Ender's Shadow

Ender's Shaddow (Audio Book)

By Orson Scott Card

Published by Macmillan Audio (2005)

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Length: 15 hours 41 Minutes

Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: Bean spends his first few years on the streets of Rotterdam a very cut-throat, survival of the fittest place. He is smart and helps a crew get a bully to watch over them and get them into the soup kitchen. They are called a family and the bully, Achille, is called papa. They catch the eye of the nun and they start being tested by Sister Carlotta because they think everything was Achilles idea. Achilles kills Poke and Bean knows and tells Sister Carlotta, so sister Carlotta takes Bean off the street and tests him for battle school. He has the highest test scores ever. At battle school Bean scores the highest in everyhting again and selects a roster for Ender Wiggins battle crew. Everyone believes Ender will help defeat an alien race called the Buggers. They win every battle against all odds and unfair disadvantages. Ender kills someone in self defense and is sent to command school. Bean get his own army and Achilles is in it. Bean knows Achilles wants to kill him and captures him in an out of the way place and forces him to confess everything (there were many murders) so that he will be taken away. shortly after that Bean and several others that were close to Ender are taken to command school and then told to play a game that simulates a war against the Buggers, but Bean knows that they really are fighting the Buggers. Ender leads them to victory. The world is almost plunged into war over the kids from battle school and Ender has to live in space. Bean learns that his genes were changed to make him ultra smart, but his parents, or the closest thing he has to parents, are his best friend's (technically his twin's) parents also.

My Reaction: At first I thought what have I gotten myself into because the first part of the book is very much like Lord of the Flies, but as Bean grows and matures I grew to love the story more. I can't wait to read the next one.

Potential Problems: Swearing, Murder, Fighting, Violence, Infanticide, there is also some mention of pedophiles and prostitutes.

Recommendations: I wouldn't recommend it to children. I read Ender's Game when I was in high school and I didn't like it. I would probably only recommend this to adults because I feel it is better suited for older audiences.