This is the first installment in a clever new series by Lisa Yee, with illustrations by Dan Santat. The story follows middle school student, Olive Cobin Zang, as she is transferred to a reforming arts school near San Francisco. Located on a little island all its own, the former castle turned prison is an unusual setting for a school, but Olive soon learns that this is anything but an ordinary school.
Olive and four other students become part of a crew known as The Misfits. Each misfit has a unique talent or ability. Alone, each misfit is remarkable; together, they are unstoppable.
Olive falls in love with her new school, but it is threatened with closing, unless The Misfits can stop the theft of a valuable necklace.
Each of the Misfits is appealing, and the descriptions of the school and its extraordinary features make for a fun read.