Ender's Game (Ender's Saga #1) by Orson Scott Card

Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is the government's last hope. He is part of a government program to create child geniuses and train them as soldiers. The government is looking for a commander to lead an attack against an alien race, known as the Buggers, that have already devastated the world. Ender's brother and sister didn't make the cut, but Ender is recruited and drafted into Battle School for military training. While there, Ender faces several challenges - isolation, fierce competition, pressure from his demanding teachers - all while fighting mock battles in zero gravity in the Battle Room. Despite his challenges, Ender emerges as a leader and brilliant strategist.

Yet he is still very much a child, who fears that he will become like his cruel brother, Peter, and misses his sister, Valentine. As Ender advances quickly through the ranks, he is pushed to his very limits and becomes increasingly unwilling to play the games. However with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Ender's role in the games is more essential than ever.

I really enjoyed this book, more so than I thought I would. I really liked the character of Ender. It was so easy at times to forget that he was in fact a child. I kept envisioning someone older until something would happen that would remind me of how young he really was. There were several interesting dynamics in this book - the relationships between the child soldiers, the relationships between the teachers and students, the relationship between Ender and Graff, the relationship between Peter and Valentine. It is a remarkably intelligent story for a young adult book with themes that are rather advanced. The story was very well written and the plot had plenty of twists in it to keep it interesting. There are several more books in the series and I will definitely be picking up them up. I am also looking forward to seeing the movie when it is released in November. I have a feeling that it will translate well onto the big screen.