Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card

[Ask your audience: What is poor? Take responses. Confirm or add: ]

Poor can be not enough food. Poor can be no place to live. Poor can be not enough education; not knowing how to read or write. Poor can be not having anyone who cares about you at all.

When you're a kid, that's the worst poverty of all. Bean is that kid. He's homeless, small and weak. The adults treat him like vermin. Bigger kids steal his food. But no one can take away Bean's smarts or his ruthlessness or his ability to plan. He'll survive; he'll win at any cost. Bean uses his wits to organize the other outcast kids into his own little army.

Bean's lucky. His talents don't go unnoticed. He's recruited into the weirdest army in history: An army of kids who train up there [Point to the ceiling] in space. This army of kids is led by Earth's greatest general: Another kid, named Ender Wiggins. It's weird, bu the leaders of Earth are desperate; if these kids fail, Earth will be destroyed.

But even in space, Bean is still the unwanted kid. Unloved. Unliked. It doesn't matter. He's still going to win. He'll save Earth, and perhaps one day rule it. But right now, he's just Ender's shadow.

By Kirsten Edwards, King County Library System

 2002 Evergreen Nominee