The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum

[cornerofmadness]

The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Olive Cobin Zang is a young girl who (like so many) doesn't fit into her school. To top it off, her parents are barely there, almost always gone for work. That was okay because she had her grandmother to watch her but now her grandmother is gone and Olive has to deal with that grief on top of being an outsider.

Unsurprisingly her parents have to leave so Olive is pulled out of school and sent to a boarding school off the California coast (drawing from Alcatraz's vibe). To her shock, Olive loves her new school. It allows the kids to play to their strengths and gives her some self esteem.

As per the blurb the school RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime and Olive and her little group are being trained ala spy training to stop crime. They love it. There are computer geniuses, inventors, natural athletes and more (Olive is trained in gymnastics) But when the 'Bling King' steals amazing diamonds and a cat pin from the school's main donor, Olive and her friends face the school closing unless they can stop the king.

I think the target age group will have a lot of fun with this. Olive and her friends are fun and relatable. I would have liked a bit more development of the others though (as this is definitely Olive's story and it's her close pov). I would have liked more description too because without the cover it was hard to tell there was as much diversity as there was.

Still, those are minor quibbles. This is cute and I'd like to see more. The arc I have has only initial sketches and line art. I bet it will be very cute when it's finalized.



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