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Introduction
Andrew (Ender) Wiggen is a child of six and has been monitored closely to see if he qualifies for Battle School. Wiggen had a monitor attached to his neck so that officials of the International Fleet, specifically Colonel Graff, could "be inside his mind". In the beginning of this book, Ender is getting his monitor removed and the doctor says that it is not going to hurt but Ender is way smarter than the other kids. -
Peter
After Ender gets his monitor off he goes to school and meets his bullies and the leader of the bullies, Stilson. Wiggen tricks Stilson to fight alone. Ender beats him up with ease and walks away, cries, and waits for his bus. At home, Peter and Ender play "astronauts and buggers", a game where Ender is always the bugger and is always beaten up by Peter. Peter is murderous and only holds back when their sister, Valentine, intervenes. When Ender is asleep, Peter tells him he loves him. -
Colonel Graff
Colonel Graff visits the Wiggen household and asks Ender why he beat up Stilson so badly. Ender said he wanted to win decisively so that he wouldn't get bullied anymore. Graff offers Andrew a place at Battle School, a school that trains children to become military officials for the International Fleet. After some persuading from Graff, Ender decides to go. -
First Day at Battle School (The Launch to Battle School)
While going to Battle School, Colonel Graff singles out Ender in front of the other students by telling them that Ender is far superior than any of the other students. By this happening, Ender gains some enemies right away. One boy named Bernard kept hitting Ender on the head and Ender got angry so he swung Bernard to the ceiling, breaking his arm. Bernard then gathers other bullies and Ender's ability to figure out Bernard's gang caused Ender to gain a friend named Shen. -
Games
In the battle room, war games are simulated between the International Fleet and the buggers. Buggers are aliens that the International Fleet wishes to destroy. Ender and Alai become friends by working out how to fly and use their laser guns. When Ender and his friends aren't in the battle room, the boys play the "Fantasy Game", which adapts as the players develop. Ender defeats the Giant's Drink section, which no one has before. As he furthers into the fantasy, he sees Peter and quits. -
Salamander Army
Ender was so good in the Battle School that he got promoted into his first training army, Salamander Army, commanded by Bonzo Madrid. He used his time observing other players to learn their strategies. He befriended Petra Arkanian, who teaches Ender battle room techniques during their free time. He learns all of these things with his friends that he finally disobeys Bonzo's order and takes action in a battle and does very well. Good enough that other players were now learning from him. -
Ender is Unhappy
Ender is traded to Rat Army under Rose de Nose, in Dink Meeker's toon, according to Dink's request. Ender is growing very popular very fast. A year later, he is the leader of the Phoenix Army under Petra. But Ender hates his life and his restless. -
Back on Earth
Back on Earth, Valentine, Peter, and their parents move to the countryside of North Carolina. Peter's want for world domination makes him mad, so he decides to influence world politics by writing commentary and opinion on what amounts to the Internet. He persuades Valentine to join him. Peter chooses to be "Locke" the peacemaker, while Valentine will be "Demosthenes" the warmonger. They plan to warn about the Russian plot to shift world power in their favor after victory against the buggers. -
Homesick
Ender is super successful but is tired of all the training and struggle against his teachers, who seem to be the true enemies. Ender also fears that he is turning as ruthless as Peter. Graff visits Valentine and says that Ender is not at all like Peter, which is always what she said to Ender to comfort him. This conversation got to Ender and it helped him to reach further into the fantasy game. Ender also continued his training. -
Dragon Army
Ender is made commander of the Dragon Army, which is newly formed and made up of the least able army recruits. Through Ender's superior leadership skills, he trains the whole army so that they win every time. One kid from the Dragon Army named Bean stands out and Ender thinks of him as a young version of himself. Alai is in a different army so clearly no longer friends. When Ender's army beats Bonzo's, Bonzo got really angry and Ender's friends warn him to be careful. -
Shower
Ender is growing tired of of all of the battles and commanding. When Ender is in the shower, Bonzo and seven older boys walk in. Ender wants to fight Bonzo alone and he does. Ender beats Bonzo up thoroughly(Bonzo ends up dying because of it). Ender's Army starts fighting two armies at once. Although he wins, Ender is furious at Major Anderson for always changing the rules. Ender decides not to participate in the game anymore. -
"a short landside leave"
Ender is transferred to Command School, skipping both Tactical and Pre-Command Schools. Before he goes, Ender is sent back to Earth. Meanwhile, Valentine and Peter, as Demosthenes and Locke, are beginning to have a real influence in world politics. Graff takes Valentine to Ender, who is living in a lake house. Ender says that he hate himself and is turning more into Peter. Valentine convinces to stick with his studies. Ender just wants love from Peter. Ender then leaves with Graff to Eros. -
Eros
Eros is a satellite. Ender is tutored mainly by the teachers. He prepares for the Third Invasion by simulations that are like the battle room. Ender wakes up one morning to an old man sitting in his room. The man is Mazer Rackham, who defeated the buggers in the Second Invasion. Mazer teaches Ender some tricks. Mazer has surpassing wisdom. Mazer and Ender watch videos of the Invasions and learn strategies on how to beat them. -
Mazer's Simulations
Ender is joined by his old toon leaders and all the people that Ender trusted in Battle School. Ender directs them in their battle simulations. After getting good at these simulations, Mazer tells Ender that he is way better than these simulations, so Mazer himself will program the scenarios. Ender's battles have gotten harder and harder but Ender's squadron wins. -
Tricked
Finally, tons of people join Ender to watch a battle, and Mazer tells him that this battle is the final test at Command School. The simulation simulates the future battle at buggers' homeworld. The bugger ships outnumber his own fleet a thousand to one. Ender and his army relies on usual strategy and end up blowing up the whole planet and winning. Everyone cheers, but in fact, it was not a simulation but the Third Invasion itself. Ender becomes enraged at this latest trick. -
Colonists' Mission
Ender helped prepare for the new colonization movement that Graff led. Peter is becoming powerful in world politics and wants Ender to return to Earth, but Valentine involves matters so that she and Ender will join the colonists. Ender agrees, after much persuasion because he says that he know the bugger better than anyone. The voyage to their new world take a very long time, and Peter becomes Hegemon. Valentine writes a series of long books on the bugger wars. -
Fantasy game
Years later, Ender helps with another colonist mission. Ender lands and finds the the buggers have built him the giant corpse from the Fantasy game. He finds a bugger queen still in larval form. The queen tells him that they didn't mean to murder and when we understood, we never came again. The queen said that they could live with you in peace. Ender realized that he was a severe murderer. -
Speaker of the Dead
When Ender gets back to his colony, Ender writes a novel about the buggers and their interactions with humans as though the queen herself was speaking. He signs his name as "Speaker of the Dead". Peter recognizes the book as Ender's when Valentine attaches it to her final bugger volume. Ender travels with the queen's cocoon to find her and acceptable place to live in safety, but Ender looks for a very long time in many places.