[ghshephard]

Several sections of brutal violence from memory - the first fight at school, where they realized he had what it took to fully commit to victory, and then the shower sequence - which really was quite brutal.

Not inappropriate for Jr. High, but maybe a bit mature for eighth grade. I don't think a suspension is warranted on purely this basis - I'm sure there is more to the story.

[molsongolden]

I haven't read the book in question but is it more brutal than the hunger games? I know multiple 11 year olds who have read the hunger games trilogy and the children/parents had no issue with it other than "the idea of kids fighting to the death is a weird topic for a young adult book".

[ghshephard]

I would say its more brutal. The violence depicted in hunger games is distant and somewhat clinical - almost as though it was written with the possibility of future film rights. In Enders game, other children are beaten to death in a quite personal manner. I recall being quite effected by the deaths in Enders game. I don't recall any similar explicit imagery in hunger games.

[Avenger42]

(Just going off memory, it's been a while)

- Not thirty seconds into the games, Katniss is struggling with an unnamed boy when he drops dead with a knife through his back.

- Katniss drops a nest of mutated wasps directly onto a number of sleeping children, two of whom die from the stings.

- Katniss witnesses Cato kill an unnamed boy with his bare hands.

- Rue gets speared through the torso right in front of Katniss.

- Thresh crushes the skull of Clove with a rock, (not enough to kill her, but enough to disfigure her) then does it again and finishes her off. (This one happens no more than a couple of meters in front of Katniss, as Clove had been in the process of choking her before being yanked off by Thresh.)

- Katniss shoots a helpless dying Cato in the face with her final arrow.

That's just in the first book. All but one of those deaths occur right in front of Katniss, along with several others.

The only fight that stuck with me in Ender's Game was with Bonzo - the fight with Stilson was over too quick (and the ending was technically a mystery until they talk about it after Bonzo's death). Bonzo's death was also technically very quick - there was a lot of lead up to it, but the fight itself probably only took about 20 seconds and about half a page (also from memory).

Note also that the boys who Ender fights are bullying him mercilessly. Both Stilson and Bonzo bring groups to witness and prevent interference from others. He is forced to fight for his life, in situations which could quickly turn against him, and only an unbelievably swift and alarmingly brutal victory will prevent a future recurrence.