A Copycat Conundrum (The Misfits) - Hardcover

Yee, Lisa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0593564227 ISBN 13: 9780593564226

Verlag: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2025

Inhaltsangabe

When San Francisco is under strange attacks—like earthquakes affecting only two city blocks at a time—who're you gonna call? An elite team of crime-fighting underdogs, that's who! The Misfits are on the case in this hilarious illustrated series!

“For any kid who’s felt like a misfit, this crackling adventure packs a wallop!” —Lincoln Peirce, creator of Big Nate

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?

For other Misfit adventures from Newbery Honoree Lisa Yee and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, don't miss The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum!

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Lisa Yee has taken a private-investigator course, and it’s slightly possible that she’s a secret undercover operative. She’s also a Newbery Honoree and a National Book Award finalist for Maizy Chen’s Last Chance. Some of her other twenty-one novels are the groundbreaking Millicent Min, Girl Genius; Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time; and the DC Super Hero Girls series. A frequent contributor to NPR’s Books We Love, she divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Los Angeles.

Dan Santat is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of over a hundred books. His graphic memoir A First Time for Everything won the National Book Award, and his picture book The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend received the Caldecott Medal. He also illustrated The Blur, Lift, and Drawn Together, both written by Minh Lê, which received critical acclaim. Dan is also the creator of the Disney animated hit The Replacements. He lives in Southern California with his family.

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1.

Beware!

Outside, the night air was crisp and the island was quiet, except for the melodic sounds of the waves lapping the shore. Olive had a bounce in her step as she headed toward the once-threatening DO NOT TRESPASS! warning, which now read DONUT TRESPASS! The sign had been edited by RASCH art students from a generation or two earlier and featured a drawing of dancing donuts. Yet however silly the notice looked, school staff and students were still convinced that the DONUT TRESPASS! area was anything but that.

Olive took in her surroundings, undaunted by the rumors of pockets of perilous quicksand, packs of sharp-fanged wild boars, and fearsome fog that could swallow you whole. With all the terrifying tales, it was no wonder that hardly anyone ventured beyond the DONUT TRESPASS! fence at the back of Foggy Island.

On most days, once the San Francisco fog cleared, one could drink in the beauty of RASCH’s buildings while approaching Foggy Island from the bay. When she’d first arrived, Olive had been quick to fall in love with the school’s quaint brick cottages, extravagant gardens, and magnificent mansion that was the size of a mini mall. Yet the rear of the island was the mirror opposite. The area was dark and foreboding, and when the wind blew, it sounded like a warning.

Olive loved the rumors. Threats of danger didn’t faze her in the least as she slipped easily under the tarnished chain-link fence. She said hello to the swan family that was taking a nighttime swim along the narrow moat. As she strolled among the rusted machinery, mountains of bricks, and overgrown shrubbery, Olive heard a familiar rustle.

Immediately, she retrieved her nose clamp and FoggyGogs goggles from her fanny pack. They were good for thwarting powerful scents, seeing through fog, and keeping one’s allergies at bay. After her much-discussed sneezing while saving cats during their last mission, Phil had cataloged every Misfit’s allergies:

• Phil: pigweed

• Iggy: coconut

• Theo: none

• James: lilacs and spotted lizards

• Olive: cats

Yet not even allergies could stop Olive from coming to visit the fluffy butterscotch-colored feline who had returned to RASCH with the Misfits after their recent mission. From a nearby bush, Queenie poked her head out and mewed.

“Well, hello to you, too,” Olive said, scooping her up for a hug. Less than a week earlier, Olive had hung upside down from a helicopter to save Queenie--as well as her collar, which carried a priceless diamond from the famous Royal Rumpus necklace.

Cradling her friend, Olive breathed a heavy sigh as she recalled the mind-boggling news she’d learned earlier that day. Apparently, her “recently departed” grandmother wasn’t dead, as Olive had been led to believe. Rather, Mimi was a high-ranking NOCK special agent, code name “the Mouse,” who was very much alive. And if that wasn’t discombobulating enough, Olive had learned this from her rather boring parents, who also weren’t who they said they were. Dr. Cobin Zang and Dr. Zang Cobin, Olive’s mom and dad, were undercover NOCK agents just like her--putting Olive squarely in the middle of a secret operative family!

