The Misfits are back in A COPYCAT CONUNDRUM by Lisa Yee with art by Dan Santat! When classmate Zeke receives threatening letters, the crew digs into his family history, discovering ties to art thefts and counterfeiting. The Misfits deploy their unique skills honed at RASCH to unravel the mystery. In this second installment of the series, the quirky characters in the Misfits crew continue to develop and the new supporting characters introduced as part of this caper add interest and depth to the plot. This quick paced illustrated story has plenty of twists and turns along with lots of humor and a side of fantastical tech devices that will keep readers guessing—and rooting for the Misfits!

Loved book 2 in this series just as much as book 1. So much fun getting to know the characters a little better and seeing how they have grown when being thrown into new situations. Love the Misfits!!!

Another great adventure with Olive and Co [The Misfits]; gold and art theft, counterfeiting, weird phenomenon, all lead to solving a very puzzling mystery [at least I was puzzled. LOL]. OH! And don't forget *whispers - secretrooms* [because who doesn't love a secret room. Or two. Or three. ;-) ]

This book is just as good as book 1 [and in some ways even better as the characters are more fleshed out], is very well-written [with excellent illustrations] and leaves you wishing you had another one to dive right into. As long as they keep writing this series, I will be here reading them.

Well done.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Yee, Dan Santat - Illustrator, and Random House for Young Readers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great adventure with The Misfits! If you loved the first meeting of the misfits, you are going to be thrilled with this one, too! It was fun getting back together with the group and seeing them all grow as a team!

I loved A Copycat Conundrum! I loved the first book so I was excited to read the second. The story was fast and exciting. I loved the illustrations. I know that my fifth graders will love the story as well.

This book was super cute and a fast read. I love the different personalities of all the misfits. They're a fun group.

My 10 year old daughter loved the first book in Lisa Yee's "The Misfits" series -- but she loved this sequel even more. This Harry Potter-esque book is a charming and heartfelt middle-grade novel that continues the journey of a group of diverse, lovable, and quirky characters as they navigate the challenges of adolescence, friendship, and finding their own voice. With her trademark blend of humor, empathy, and sharp social observations, Yee delivers a story that resonates with young readers while also offering important lessons about identity, kindness, and self-acceptance. My daughter and I cannot wait for book three in this series!

After their amazing adventures in The Royal Conundrum, Olive and her band of Misfits are back at the Reforming Arts School near San Francisco. Olive's made her peace with the fact that her entire family has been secret agents and not told her, and she's enjoying her training. When Zeke, a rather cute classmate, confides in her that he has been receiving threatening notes, she tries to help him without bringing in her other friends, but when a very localized earthquake leads to a bank robbery, some of the information about Zeke's family's past ties in with the present threats to local safety. Researching the history of Zeke's great great uncle leads to finding a secret space under Foggy Manor and the history of golden and ships in California. A trip to Blight Beach to look into odd happenings at the Karbon art museum uncovers some interesting facts about local artist Birdie, who is an expert in replicating antique artifacts. In between investigations, which do involve the Misfits, there's lots of training, interesting adults helping the kids out (Rance Reed, the actor the children hire, comes into play), antique coins, a machine that causes earthquakes, and yummy treats from the Butter Bakery!
Strengths: This was a fun, upbeat romp, with plenty of goofiness and adventure. Santat's illustrations (which aren't shown in their full glory in the ARC) will make this even more appealing to younger readers. Yee, who frequently posts pictures of her walks on social media, gives us a good look at the area around Foggy Island, and I love that the students at the school are encouraged to travel around on their own to sharpen their spy skills. It also puts them in a better position to save runaway cable cars, visit museums, find hidden locations, and eat baked goods (and even heave internships!) at the Butter Bakery. There are bits of intriguing named spy gear, like the ComChomp retainer like device, Foggy Gogs, and the BoBu (boat bus, necessary from getting from the island to the mainland). I'm hoping to see some development with the relationship with Zeke, which reminds me a bit of the one that Ben and Erica have in Spy School. I am also looking forward to seeing a bit more of Olive's grandmother, Mouse!
Weaknesses: While I love that Olive is a fan of Agatha Christie, I can't say that I've been able to get a student to read any of her books in fifteen years. Of course, the reason to include older titles is probably to encourage students to pick them up, which I can't fault.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want a spy mission similar to those in Carter's Gallagher Girls series (2006), Walden's H.I.V.E. (2008), Buckley's N.E.R.D.S. (2009), Bradley's Double Vision (2012), Salane's Lawless books or Hale's Playing With Fire series (both 2013), Bernstein's Bridget Wilder, Spy in Training (2015). McMullen's Mrs. Smith's Spy School For Girls. I guess it's been a while since we've had a good kid spy series other than Gibb's Spy School (2012, but a new book almost every year) and Ponti's City Spies (2020, with a new book out frequently).

