The Endless Game

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Author(s)

J. D. Amato

Co-Authors / Illustrators

Sophie Morse

Publisher

Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers

Genre(s)

Age Range

10+

Release Date

April 28, 2026

ISBN

978-1665927161

Buy This Book

A middle school boy gets drawn into his new town’s intense summer game of capture the flag in this “thrilling…often profound” (Booklist, starred review) slice-of-life graphic novel debut perfect for fans of The Cardboard Kingdom and Craig of the Creek.

When Fred Townsend and his family move to Lakeside, Illinois, Fred is inducted into a game of capture the flag that has split the entire town in two. But this isn’t a normal game. It’s been going on for decades and has been passed down from generation to generation. It has its own history, laws, and institutions, with elaborate castle-like bases, dreary prisons, kid-run saloons, and even a council of home-schooled kids that preside over the rules of the game.

But for Fred, and all of Lakeside’s kids, this unending war is not just about winning—it’s also about learning how you want to fit into the world, the power of friendship, and making sure this summer is one they will never forget.

Editor review

1 review

Summer Adventures Outdoors

May 05, 2026 (Updated: June 19, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

In the summer of 1998, Fred's family moves to Lakeside. His mother is trying to find a teaching job while taking care of his younger sister Ellie, and his father is finishing up work elsewhere before joining them. Fred approaches a neighbor his age, Rusty, who acts a bit oddly, telling Fred he has to make sure he's not a spy. Fred is taken to Downhill Castle, where children from his neighborhood are involved in a weirdly intense game of capture the flag with the kids from the Uphill neighborhood. They have a large building for their headquarters, and very strict rules about how the game works. A council of homeschooled children make final decisions. One of the interesting rules is that if someone is tagged, they have to report to the jail run by the other side every day until someone breaks them out or the new school year starts! The parents know about this, and abide by the rules even if it means not sending their child to a summer program for which they have already paid, since the game has been going on for 75 years. The Downhill team is angry that they have lost their king, Mike, who was arrested for graffiti and sent to stay with his grandmother in Montana for the summer, with King Raquel taking his place. Fred and the other children are investigating and trying to exonerate their ruler. The Uphill team is led by Jamie Crown, whose parents are wealthy and influential. He cheats at the bike race and is generally unpleasant. Will the Downhill team be able to hold their own and perhaps get Mike back in the game?

Good Points

Today's tweens have parents who were raised in the 1980s and 1990s, so I am not surprised that this was set in 1998 and has a lot of nostalgia. I can't see kids today being allowed this much freedom, and phones would ruin everything, especially the carrying of paper messages. Part of me thinks that this would be a really fun way to spend a summer, but I felt bad for the kids who were tagged and had to spend their summer in jail. I half expected a note at the end of this, explaining some of the facets of the game.

I am starting to see a lot of information online about the importance of freedom and playing outside; my neighbor children are always out in the yard, so I'm hoping that we will see parents stepping away from letting children be on screens a lot. Books like this will be helpful for providing a framework for a generation who might not quite understand the appeal of staying outside, running around until the streetlights come on!

The maps are a nice touch, and give a better picture of the town and where the kids were going. I can see this graphic novel being popular with readers who enjoyed Sells' Cardboard Kingdom.