The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum: Chapters 1–5

by Lisa Yee
Olive is sent to a private school where she is teamed up with other "misfit" gifted students as part of an undercover crime-fighting crew. Their big assignment: Save their school.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–15, Chapters 16–26, Chapter 27–Epilogue
15 words 51 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. perfunctory
    as a formality only
    Dr. Cobin Zang offered Principal Gates a perfunctory smile before turning back to her daughter.
  2. homeostasis
    metabolic equilibrium maintained by biological mechanisms
    Say assassins were chasing you, or a teacher asked about cell homeostasis and you hadn’t done your homework—if they couldn’t see you, you were safe from embarrassment or death, which often felt like the same thing.
  3. misfit
    someone unable to adapt to circumstances or blend in
    The horrible itch lasted days longer than Olive’s friendship with Kelsey, who later declared, “I don’t hang around with misfits.”
  4. subpar
    not up to a standard or average level
    Not that she was sad to leave her school, where she had never fit in, anyway. But at least there she knew what to expect—the boring classes, the bullies, the subpar cafeteria lunches.
  5. vintage
    old but having enduring appeal or importance; classic
    With a heavy sigh, Olive took one last look around her room, taking in her unmade bed, the vintage poster of the famous Flying Wallendas acrobat family, and the overabundance of snow globes.
  6. caftan
    a long cloak with full sleeves
    Rising above them was a woman in a billowing caftan of green and gold, wearing a crown of daisies and a thick brown braid that went halfway down her back.
  7. waft
    be driven or carried along, as by the air
    She wafted in their direction, bringing with her the scent of pomegranate and patchouli that Mimi was so fond of.
  8. truancy
    failure to attend, especially school
    Casting a sullen glance their way, the dean’s assistant recited, “A juvenile offender is one who is often unruly, commits status offenses, or is charged with engaging in infractions of the law, such as larceny, vandalism, assault, disorderly conduct, truancy, breaking curfew….”
  9. connoisseur
    an expert able to appreciate a field
    Olive couldn’t help but smile. Con Cakes. Mimi, who considered herself a cake connoisseur, would have loved that.
  10. pertinacious
    stubbornly unyielding
    The statue looked oddly familiar to Olive.
    “Dame Gloria Vanderwisp,” Sunny whispered reverently. “Such a force of nature. Very pertinacious.”
  11. resolute
    firm in purpose or belief
    “Yes, strong-willed, tough, resolute. Dame Gloria is a very generous RASCH patron—wealthy up the wazoo! Her family has owned the famed Royal Rumpus necklace for generations....”
  12. spry
    moving quickly and lightly
    He was around Mimi’s age when Olive last saw her, but he wasn’t nearly as spry as she had been—but then who was?
  13. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    She sat up to see a slip of paper being pushed under her door.
    OLIVE COBIN ZANG, REPORT TO YOUR CONUNDRUM IN THE DEAN’S OFFICE AT 10 A.M. DON’T BE LATE!
  14. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    Each was painted for a decade of her life, and though she was gorgeous in all of them, each successive image captured her looking slightly more aloof.
  15. irreconcilable
    impossible to bring into accord
    “You’ll be told that there are no wrong answers for the Conundrum,” he said helpfully. “However, I can tell you that they’re on the lookout for irreconcilable differences between you and RASCH.”
Created on Thu Oct 08 19:09:11 EDT 2026 (updated Tue Nov 03 12:51:53 EST 2026)

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