Good mystery, action book for middle grade readers. I would give this to readers who enjoyed the City Spies series.

This is a delightful middle-grade novel with a mixup of found family and super spies that is filled with sadness, joy, and excitement. It really felt like a middle-grade version of Leverage.

Olive is used to being invisible as no one pays any attention to her. Not in school, not with her family, only her grandmother has ever seen Olive as she is. She gets swept away from her school by her mom one day and plopped into a boarding school, RASCH. Everything is strange and odd here, but Olive is just ready to be invisible again. Except this time she can't. She passes her conundrum and soars in her testing, and is invited to a secret organization NOCK (no one can know). Everything becomes about becoming these secret agents because there are things going on in the world and sometimes only a kid can solve the problem.

The illustrations were fun and I love the growth of some characters. The ending is set up for there to be a sequel and I hope it happens.

Overall, the concept was strange to say the least. Our character gets pulled out of school to be sent to a reformatory school that used to be a prison, insinuating these kids are juvenile delinquents? Even our main character wonders if others think of her as a criminal even though it would seem the only reason for her being sent to this strange school is because her parents don’t want to take care of her. Personally, I didn’t like this idea that her parents have just abandoned her for a children’s story. I think having a different plot line would have made this story so much more fun because the story is truly goofy and there is so much fun magical moments. As the story goes on, the true purpose of why the kids are brought to this school is unveiled and then the real fun begins. The story is a quick read and easy to follow with a fast-paced and action packed plot. Younger kids will love the thrill and excitement!

A cute adventure of - you guessed it - misfits. Super fast moving plot to keep kids engaged, and a story of finding your place even when you haven't traditionally fit in. Lots of kid agency and skill, which is always sure to please!

I was really excited to read this based on the cover and the description, but while it was cute, it fell a little bit short of what I expected it to be. The diversity of the characters was awesome, and the plot was fast paced, but I felt like there was either too much backstory in some points and then not nearly enough in others. I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters very well and some of their actions and dialogue seemed younger than the age they were supposed to be. I feel like I will probably try the second book to see how the story progresses and to see what things from the first story are expanded upon.

I received this title as advanced reader from NetGalley. A girl who feels unseen gets moved to a boarding school after the death of her grandmother and her parents "year or so" long business trip. But this boarding school has some secrets. It's a training facility for teen operatives. Will she be able to use her skills to her advantage? Or will she fail to make friends and become an operative.

Fun with a few tearful moments. An entertaining read with character building and real friendship growth.

**This was a NetGalley book [original due date <b>1.2.2024</b>] and I was able to purchase the book and found the audiobook at the library, so I will now be able to read/review it [see below]. I was unable to do so previously due to forgetting to download the ARC by the archive date [facepalm].**

After a slow start [for me, though this isn't really a complaint now that I think about it as it was just some really excellent world-building that comes into play later and also shows the humor that will also come into play], this book really picked up and I became fully engaged [as it went on, it really reminded me of how much I loved The Mysterious Benedict Society that I should really reread those] in the story and the mystery [SO. MANY. RED. HERRINGS. that I just never saw the real herring coming] and the kids as they all learn just what they are capable of and how working together is always better than trying to struggle through on one's own. This ended up being an unexpectedly fun [and much needed in the midst of A LOT of heavy books] read and I am really looking forward to book 2!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Yee, Dan Santat - Illustrator, and Random House Children's/Random House for Young Readers for providing the initial ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Royal Conundrum is a fun spy novel for students who like quirky characters, solving mysteries, and finding a place among friends. Its fast-paced plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Olive and the other Misfits who use their outsider status to duck under the radar to solve a jewel heist. It really goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover.

This book hooked me from the beginning. It should be a big hit with my students who are City Spies fans.

I thoroughly enjoyed this hilariously outlandish story of a group of misfit kids who are brought together to be a team of spies. If you are expecting something realistic, look elsewhere - this is 100% FUN! I loved the twists and turns in the story, the exaggerated side characters, and the team of misfits especially. While this book focused on Olive, I expect future stories will give us more backstory about the other misfits. Dan Santat's illustrations make this even more fun to read! My 11yo read this and loved it, so it is kid=approved! Readers who enjoy Stuart Gibbs, Mac Barnett, or Max Braillier will love this series!

