes; isolation and manipulation of children; physical violence and violent imagery; themes of war and genocide; racist and bigoted language, including slurs (may be edited out of later editions); mature and crude humor; sexual content; profanity; gender stereotypes

Orson Scott Card, Author

• Bio: Born 1951; American novelist, critic, and public speaker; known for his prolific output in science fiction and fantasy; winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula awards; often explores themes of morality, politics, and religion in his works; gained widespread acclaim with Ender’s Game, considered a modern classic of science fiction; actively involved in writing, teaching, and promoting writing workshops; authored numerous sequels and spin-offs to Ender’s Game
• Other Works: Speaker for the Dead (1986); Xenocide (1991); Children of the Mind (1996); Ender’s Shadow (1999); Shadow of the Hegemon (2001); Shadow Puppets (2002); Ender in Exile (2008); Shadows in Flight (2012)
• Awards: Nebula Award for Best Novel (1985); Hugo Award for Best Novel (1986); ALA’s Margaret A.