A fast read with a focus on action scenes and the trials one young boy must undergo to satisfy the world's expectations. Amidst detailed battle sequences, Card examines the importance of children in our world (their innocence, their future, their ability to be manipulated), and the issues surrounding war (miscommunication between waring sides, manipulation of soldiers by superiors, the perfect soldier).

Discussing any book in a book club can lean towards writing preference (did you like the characters?, was it descriptive enough?, did you like the plot?) as opposed to the deeper implications of the text. Unfortunately, I could not lead a good discussion about Peter and Valentine's importance in the book. Many said that they were useless, were too jarring to the flow of the text, and no one really cared about them. I thought their paralleled lives to Ender was so interesting to see three siblings, three children, try and save--or destroy--the world.

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister." Goodreads review