Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Reviewed by: Kimball, age 15

If you've read Ender's Game, you'll love this. It's a parallel novel-- it's from the perspective of a

different character, and it shows his story. But it's not just telling the same story a different way. It's Bean's own story. You can even read it before you read Ender's Game, and nothing will confuse you. (I recommend reading Ender's Game first though.)

Genre: Science-Fiction

Setting: The Future

Introduction:

Rotterdam is filled with homeless kids. Starving, thieving, whoring children and teenagers struggle to survive in a city that is a living hell. Bean is an exceptionally small boy and exceptionally skinny-- he will almost certainly starve to death. He looks half his age. But he's more than twice as smart as he should be. Bean joins a group of kids who band together in their quest for food and help them find the biggest, meanest but most pliable boy who will help them get food and keep people from stealing it. Bean catches the attention of a nun called Sister Carlotta, who takes him in and educates him. Sister Carlotta is working for the IF-- and she thinks Bean might be Battle-School material.

Themes: size matters not, brain over brawn, believe in yourself

Recommended Age: 13 and up

Full Disclosure:

There are sex references and swear words in this book as well as nude scenes (prepubescent boys crawling through ventilation shafts and such, not sexual in nature.)

Rating: 4 stars

Other Books:  Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadows in Flight, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant