Is Ender’s Game Appropriate for a Classroom?

According to the Aiken Standard, a middle school parent in South Carolina is fighting to stop Ender’s Game being read in school. The student and parent complained to the administration that the book’s material was pornographic and inappropriate for the classroom.

Joy Shealy, the school district’s academic officer for middle schools, stated that there is a policy which defines steps teachers ought to take when presenting supplemental material. “One of the things that teachers are supposed to do is preview material for appropriateness for any questions that may come up,” Shealy said. “By doing that, we make sure the materials that are presented to students are age and instructionally appropriate – all the things that make a good instructional program.”

While Ender’s Game and two other books are under review, the teacher who presented Ender’s Game to his student has been placed on administrative leave. Ender’s Game is recommended for ages 12 and up; the middle school student at the source of the complaint is 14-years-old.

How many of the readers here had to read Ender’s Game in school? At what age?

Update: A local news station reports, the three books that were under review are Ender’s Game, Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKearnan; and Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case by Agathie Christie. Two of these three books has been deemed inappropriate by the school district for middle school students. Whether Ender’s Game is one of the books labeled inappropriate is not clear yet. The teacher who assigned these books is still on administrative leave while investigators determine whether criminal files will be charged.