Really interesting and different story for middle grade readers. The interspersed illustrations are attention grabbing and fantastic! My students between the ages of 9-11 will love this book and will love that it is part of a series. Can’t wait to read more about the Misfits’ missions.

I think this may be a case where a perfectly fine book was a bit over-hyped and that led me to be a lot less impressed with it. I don't have any major issues, but I think my expectations were pretty high after seeing a lot of raves and it ended up being a bit of a let down - just not quite as exciting, inventive, or engaging as I'd hoped. Still, solid mg adventure.

Huge thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book 😊
"A Royal Conundrum" by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat was a super cute middle grade graphic novel. My favorite part of this book and honestly the reason I picked it up, was because of the amazing cover!! I loved that the story focused on the "misfits" of the world. I think this is a great message to kids to let them know that even if they are a little "weird" or "different", they're still awesome and beautiful in their own way. 💗

A wild ride full of humor, stealth and a misfit cast of characters!
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Olive has been shipped off to a boarding school in San Francisco called RASCH after her parents tell her they’re going on another business trip with no idea when they will return. Feeling like the odd one out, Olive quickly realizes this school is unlike any other. When she’s tapped to join a secret agent society of middle school operatives she finally feels like she’s found her place, but when a mission goes awry she wonders what she actually brings to the team.
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This was such a good time! @lisayee1 crafted a great action adventure story perfect for middle grade readers while @dsantat brings his signature artwork to life with the misfit cast of characters. I loved getting to moderate a panel with Lisa at #NTTBF24 and discuss this title. Fans of Spy Kids will love this and I need book 2 immediately!

CW: racism, violence, xenophobia, parental abandonment

Bit cringy at times but overall great!

New middle grade spy school series for those who enjoy James Ponti’s City Spies, Stuart Gibbs Spy School and Ally Carter’s The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor. The school in The Misfits is RASCH, a “reforming arts” school and Olive, with her grandmother gone and her parents always traveling for work, finds herself a part of this unique school’s student body. Previously, no one really took much notice of Olive and she felt that invisibility keenly so a new school feels like just the right opportunity to do and be something different. Classes are interesting and Olive teams up with four others in a schoolwide competition. Her team does well and then discovers that working together on a real mission, foiling a big heist, may garner the funds needed to keep the school open. Yee’s storyline gets to the good stuff quickly and the group of five work well together despite, and maybe because of, very different skill sets and backgrounds. As with most middle grade books, a positive outcome seems unlikely at several points, but ultimately, everything turns out just as we all hoped it would. No cliffhanger, but this book is already being touted as the beginning of a new series and while there are many kid spy books out there, the diversity of the core group (AAPI, Muslim, Black, Caucasian), a fairly quick-moving pace and terrific illustrations by Dan Santat should all work together to make this a well-liked series by those in grades 4-6. There is no profanity, violence is bloodfree and pretty tame, and no sexual content.

"The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum" follows Olive Cobin-Zang who transfers to a boarding school and settles with a team of misfits. Together, they're solving crimes with the police with a jewel thief on the loose. While the backstory and subplots felt somewhat cohesively awkward, this is a good book to pick up for young adolescents who'll further enjoy Santat's lively illustrations paired with Yee leaving clues for the reader to stay intrigued.

Probably a 3.5 for this unusual middle grade mystery. A group of children who don't quite fit in anywhere else are the perfect ones to solve crimes. No one expects kids to be involved and it is easy for them to pass through unnoticed. The story lagged at times, but this is an interesting start to a new series.

Don't miss this action-packed adventure which keeps you turning the pages! Engaging mis-fits working together to solve the jewelry theft includes humor and light-hearted fun.

There were a lot of great moments in this novel - Olive was a great character for kids to relate to and connect with. A lonely girl forming strong bonds in a fun spy mission setting. I think that this could have benefitted from more clearly establishing the setting of the academy; I found it difficult to understand the distinction between the regular students and the mission team, it was too abstract for an average middle school character to understand. There were also many different subplots that I felt were distracting to the main mission which is the reason for the 3-star rating.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy for review!

This was very fun, child spy school vibes. I love the banding together of the “misfits”, the overcoming obstacles - mental and physical. The crime solving was fun and the gadgets were great. All around very entertaining regardless of your age.