The Endless Game by J.D. Amato and illustrator Sophie Morse has some plot points that I personally dislike, but kids at least aged 9 and up would be the perfect audience for this graphic novel. The concept is for decades the two sides of the town have been at odds. Think “greasers and socs.” Think “Uptown Kids vs. Downtown Kids.” Think “Hatfield and McCoys.” Then one day, the mayor of the town decides to have a “friendly” game of Capture the Flag to have some “good fun” and settle the differences once and for all. But, of course, it doesn’t work out that way. Nope, grandparents, parents and now the current generation still play.
Enter the first part I wasn’t crazy about. Adults can’t help, but they have their finger on the pulse. They do have skin in the game, so they are okay with kids being tagged and spending their entire summer in an actual pit or “jail” and can’t leave until tagged out or the street lights come on. Now enter the second part of things I was not crazy about. The kids are the entire center of things. The kids can’t do things because they are in jail, they have to play the game, the Team needs them. This borderline cult mentality could go too far and nobody really seems to get that people have literally gotten hurt because of it. And the third part I was on the fence about was the two teams are literally “good guys” vs. “bad guys.” It is clear cut that the Downhill kids are real friends, a real team, they use their friends to help each other. It is clear cut that Uphill kids are rich, snobby, mean, and their leader is a despot who (sure has problems at home) will lie, cheat, steal if he has to. They might as well have worn White Hats and Black Hats. 
Now enter the part I do like. The aimed at readers will adore this book. It is kid-centric. It is about the power of friendship. It is about how you must work together, break rules, follow rules, show up. They will like the kooky images and the mystery of who framed one of the kids for tagging a local building. It will get kids reading. I was reading an online reader copy, so I am not sure what the images will look like in the completed edition, but the black and white images I was reading were almost impossible to keep people straight. There are several characters that are practically identical. So, that’s all I’ll say about them.
The final product is due at the end of April-early May 2026.
