Endless Game

Description: "Graphic novel about a young boy who is drawn into his new neighborhood's intense game of capture the flag"--

Brief description: Sophie Morse is an illustrator based in Boston. After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design, she has been working in publishing and editorial. She dreams of one day living in a tiny shack by the ocean with 200 dogs.

Review Quotes: Fred's dad's job has the family moving around a lot, so Fred is not about to get attached to anyone in Lakeside, Illinois, knowing he'll just have to say goodbye in a couple of months anyway. Lakeside, however, is different from the other towns he's lived in; here, the kids' lives are dominated by a decades-long game of capture the flag, and the Downhill kids are happy for new recruits in their battle against their nemesis, the Uphill kids. Jamie, the Uphill King, has gotten even more ruthless since last summer, when he framed Mike, the then Downhill king, for tagging a public building, an act of delinquency that landed Mike a stint in Montana at his grandparents' place. The Downhill kids are dead set on clearing Mike's name and finally capturing the flag, and Fred might be a key player in doing so. A bit like Lakeside's endless game itself, this graphic novel is both silly and emotional, with low stakes that nonetheless feel compelling as readers get to know a deeply sympathetic Fred and his new group of ragtag friends. The game has been handed down from parent to child for years, so readers who themselves are dealing with parental expectations of competition might recognize the subtle indications that plenty of the players would love to define themselves outside of the game. In a way, however, that makes their participation all the more poignant and even a little noble--none of them will leave the game or abandon their teammates. Character design and style have a retro Archie-comic appeal but with more earthy, muted tones that lend focus and weight, while the structured paneling is disrupted in moments of high drama. Fans who have outgrown Weinersmith's Bea Wolf (BCCB 1/23) will appreciate this title's cheeky irreverence and pure celebration of the worlds kids create with imagination and fervor. KQG--BCCB "March 2026 Issue"