Television producer J.D. Amato's first middle-grade graphic novel is an action-packed, stirring exploration of friendship, teamwork, and finding one's place in the world--all through an epically scaled game of Capture the Flag.
It's the summer of 1998 and lonely new kid Fred has just moved to Lakeside, Ill., a town divided into two feuding sides, "Uphill" and "Downhill." For 75 summers these rivals have been playing a fierce generational game of Capture the Flag. Hordes of kids collaborate as organizers, communicators, guards, spies, builders, bicyclists, and messengers, scheming to capture the flag of the other team without getting caught and sent to "jail." The Downhillers' approach is upright and sincere even in the face of the Uphillers' intimidation and cheating. Fred, white with sandy-brown hair, has "no idea" where he really fits in, but manages to find a home on the Downhill team nonetheless.
Amato's gift for driving the action at a breathtaking clip, then slowing down to dig into characters' backgrounds and personal challenges makes The Endless Game hard to put down. Debut illustrator Sophie Morse uses inset panels, angled illustrations, and close-up features to develop art as dynamic as the story, an intention that is especially prominent when action scenes burst directly out of their frames. Sara Calhoun's deft use of color shines a revealing light on the characters and setting: warm, earthy tones, often suffused with golden light, are used for the Downhill settings; ominous, colder, and institutional gray-green defines the Uphill scenes. The Endless Game is a whopping good story that should appeal to strategist types, bikers, and spies alike. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor