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The Endless Game

by J. D. Amato

A town divided by a game

Regular price $14.62 USD
Regular price $24.37 USD Sale price $14.62 USD
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Print BookCurrently viewing Paperback $14.62 USD$24.37 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Book club selection

    Read with Jenna Jr. Today Show Book Club Pick

    Selected as a Read with Jenna Jr. Today Show Book Club Pick.

  • Critical praise

    Booklist starred review

    Described by Booklist as “thrilling...often profound”; the metadata identifies the notice as a starred review.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A town divided by a game

After moving to Lakeside, Illinois, middle schooler Fred Townsend finds himself inside a decades-old capture-the-flag contest that shapes the town’s summer life. The game has accumulated its own rules, institutions, and territory, including castle-like bases, prisons, saloons, and a council of children who oversee play. This graphic novel uses that elaborate competition as the setting for questions about belonging, friendship, and how Lakeside’s kids choose their place in the world. The local game’s history also links generations, giving Fred’s new-town adjustment a distinctly communal context.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Kids ages 9–12 interested in graphic novels and humorous juvenile fiction
  • Readers who enjoy stories about friendship and finding a place in a new community
  • Fans of children’s stories built around games, rules, and elaborate make-believe worlds

Themes

Belonging and communityFriendshipGenerational traditionsRules and play

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A Read with Jenna Jr. Today Show Book Club Pick

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.
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