"The Enemy's Gate Is Down"

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite books.  My son discovered it when he was in grade school, I read it as well, and then we moved on to the rest of the series.  Yes, it was THAT good.  First, there's the original trilogy.  And then came the rest of the books that treated us to parallel stories, background on the characters, and telling the rest of their life journeys after Battle School.  Oh, we waited with bated breath for each new book to be published and then ran to the book store to grab it as soon as it was out!  Good times, good times...

Excellent sketch of Ender by XandarX2 on Deviantart.com

It's always so gratifying to find something that we can share with our kids -- a hobby; an interest that sets us on equal ground and immerses us in the same universe.  With Ricky, one of those happy spaces we share is a love of the written word.  He learned to read when he was 4 years old.  He read to his class in Kindergarten during story time because he already knew how.  He was reading Hardy Boys books at age 6.  Like me, once he starts a book he can't put it down until he's reached the end.  We often find ourselves staying up all night to read, or spending an entire weekend immersed in a good book.  To this day, we text or FB message each other with new literary discoveries.

Ender's Game was one of the first books that Ricky presented to me rather than I to him.  Maybe that's why it holds such a special place in my heart.  Maybe I also like it because it's about a little boy (a little boy!) who beats the odds and rises to the occasion and saves the day, even if it means sacrificing something of himself in the process (and don't all heroes sacrifice something?).  It's a fantastic underdog story, not just from Ender's viewpoint but from the perspective of other characters as well.

It's been quite a while since I first read Ender's Game, but I haven't tired of the story.  I guess that's what makes it a classic?  Well, that's what I'm calling it anyway.  I still read it whenever I get the chance, which means I get to read it maybe once every couple of years.  My goal is to one day add the original trilogy to my library so I can read it again and again whenever I want.

And guess what I stumbled upon while I was cruising the Internet today?  Hollywood is making the book into a movie!  Ummmmm, yes, please!!  It stars young Asa Butterfield as Ender.  Funny, he looks a lot how I picture Ender must look.  Awesome!  I love when that happens!  According to the Internet Movie Database, it's scheduled to be released in 2013.  Woohoo!!  I'd better run to Barnes & Noble to grab my trilogy and read up so I'll be ready to go when it hits the theaters!  Maybe I'll invite Ricky to come see it with me..... if he can make it from wherever he happens to be at the time.  And if he can't, we'll just text or Facebook each other and share the experience that way.  Something to look forward to, and it can't come soon enough for me!

~ Pia