It was kind of a lot to think about, and it was getting late. The crescent moon cut through the darkness, shining a spotlight on Foggy Island. Olive could see the lights of San Francisco winking at her from across the bay. In the distance, a laser light show from the city’s famed Coit Tower shone columns of colored lights into the sky, like rainbows standing upright. Where were her parents now? Olive wondered. They’d only left RASCH earlier that day--could they see the lights, too? Where was Mimi?

Suddenly the hairs on the back of Olive’s neck began to prickle as she felt Queenie stiffen in her arms. Olive started to slow, listening carefully to a soft crunching sound that wasn’t quite in sync with Olive’s own footsteps.

When she stopped walking, the crunching stopped as well. Olive’s heart was thudding so loud she feared it was echoing all over the island.

She was being followed.

2.

From the Shadows

Some people can sit next to a family of four who are all munching on barbecue potato chips and not hear a thing. Others can tune in to a person on the far side of the room nibbling on a marshmallow.

Olive’s hearing was in the marshmallow category. So when a nearby twig snapped, her ears pricked up instantly, as did Queenie’s. Like synchronized swimmers, they both turned toward the sound.

Olive was prepared to toss Queenie, knowing that the feline would land on all four paws and run to safety. Cat-free, Olive would be able to face and fight whatever was after her. She was about to activate her ComChom, the retainer-like device that the Misfits used to communicate with each other, when she heard a familiar voice: “Don’t be scared, Olive.”

From the shadows, her friend Zeke stepped into the moonlight, holding his hands up as if surrendering. Queenie relaxed and let out a stream of soft, melodic purrs.

Zeke brought his finger up to his lips as he looked around nervously. “I’m in danger, and I need your help,” he whispered. “They’re after me, and I don’t know who to turn to.”

Olive loosened her grip on the cat. Back when the Misfits were unknowingly auditioning for NOCK, Zeke had been one of the finalists, and he almost became a top-secret operative. His only flaw at the time was that he was overly confident.

When Olive was chosen to be a Misfit, at first she worried that it was a mistake. After all, she was often scared. However, Modest Cusak, who was one of the Misfits’ instructors, along with his partner and wife, Monica LaMonica, assured everyone that being scared was a good thing, even necessary. “Fear is a great asset, too. It keeps you fresh and on your toes,” he explained to the Misfits while racing on pointe and executing an exquisite grand jeté.

Zeke didn’t look confident right now.

“I just happen to know some people who may be able to help you,” Olive assured him. Instinctively, she placed her hand on her fanny pack, ready to pull out one of Phil’s gadgets to thwart someone from harming him, the cat, herself, or any combination of the three.

Zeke motioned toward the tallest point of the island, where a majestic lighthouse rose from the rocks. “Let’s talk up there.”

Olive set Queenie down gently and watched her scamper away, probably to the warmth of Butter Bakery. With the cat gone, Olive removed her FoggyGogs and nose clamp. If Zeke thought it was odd she was wearing them, he kept it to himself. Then again, at RASCH, the students were often in costume or wearing strange fashions. Here, if you got sent to the dean because of what you were wearing, it was so she could congratulate you on your creativity.

As Olive and Zeke climbed up the craggy hill, the only sound was the wind whipping up whitecaps over the ocean, making the waves look like peaks of vanilla frosting on a coconut cake. The lighthouse loomed, large, red, and foreboding, and Olive’s curiosity grew with each step.

Who was after Zeke? And why? He seemed like the last person on Foggy Island to have enemies.

To Olive’s surprise, even though the lighthouse hadn’t been in service for a century, the door opened, grinding slightly as they entered. Zeke led the way up the winding stairs, and Olive zipped up her fuzzy brown jacket as they climbed higher.

It was only when they reached the top and looked out over the ocean that Zeke finally spoke....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2025
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593564227
• ISBN 13: 9780593564226
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Zeichner: Santat Dan
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Harder; https://www.edel.com; ; Neum�hlen 17; Hamburg; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland