Like Harry, and other literary kids that get to go to special schools, Olive feels alone, lonely and left out. Her parents are always out of town for work, her beloved grandmother has "left us," and trouble seems to find her. However, that all changes when her mother drops her off at a special school, where she finds her tribe among a team of misfits and gets to help save her school. Experienced "special school" readers won't be as surprised as Olive is by the twist at the end, but most reader will enjoy following Olive on her first adventure with the misfits. The ending promises continuing adventures for this warm and fun pod of misfits.

I adore this book. Very suitable for middle graders out there to find their places, bravery and acceptance.

This story follows Olive, who feel she didn't belong with everyone else in her school. Her super busy parents, then put her in RASCH. School for everyone where what matters is not your grade, but your creativity, attitude, teamwork. It's like no other school outside.
At RASCH, Olive gradually found her place and her people. And what's better? She was chosen as one of the elite groups to work undercover helping to solve the crime. When RASCH is on the brink of collapse and a notorious thief is out there, Olive and her team (Phil, Theo, James, Iggy,Modest, Monica) put into action and helped RASCH secure its place.

What I love:
- the school atmosphere, and their teachers!!!
- the characters were quite solid and well written.
- the plot was taking it easy to introduce everything. The pace was uite slow but not that bothering.

What I think could be written better:
- Phil and her unbelievable tools. It's way WAAAAYYY too convenient it's lessen the thrill😂
- the heist and how the dots were connected.
- the ending. I love it, but it just felt rushy the things with Olive parents turned out to be.

Overall, I enjoy the books a lot and children 9-14yo might feel the same way!!!

A fun middle grade read! A group of uniquely talented students are trained to be secret agents. Together they work to solve a crime and save their beloved school. In the process, they learn to trust themselves and each other. Great for readers who loved City Spies!

Action plus humor provided by a well-known author and a well-known illustrator.
Only child Olive Cobin Zang seems to be, or tries to be, invisible at school. She does so well that even her parents rarely notice her they are so busy traveling with their jobs. After her care giving grandmother dies, her mom takes her to a weird boarding school that was previously a castle and then a prison. There she finds her “people” i.e. other misfit kids like herself. But suddenly she finds this group being recruited to go undercover to track down a burglar who could, if they stole the jewels belonging to the school’s primary benefactor, shut down the school.

This 288 page middle grade crime book follows Olive Cobin Zang as she finds her place in a unique school among a group of misfits tasked with using their age to go unnoticed and save the day. I sought out this book because of the undeniable hijabi on the cover. And while Philomena, Phil, is a very important side character, what is shared about her is very minimal. Twice it mentions the color of her headscarf, once a negative comment is aimed at her by delinquents on the street, and it mentions in passing that she speaks a little Farsi. Other than that and the critical part that she is a tech wiz, nothing further is shared. The text never mentions Islam, being Muslim or even uses the word hijab. Religion is not mentioned at all in the book, for any of the characters, and only Olive's background and family insights are shared. I appreciate that for the book at hand, a girl in hijab is a non issue, and will probably read future books in the story to see if her background is confined to stereotypes and tropes, or not. Based on the writing quality and story telling of this book, I'm hopeful that the series, like the first book, will be clean, exciting, and a fun recommendation for students to obsess over.

#islamicschoollibrarian #muslimbookreviewer #muslimcharacter #muslimintheillustration #2024

This was a fun kid school/adventure book that is going to end up with a lot of cool pictures in the final version.
Of course it's easy to relate to Olive, whose parents are busy taking business trips and who feels invisible at school, because she doesn't think she's special. She usually spends her time with her grandmother when her parents are gone, but when her grandmother can no longer take care of her Olive gets sent to a boarding school where she gets picked to be part of a special team.
Olive learns about her strengths and what makes her unique, while forming close friendships with her group. There are adventures! There are cats! There is danger!
A highly satisfying book.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Olive is sent to attend boarding school at Foggy Manor, on an island in the San Francisco Bay. She quickly finds an opportunity to be part of a crime-fighting group, and as a usual loner, she finds herself comfortable with the group of misfits. With a jewel thief on the loose and a chance to help her new school, Olive and her friends are determined to solve the mystery and use their new skills. The mystery and the characters are well-written and compelling.

The first order of business is a shout out to the illustrator and the awesome cover art, which perfectly captures the vibe for this middle grade spy adventure book. The Misfits is just a lot of fun to read. The plot moves quickly and there is an interesting cast of characters. Then, throw in the time-tested boarding school setting, delicious pastries, a burglar, and a secret organization and one has a recipe for a great read. (The delicious pastries are a mild problem though–as the reader will spend a lot of time feeling hungry.) There are positive lessons about self and others. As a bonus, this novel is also a love letter to various San Francisco locations with a wink to Alcatraz. This is a book that can be whole-heartedly recommended to a wide audience.

Review of an Advance Digital Copy Provided by the Publisher

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

I love a group of misfits that can change their world.

The art in this one is amazing and draws the reader into the story even more.
I liked how we saw the personal struggles of our mc, Olive. She legitimately has evidence that shows she's not special, right? But of course she is necessary. Weaving the grandmother in was key to her development.

The kid making all the fantastical tools is unrealistic, BUT I'm okay with it because kids are going to love it!

I think this is perfect for the target audience.

Happy reading!

Lisa Yee writes an incredible middle grade novel full quirky friends, cats, and delicious pastries. The suspense keeps readers engaged and on the edge of their seats, with the occasional burst of laughter. The artwork compliments and enhances the story being woven together. Full of suspense, middle grade readers will enjoy every minute of this first, of many probable stories about The Misfits.

