Endgame: The Secret Force 136

A picture book centered around Secret Force 136 during World War II, Endgame, The Secret Force 136 by Catherine Little and Sean Huang is a story and a history lesson.

A young boy enjoys visiting his great-grandfather (Tai Gong) and when he visits they always play Xiangqi (elephant chess). Tai Gong uses Xiangqi to not only entertain his great-grandson but also teach some valuable life lessons.

Catherine Little, through her fictional narrative, educates readers about life during World War II for Chinese Canadians and how they contributed to the war effort. Alex and Tai Gong are fictional characters, their story is historical fiction. I appreciate a well written historical fiction book as it provides readers with an interesting story centered around an important time in history. This story is very engaging. I love how it jumps from the present day of the story to the past and back again.

The back matter in this book is excellent. Much care has been taken to ensure that readers fully understand the realities of being Chinese Canadian during the war effort and how these men helped to ensure the freedoms that we enjoy today. Readers also get some background about Xiangqi and get to learn a little more about a different style of chess game that they may or may not already know about.

This picture book is certainly on the longer side and would be challenging to share with really young readers. I think that readers age nine and up would be able to most appreciate Catherine Little's story.

Sean Huang’s illustrations fill the pages with realistic images of not only Alex and Tai Gong but also, images of the men in the war as well as ancient Chinese warriors from whom the game of Xiangqi is based.