I Did What I Do Best: A Guest Post by Lisa Yee
Your favorite outcasts are back following their adventures in A Royal Conundrum (our overall Children’s Book of the Year for 2024), and this time, all of San Francisco is at stake. Read on for an exclusive essay from Lisa Yee on revisiting her characters and writing A Copycat Conundrum.
Hardcover
$11.99
$14.99
A Copycat Conundrum (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Misfits #2)
A Copycat Conundrum (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Misfits #2)
By
Lisa Yee
Illustrator
Dan Santat
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$11.99
$14.99
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!
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!
I was so excited to start writing the second Misfits book! Um, that is until I sat down in front of the computer and was met by the dreaded writer’s block.
In the first novel, A ROYAL CONUNDRUM, five awkward kids find themselves at a reforming arts school for the artistically adventurous. Olive Cobin Zang and the four other Misfits have no idea they are about to become super-secret operatives, tasked with thwarting crimes and protecting the citizenry. Soon they embark on danger-fueled, unbelievably wild escapades, and eventually, the team saves their school while thwarting the biggest jewelry heist of the century. Triumph is interrupted when, on the last page, Olive is startled to learn that a friend’s life is in danger.
After that book came out, eager fans asked, “What happens next?” I’d smile and try to look mysterious, but truth be told, I wasn’t sure. So I did what I do best. I panicked and procrastinated. To my relief, it worked! Eventually ideas started bouncing around in my brain, and after a while there were so many plots twists that I became dizzy.
The new book, A COPYCAT CONUNDRUM, includes the aforementioned life in danger, plus odd earthquakes! The gold rush! Priceless missing art! Reality TV! Family secrets! Weird suspects! Delectable pastries! Ghost ships! Allergies! And more!
It was a lot. My challenge was to weave everything into a cohesive, but unexpected, narrative—with the Misfits and their unique personas at the heart of the story.
With glee, I threw our five underdogs into impossible situations where a single sneeze or wayward glance could cause a dangerous high-risk assignment to come crashing down. So much was at stake. However, I made sure the Misfits were up for it through their unorthodox training, creativity, and sheer determination.
I was also able to delve deeper into each operative’s talents, fears, and foibles, like James’s idiosyncrasies and encyclopedic knowledge and Iggy’s anger issues and unwavering loyalty. Theo’s mellowness and obsession with natural disasters are addressed, as are Phil’s insecurities and incredible tech talents. And, of course, Olive’s imposter syndrome and world-class acrobatics anchor the novel.
Research included a trip to California’s Bombay Beach, a once-thriving 1950s resort that’s been abandoned, partially because it got really stinky. This was my inspiration for the book’s “Blight Beach.” Additionally, series illustrator and my longtime pal Dan Santat and I explored San Francisco, where much of story takes place. After wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf and riding the cable cars, like the Misfits do in the book, we indulged in hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli ice cream shop—for research purposes, of course.
I am so excited to share A COPYCAT CONUNDRUM with all of you. And, as our friends the Misfits say when they are happy, “OOF!”