A Royal Conundrum

American author Lisa Yee published The Royal Conundrum in 2024, with illustrations by Caldecott Medal-winning artist Dan Santat. Blending humor, mystery, and adventure, the novel follows Olive Cobin-Zang and her team, the Misfits, as they uncover a high-stakes conspiracy involving stolen jewels, hidden identities, and a legendary thief. Santat’s expressive illustrations enhance the story’s action and intrigue, bringing the characters and their world to life. Set in an art academy that is really a front for a spy school, the novel explores themes of deception, belonging, and teamwork. The Royal Conundrum was recently honored as Barnes and Noble Children’s YA Book of the Year.

This guide refers to the 2024 Random House eBook edition.

Content Warnings: The source material and this guide feature depictions of bullying.

Plot Summary

Olive Corbin Zang, a 12-year-old self-proclaimed “misfit,” struggles to belong anywhere. Her classmates ignore her, her parents travel constantly and forget her birthday, and she has no close friends. The only person with whom Olive truly bonds is her grandmother, Mimi, who has taught her life lessons, as well as acrobatics and an appreciation for Chinese food. However, one month ago, Olive’s parents tearfully told her that Mimi was gone, and Olive is devastated by the loss of her grandmother.

One day, the principal calls Olive to his office, where she finds her mother, Dr. Corbin Zang, waiting for her. Dr. Corbin Zang explains that due to her extensive travel schedule, it will be necessary to transfer Olive to a boarding school called RASCH. Olive’s mother drives Olive to a dock, where the dean’s administrative assistant, Yashika Banerjee, or Yash, takes her the rest of the way in an amphibious vehicle. Resembling a castle, the school is located on Foggy Island outside of San Francisco and has a long and storied history. Olive likes the place almost immediately.

Upon arriving, Olive meets the dean, Sunny O’Moa, who gives her a tour of the school and the island. Included on the island is Butter Bakery, which is run by Poppy and Auntie Winnie. However, Olive’s enthusiasm falters when she encounters a student named Primrose, who immediately calls her a loser. Another student, Iggy, defends Olive but refuses to eat with her. Later, Primrose starts teasing a student named James, so Olive converses with him instead. That night, Olive struggles to sleep and finds a note instructing her to go to the dean’s office for her “conundrum,” which turns out to be a series of questions. Olive passes, and Sunny places her in Pod 101.

Olive encounters Primrose, Iggy, and James again in her first class, along with new students: Philomena (Phil), Theo, Zeke, Enid, and Ethel. Their teachers, a former ballet dancer named Modest Cusak and a former lightweight boxer named Monica LaMonica, announce that Pod 101 will compete in the Gymkhana Splore, a test of physical and mental abilities.

During the Gymkhana Splore, Olive and a few classmates work together to complete various challenges. In the end, Modest and Monica separate the students into different groups, keeping only James, Iggy, Olive, Phil, and Theo for advanced training. The teachers reveal that due to the students’ exceptional performance in the Splore, a secret organization called NOCK (No One Can Know), led by the mysterious “Anonymous,” is recruiting them. NOCK’s goal is to ensure the community’s safety, and the students are needed to gather intelligence inconspicuously. The group of students names themselves “The Misfits.” Modest and Monica introduce them to their new training room, a massive library that they nickname “The Laundry Room.”

As the Misfits train together and grow as a team, Olive overhears Sunny and Yash discussing RASCH’s uncertain future, which depends on the success of the annual gala and the support of their patron, Dame Gloria Vanderwisp. However, a string of jewelry thefts committed by a thief dubbed “The Bling King” threatens the gala, as patrons fear for their valuables. The Bling King leaves behind a calling card marked with a crown, adding to the mystery.

One day, Modest and Monica take the Misfits to train in the water, but Olive refuses because she cannot swim and is terrified of trying. The team later embarks on a training mission in San Francisco, where they fight with some local teenagers. Because James hesitates to fight, the team struggles, but they eventually strengthen their bond.

The Misfits soon receive their first mission: gathering intelligence and monitoring suspicious activity at the gala. Disguised as ushers, they keep a close watch, but chaos erupts when a group of pirates attempts to steal various objects in the lobby. During the chase, Olive accidentally knocks James unconscious with a sleep spray. The pirates are caught, but they are merely decoys. In the distraction, the Bling King and his team steal several valuable jewels, including Dame Gloria’s Royal Rumpus necklace and Winky the cat brooch. Furious, Dame Gloria threatens to withdraw her support from RASCH if they fail to recover her stolen jewelry within a month.

Feeling disheartened, the team members begin to blame each other and drift apart. While wandering the island, Olive discovers a black box floating in the water. As she tries to retrieve it, she gets pulled out to sea. Using the Misfits’ communication device, the ComChom, she calls for help. She stays afloat until dark, and when the Misfits row out to rescue her, their reunion restores the team’s flagging camaraderie.

Upon reevaluating the case, the Misfits conclude that the thieves never used the black box, which was meant to hold the stolen jewels. They realize that the thieves must have had another method of transporting the jewelry. They investigate pawn shops in San Francisco and track down Winky the brooch, but before they can retrieve it, a young woman named Jinx steals it and escapes.

Phil reviews security footage and notices that Jinx has several cats in her car. The team connects this fact to various missing-cat flyers and the upcoming KittyKon convention. Theo recognizes Jinx as a volunteer at the Bay Area Community Outreach Center, where he delivers Butter Bakery pastries. The Misfits now suspect that Poppy may have smuggled the stolen jewels into her baked goods.

After calling the missing cat owners, the team discovers that all the stolen cats were valuable show-cats, so they theorize that KittyKon is being used to smuggle the stolen jewels out of the city. Armed with new gadgets from Phil, they infiltrate KittyKon and identify several stolen cats and jewels. They place a tracker on some cats and follow them to the airport. Using a clever distraction involving a pack of dogs, the Misfits separate the cats from their handlers and apprehend most of the Bling King Ring members. However, Olive spots Jinx escaping with a Himalayan cat whose collar contains the most expensive stolen diamond. Olive gives chase, but Auntie Winnie, who is about to leave for vacation, intercepts her. Under a guise of friendliness, Winnie suddenly steals the cat and flees.

Phil directs the team to an abandoned hangar, where Olive finds Winnie. Winnie threatens to harm the cat if Olive tries to stop her, and she also reveals that she is not the Bling King but is instead “The Cat,” a legendary master thief who supposedly retired 50 years ago. As Winnie attempts to escape via helicopter, Olive grabs onto the skid bar, using her acrobatic skills to climb up and snatch the cat. Olive then uses Phil’s drone to land safely. Although Winnie ultimately escapes, the team successfully recovers the stolen jewels and cats. After the mission, Jinx confesses that she is The Cat’s granddaughter, and Poppy is cleared of any wrongdoing. Dame Gloria also agrees to continue funding RASCH.

Brood, the school maintenance man, reveals that he is also part of NOCK and presents Olive with a gift from his superior, “The Mouse.” The gift is a ceramic mouse that once belonged to Mimi. To Olive’s shock, her parents admit that Mimi is still alive but had sworn them to secrecy about this fact. Olive’s parents are also part of NOCK. They now offer to take Olive home, but she chooses to remain at RASCH. Meanwhile, Sunny reveals her own identity as Anonymous, the leader of NOCK. With the case resolved, the Misfits settle into their routine at RASCH. However, one night, Zeke approaches Olive and asks for her help.