I certainly enjoyed this as I can always find some positives with seeing the misfits! And having the children be part of finding their misfit team, having talents that are natural and looked at as talents while they can use their talents to fight crimes and be such strong-willed kids in large tasks. I believe it will be enjoyed even more with more certain designed art. I do feel as though potentially some of the wording is almost too strong and old for the age range you are aiming this towards and there were few typing/spelling issues found within the book, however it truly had a theme and message that kept me along with this book the whole time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun story for young readers. The book was quick moving and so much fun.

My students are already fans of these authors. They will love this title. Many will relate to the characters.

Oh my goodness! This book was a quick read and very entertaining. I will definitely be suggesting this book to my friends with kids. This book is all about teamwork, making friends, and trusting yourself. I enjoyed learning who Olive was. Olive is a “dork” and finds that she doesn’t fit in at school and feels very alone at home since her parents are always away on business trips. One day after her grandmother is gone, her mother takes her out of public school and enrolls her at RASCH a private school that is known to be a “reforming” arts school… what people don’t know is it’s a cover for spy training… will Olive fit in? Read this fabulous book to find out! I loved it!!!!

I enjoyed reading the first book of The Misfits series. I look forward to the next one.

This first book, A Royal Conundrum, was a bit slow in the beginning. Once there was more action happening it went by faster and it was more enjoyable to read.

A must-have in all libraries!

Delightful, easy to read, and emotional spy novel for middle grade readers! High interest and high stakes will hold readers attention without the vocabulary being daunting or exhausting to grapple with. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for an early read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

It's been a minute since I've read lower-middle grade, but this was a delight. Between the secret spy school within what I presume to be based on Alcatraz but also a performing arts school but also a spy pod and the delightful cat-ness that was the ending...it was just...fun? It's been a long time since I've read something where it's a band of misfits (ahahaha, see what I did there) with nothing super serious happening. They're sincerely like...10-12 year olds with amazing skills and talents (like...super acrobat...computer genius re: tony stark, etc.) who find themselves as spies in an organization.

I did see the ending somewhat coming, but the reveal of Mouse was what really hooked me into continuing this series. I would also LOVE to see the finalized art since the illustrations were not finalized or finished in the arc.

“We did okay for a couple of dorks, didn’t we.” Yes, they did. From the beginning, this book has a great vibe and tone. The characters are unique and engaging, and the setting and San Francisco skyline offer the perfect backdrop.

Olive – who feels like she doesn’t belong – arrives at her new school just in time, as she and a group of classmates are tasked with saving the school after a jewelry heist mars the school’s reputation. Her grandmother Mimi’s words guide her throughout the book, as she tries to manage friendships, a new living space, and fragile parental relationships.

“The unexpected can be exhilarating,” Mimi once said to her. And, the crime-fighting adventure that unfolds is exhilarating. With a release date of January 2, this book will make a great New Year’s gift.

This middle grade story will be great for children ages 10-15 who love crime-fighting stories, adventure, and quirky characters who find a way to fit in. #TheMisfits1ARoyalConundrum

What worked:

Olive lacks confidence and wonders if she should be part of the top-secret NOCK team (No One Can Know). Her teammates each have unique talents like technology, knowledge, and combat but Olive wonders what ability she has to offer. Olive’s parents have dumped her into RASCH, a school for reforming arts, and she feels her parents don’t care about her. She badly misses her grandmother but still remembers motivational things Mimi used to say. Olive realizes the skills she learned from Mimi’s acrobatic lessons come in handy and make her unafraid of heights. However, she’s never learned to swim and the idea of getting into water terrifies her.

RASCH is uniquely set at a former prison located on an island across the bay from San Francisco. That description sounds a lot like Alcatraz Prison but the building in this story is nothing like it. It’s more like a castle with a moat and offers many twisting hallways and secret passages. The NOCK team meets in a hidden room that’s equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and other resources. Olive’s best friend Phil is a technology whiz and she comes up with numerous clever inventions that might easily fit into futuristic stories or innovative spy novels.

The rash of brazen jewel heists presents an obvious conflict for the characters. The thief is nicknamed the Bling King as he takes gems worth millions and leaves a calling card behind. The school really needs financial support or it will be forced to shut down. The headmistress is hosting a fundraising event at the school and the largest benefactor will be the featured guest. Dame Gloria will be wearing the priceless Royal Rumpus necklace so everyone, including readers, will assume the Bling King will try to steal it. Protecting the dame’s jewels will be NOCK’s most important assignment and failure will surely mean the closing of RASCH.

What didn’t work as well:

There’s a strong dependency on Phil’s inventions as she seems to whip up new ones at every turn. Her creations stretch the limits of believability when she develops oral communication devices, and various self-defense gadgets, and retrofits the school’s van into a mobile control center. The other NOCK members contribute to the team but Phil’s efforts are disproportionate and improbable.

The final verdict:

The basic premise of the story isn’t overly innovative but it still feels fresh. The plot has a nice pace and the blend of characters presents the ups of downs of developing friendships. Overall, the adventure and mystery are very entertaining and I recommend you give the book a shot!

Such a fun middle grade crime novel! It’s got awkward middle-schoolers, jewel thieves, mouthwatering baked goods, an aquatic school bus, spy tech, and cats! Kids are going to adore this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC. I cannot wait to see the final print with all of Santat’s full illustrations!