Earthseed

I grabbed this one off the shelf when I read it was being reissued with a new cover. That said, the version I read is the 1982 original and I am unaware if anything has been changed or updated. I hope it has not been because this book rocked. The technology was very futuristic and does not need to be modernized.
This is a very valuable story that is, at its core, about the human condition. What is our purpose, and why are we the way we are?
A ship full of human kids has been sent into space to find a new planet to colonize and expand the human race. The kids have been raised by Ship (think Hal) and have spent years learning the skills they will need to start a new world. This first book covers the training exercise inside the Ship that is their final test before colonization. Things go wrong, very wrong, but the best part of this novel is that it is unpredictable. The real bad guy in this story emerges from the kids themselves. And that leads to the question of our nature as humans.
I highly recommend this. The narrative is robotic and stilted in some sections, but that would be natural for a group of kids raised by a machine. The characters are very mature, and while their are hints of romance (or hook ups, rather) this is not your typical YA novel.
I just ordered in the second one to continue the story. Sadly, my library does not own the third one. I do hope someone reviews the book to report any changes in the new print version.