I loved the first book in the Misfits series, and A Copycat Conundrum was another excellent mystery with plenty of humor as well as realistic insights into the minds of tweens/teens in today’s world- I mean just because they’re spies doesn’t mean they aren’t relatable too! I read this book to my middle schooled who can’t wait for book 3!

Lisa Yee does it again in the Misfits world, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the previous book. The characters had that charm that I was looking for and was engaged with what was going on.

A Copycat Conundrum was such a fun read! I loved the madcap wit and adventure of the first book in the series, and though second books often struggle to live up to that momentum, this one never does. Olive and the other Misfits crack this second mystery with the same humor, heart, and brilliant character relationships that made A Royal Conundrum so much fun. Even more so than book 1, A Copycat Conundrum has a fabulously quirky supporting cast, with a bevy of new characters whose oddities and surprises made the mystery all the more entertaining, and getting to know the Misfits themselves better was so much fun. I’ll definitely want to get my hands on a finished copy once this one comes out to admire all the final illustrations! I highly recommend A Copycat Conundrum who are looking for a fun series in the tradition of Mrs. Smith’s Spy School for Girls and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

A Copycat Conundrum is the second in The Misfits series by Lisa Yee. In the story, the Misfits work on several situations that all come together in the end- including a lost treasure, museum heist and a missing friend! The different aspects of the plot might be difficult for younger middle grade readers to keep track of at times, but Yee does a good job of resolving things at the end. Hopefully a third book in the series will be forthcoming! Definitely will be purchasing for my school library!

Note: I received a DRC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
“Oof! After solving the case of the Royal Rumpus, Olive Cobin Zang and her elite team of underdogs are on top of the world. As the awkward, crime-fighting Misfits, they’re acing every mission thrown at them from NOCK (aka No One Can Know, the covert agency they work for).

But when their classmate Zeke starts receiving threatening notes, the Misfits are stumped. They’re no strangers to danger, but this case is a total head-scratcher. Who would target kind, friendly Zeke . . . unless he’s not what he seems to be?

At the same time, unusual earthquakes start shaking up San Francisco just as priceless art goes missing, and the Misfits are called to investigate. Is it a coincidence that the city is under attack while Zeke is getting mysterious messages? Or is it all just a cover for a scheme bigger than any they’ve faced before?”

Book 1 was already a very charming and fun novel, and book 2 was even better than the previous book! THe characters are charming, and while this book is a little silly, it still is also a very fun middle grade novel. This book is fun for kids in 3rd through 6th Grade, and I would highly recommend this book to reluctant readers.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was able to read an advanced copy of the first book in this series and was so excited to get the same opportunity with this book. I loved reading about the latest adventures faced by the NOCK agents. I enjoyed this book as much as the first in the series. I highly recommend it.

I love this series. When I stumbled upon the first book at the ALA and met Lisa Yee, I knew it was going to be good. These books are a great recommendation for any fellow readers who love adventure and mischief. The kids are just as quirky and funny to read about as the first.

The Misfits are back! There’s action right from the start and I think that’s why I enjoyed this one more than the first. An earthquake, a bank robbery, and threatening letters lead our crew to investigate the possible connections. The illustrations, humor, action and mystery is what makes this one so enjoyable for young readers. My 3rd-5th graders will love this sequel.

Big fan of book one here, who was very excited to continue with the series! It did not disappoint!
The characters remain fun and interesting, and their adventures are intriguing.
I enjoyed the copycat scenario and kids will too!
Mystery, action, danger and fun writing!
What more could you ask for?

It continues to be a fantastic series that connect a fun but serious mystery with a cast of characters that readers love. They're in the beautiful San Francisco at their base but these weird earthquakes are happening and Zeke's in danger- are they connected? The gang gets together to try to solve it.

The e-arc didn't have a lot of the artwork which is TK, so I was a little sad to not get the full effect which I know will be stellar with the creative hand of Santat. But Yee puts together a romp that creates a vivid setting, includes cool gadgets, and adds Asian history too.

What will the gang conquer next?

Copycat Conundrum is Book 2 in the Misfits series and is just as great as number 1, The Royal Conundrum. Our Misfit friends start off with strange bank robberies, earthquakes and threatening letters delivered to Zeke while researching his ancestors, prompting The Misfits to investigate and discover an art forgery plot.

The story is fun and full of silliness 4th through middle grade readers enjoy.

Don’t miss this one by award winning author, Lisa Yee and award winning illustrator Dan Santant.

Olive and the crew are back in this much anticipated second Misfits book!

When a friend admits he's in trouble due to a school project researching his family history, Olive enlists the help of the Misfits to help figure out who is sending him threatening notes. The group also discovers multiple other mysteries as they explore an underground bunker and perform other tasks for their teachers at RASCH.

Can't wait to see the rest of the artwork- this series is going to be in high demand!