They might not stand out as the cutest or the coolest tweens you’ve ever seen. But together they form “The Misfits,” the sharpest young detectives you’ve never noticed. Just toss them some Butter Bakery goodies, and they’re all set to go.
They might not stand out as the cutest or the coolest tweens you’ve ever seen. But together they form “The Misfits,” the sharpest young detectives you’ve never noticed. Just toss them some Butter Bakery goodies, and they’re all set to go.
Olive Cobin Zang’s time at RASCH, the Reforming Arts School for the “artistically adventurous,” has, frankly, been nothing short of life changing.
I mean, not all that long ago she was an awkward nobody with no friends. And when she was dropped off at that weird boarding school located on an isolated, foggy island, she thought it would be one more disappointing chapter in her young, middle school life of disappointments.
But then … she was matched up with four other awkward kids: Philomena, a tech wizard and soon-to-be super best friend; Iggy, a hard-hitting girl who’s also a math wizkid; James, a straight-edged, certified genius; and Theo, a laidback dude who could make friends with anybody. And then there was her, Olive, who was kinda antisocial, but trained in acrobatics.
Against all odds, these wildly dissimilar oddballs fit together like a laser-cut puzzle. At first, Olive thought there was no way that she could live with them; now, she knows she can’t live without them. They are The Misfits: a super-secret team of crime fighters tapped by an ultra-covert agency known as NOCK, or No One Can Know.
Despite a shaky start, this gaggle of perfectly ordinary, yet surprisingly extraordinary, tweens went out and quickly solved an international gem heist that the police couldn’t even scratch.
And now, they’ve got new mysteries to unravel.
A fellow RASCH student, Zeke, has asked Olive to help with some strange, threatening letters he’s receiving. Those letters involve his great grandfather and old tales of a lost ship. And at the same time, there are small, localized earthquakes, happening in nearby San Francisco. And there are hints that treasures in a San Francisco art museum are being surreptitiously swapped out for fakes.
Olive thinks that somehow, all of these seemingly disparate mysteries are related. That’s kinda crazy, of course. I mean, how can earthquakes and an ancient shipwreck possibly fit together?
Olive isn’t sure. But she’s seen odd things fit together before.
The Misfits are proof of that.
None.
It’s implied that Philomena (or Phil, as she likes to be called) is Muslim, since she always wears a head covering. But they never discuss her faith.
Early on, we learn that Olive’s parents are agents of NOCK, too. And they enrolled her at this special boarding school to help her connect with her gifts.
By the end of the book, Olive’s parents and her grandmother, Mimi (who is also a NOCK agent), all tell her that they are willing to step back from missions if she would prefer living a more “normal” home life. But Olive tearfully declares that she loves both her natural family and her Misfit family.
“Home is where the heart is,” her mom proclaims while embracing her. “Olive, you’ll always have two homes. One with us, and one with the Misfits.”
Monica and Modest are a husband-and-wife teacher team who work with the Misfits. They use their immense skills at acrobatics and fighting to train and guide the kids. They and the local police chief, Ruby Lopez, also give the tweens undercover responsibility and trust, while closely looking out for their safety.
There are several different adults who work in and around the Karbon Museum of Art who may or may not be involved in a plot to steal antiquities. This group includes: the museum director, Mr. Irving; a local artist named Birdie; and a former Iron Man competitive champion named Kimble Lucre.
Each of these adults, and others, have their good and bad qualities. The Misfits have to observe and discern their motivations, and decide whether or not they might be involved in a crime.
There is no foul or off-color language in the story mix.
The kids discover an underground set of dark tunnels and chambers that they discern are part of an abandoned prison. They also come upon a hidden away area that was once used as a speakeasy, a club where people could buy alcohol during Prohibition in the 1930s.
Perilous moments frequently compel the kids to work together and help others. During an earthquake, for instance, a cable car begins to roll down a steep hill; the kids leap into action to not only stop the careening car but to help people reach safety. They also help during a museum theft and a bank robbery.
Other than the cable-car incident, the middle schoolers are never in direct danger. In one instance some bad guys try to take Iggy captive, but she uses a practiced NOCK move to spin out of their reach. Etc.
The Misfits solve several conundrums during the story. Olive uses her acrobatic skills, for example, to hang upside down and to return a piece of art to its proper place. She scales the side of a building and jumps from one gargoyle statue to another. She also swings on a chandelier.
At one juncture, the kids are surrounded by a threatening motorcycle gang. But the “gang” members turn out to be elderly bikers who are protecting a young female artist. And once they realize that the Misfits are no threat, they stand down.
That young artist lives and works at a place called Blight Beach, a former vacation spot that was abandoned after the surrounding waters were made toxic by industrial waste.
We hear about someone’s grandfather who was grabbed and held prisoner. A raucous robbery leaves several people battered and thumped around.
Olive finds her classmate, Zeke, very attractive. That makes her a bit nervous around him, but things never progress beyond friendship.
Do you think you and your friends work together well? How do your abilities or talents complement one another? Have you ever worked with friends to build something or work on a school project together?
Why do you think a big job gets easier when a bunch of people do it together?
Take a look at 1 Corinthians 1:10. What do you think it means when it says we should “agree with each other”? Why would agreeing matter?
Hebrews 10:24 says: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds …” Have you ever been “spurred on” to do something good by someone else? Was anyone spurred on to a good deed in this story?
This appealing sequel furthers the adventures of the middle school sleuthing team at its core. And the tale blends techy fun with mystery solving while enjoying the kids’ quirky personalities. And in the end, The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrum suggests that hard work and good friendships can result in unexpected solutions.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
