The series question

Ender's Game is a great book.  I loved it.  My students have read it and are excited about the movie.  When they find out it's a series. . . "What? Wow! What order do I read them in?"

    Sigh, this is where the confusion starts.

I have them in the library.  Most of them anyway.  They weren't numbered because I couldn't decide how to do it.  Chronologically?  In order of publication? Neither one is perfect.  I am a compulsive series reader.  I understand the NEED to read them in order.  I spent 45 minutes looking and checking different sites to determine for once and for all how I would organize them.  (Was that a waste of time?  Maybe, is it important to me and my students?  Yes. Time well spent!)  I really like the chart I found at Wikipedia.  I may even print it out to hand out to other obsessives, like me.

So, why am I telling you this?  One of my boys came back in today, after reading Ender's Game in two days.  I'd numbered the books by then (colored dots on the spine labels, with numbers on them.)  He was excited.  But we still spent 5 minutes discussing the order to read them.  Which book or series did he start after Ender's Game?  Ender's Shadow? or Ender in Exile?  He decided to read Ender in Exile.  I numbered it as a 2 even though it's listed as 5, because chronologically that's the way it goes.  So there, I made a decision.  I can live with it.  I just hope they can.  

    Sigh.