https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps en-us 2018-09-27 15:22:10 UTC 2025-10-28 19:24:54 UTC hello@padlet.com twen659_2 https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/286579280 Reviewed by: Tinhsu Wen
Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Science Fiction

Summary: The International Fleet recruits Ender, the third child of the gifted Wiggin family. Ender, without a choice, is sent to Battle School and forced to leave his family at a young age. At the school, Ender's talent immediately puts him apart from the others. He is able to beat the games that no one has ever succeeded in before, and conceptualizes the idea of gravity before anyone else in his group.
The military commanders realize that Ender is a "military genius" (55) and could possibly save the world against the "buggers", so they plan to make things hard for him. Ender joins his first army before he is seven, and students around the school start to show admiration and hatred towards him. After a few years and being traded around to a few other armies, the commanders decide to make it hard for him. Ender is promoted to a commander and trains his army to be the best in the school. Never losing a match, Ender and his army always win and are at the top of the standings. Ender thinks that there is "not a chance that he'll be ready" (251), but the commanders know he is the world's greatest hope. He is taught by Mazer, who helped win the last war against the buggers. Is Ender able to save the world in time? How did his genius separate himself from others? Will he be able to live a normal life? Ender's Game holds all these secrets, so reading it is the only way to find out.
Additional Contextual Information: This novel provides an entirely new perspective on the pressure that gifted people can recieve. They are expected to achieve more than others, and bring shame if they do not succeed in what they do. At one point in the novel, Ender becomes nervous and starts to doubt whether he is able to accomplish what he is meant to do, and breaks down thinking he may not be the right person. Valentine, Ender's sister, comforts him and knows what is right, saying that "if you try and lose then it is not your fault... but if you don't try, it is all your fault if we lose" (241). As a future military commander, Ender is bullied because he is different from the others. It also took a long time to find how what the "strategos" and "polemarch" was, which turned out to be the two military commanders of the International Fleet. I find it unusual that Peter, Ender's brother, wanted to kill Ender during the beginning of the novel. As the novel progresses Ender finds himself to be more like Peter, and has to be merciless when dealing with his enemies, which can sometimes be the right decision. In this way, his brother trains him to be relentless when warring against the enemy.

Recommendation: I would rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. It has a very interesting plot that urges you to read on and find out what happens to Ender as he rises in the rankings. His thought process is amazing, and it is fascinating to go through what he is thinking, whether in a casual or a life threatening situation. From the beginning to the end, it is shown how Ender matures and grows up to solve his problems with a lot going on. In some places it may be a little hard to understand, and I had to reread a few chapters to know what was going on. 
Reviewer: Tinhsu Wen]]> 2018-09-27 15:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/286579280 twen659_2 https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/312659012 Reviewed by: Tinhsu Wen
Title: Counting By 7's
Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan
Genre: Fiction

Summary: Willow Chance is born a genius and has a special interest in observing the natural world, particularly with plants and medicine. Despite hoping not to "stink up the place" and trying to "fit in" (25), Willow is seen as an outcast who does not belong in any group. When she enters middle school, Willow takes a standardized test and aces it, and becomes suspected of cheating. She is sent to Dell Duke, the counselor, and makes friends with Mai Nguyen, a Vietnamese girl whose brother, Quang Ha, is sent for counseling. She starts taking a taxi to the office, and the driver, Jairo Hernandez, sees her as a guiding angel. After Dell takes Mai, her brother, and Willow out for ice cream, there is news that Willow's parents have been killed in a car accident. Overcome with grief, Willow stays overnight with Mai, Quang Ha, and their mother, Pattie. After a month in the house without school, Willow and the Nguyens move into Dell's house, which looks like a mess. Dell, the Nguyens, and Willow start to become happier - the Nguyens are excited that they can live in an apartment, and Dell starts to exercise. Willow starts to help Quang Ha on his homework, and helps Pattie improve her nail salon. She also gets permission from the company owning the apartment to plant a garden there, and flowers start to bloom. The court date finally arrives, and Willow hopes that she will find a family that truly understands her. Can Willow recover from the death of her parents? How will her new life be with her family? Willow's account of her journey will always linger in the heart of readers.
Additional Contextual Information: Willow Chance has vast amounts of knowledge on school subjects like science and literature, and she is very observant to fuel that knowledge. She grows a garden in her own background, and makes her own food from it. As a genius, she has a hard time making friends and cannot seem to connect with anyone at school. Her first real friend is Mai, who understands her silence and how she contemplates the world. When her parents died from the car accident, she does not receive much help and is left to deal with the loss alone. Even at her parents' funeral, Willow thinks of how the released balloons that commemorate her parents will eventually "find their way into rivers and streams, choking fish and endanger marine mammals" (172). One problem Willow faces is that she does not understand how other humans bond and act they way they do. She looks at the world in a logical manner, and fails to experience the emotions of bonding or pure joy. After she moves in with Pattie, Mai, Quang Ha and Dell, Willow starts to observe them and learns things about human nature that she would never have learned if it was not for the death of her parents. While living in the apartment, Willow acquires the skill of connecting with others and "learns" to laugh and smile, life experiences one cannot live without.
Recommendation: I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. While reading the book I was able to understand why Willow acts the way she does, and find it interesting how Willow observes the actions of people or plants around her. I sympathized with Willow's struggle, and could see how her personality was unlike that of others. It really made me think about how others could be isolated in their own world, but can change to make their lives fuller. Sometimes, Willow's thoughts are too repetitive which I found tedious.]]> 2018-12-09 16:36:40 UTC https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/312659012 twen659_2 https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/343806692 https://vocaroo.com/i/s1uLFX0EZ9t7 ]]> 2019-03-21 14:23:29 UTC https://padlet.com/twen659_2/u2yo4ixsbaps/wish/343806692