The Misfits: A Copycat Conundrum

by Lisa Yee, art by Dan Santat

The sequel — the Misfits team tackles a museum mystery involving a copycat.

Big Idea

True belonging stems from embracing our unique quirks, and even the most unlikely group of friends can solve complex mysteries by leveraging their individual strengths.

Discussion Questions

1.How do the Misfits define themselves as a group, and how does this change when faced with a new challenge?
2.What role does the 'copycat' play in the story, and what does it say about the need for originality?
3.How do Lisa Yee’s descriptions of the museum atmosphere contribute to the sense of mystery?
4.In what ways do the characters' individual personality traits become their greatest assets during the investigation?
5.How does the humor in the narrative help balance the suspense of the mystery plot?

Classroom Activity

The Misfit Curator’s Museum Exhibit

Students act as museum curators designing a display that highlights the unique, non-conforming traits of their own 'Misfit' team members.

Lesson Plan

⏱ 60 minutes📦 Large poster paper, colored markers, index cards, printouts of 'mystery clues', tape.

Learning Goals

Analyze how character traits drive narrative action.
Practice descriptive writing to build sensory details.
Collaborate to solve a logic-based mystery puzzle.
Recognize the importance of diverse perspectives in problem-solving.

Activity Steps

1.Divide students into small teams of four, assigning each person a 'specialty' role based on their interests.
2.Provide a blank 'exhibit floor plan' for students to map out their display.
3.Challenge students to write descriptions for three artifacts that represent their group's unique strengths.
4.Have students present their exhibit, explaining why each 'object' was chosen to represent their collective identity.
5.Conclude with a reflection on how these diverse traits help them 'solve' a mini-mystery provided by the teacher.

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.5.3 (Character development)
ELA: SL.5.1 (Collaborative discussion)
SEL: Relationship Skills
Art: Visual Representation

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Lisa Yee utilizes a brisk, episodic pacing that mirrors the high-stakes energy of a mystery novel. By alternating between investigation scenes and humorous character banter, she keeps the reader leaning in, waiting to see how the Misfits will react next. In this study, students will examine how Yee balances narrative momentum with character development. By dissecting the 'Copycat Conundrum,' writers can learn how to plant clues, build suspense through chapter structure, and maintain a consistent voice that defines a quirky ensemble cast.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Observe how chapters end on 'mini-cliffhangers' to keep the reader flipping pages.
Plot	Map the central museum mystery against the subplot of the Misfits' team dynamics.
Prosody	Analyze the rhythmic patterns in character-specific dialogue to hear their unique voices.
Word Pause	Notice how Yee uses paragraph breaks to signal moments of realization or surprise.
Concept	Identify the core concept of the 'Copycat' as a metaphor for the struggle for individuality.
Voice & World View	Focus on how the humor frames the way the Misfits view the 'serious' adult world of the museum.
Setting & Place	Examine how the museum is treated as a character with its own rules and secrets.
Point of View	Evaluate the close third-person perspective and how it allows us to see multiple Misfits' internal reactions.
Original Characters	Create character profiles based on the Misfits’ specific niche skills.
Dialogue	Highlight how dialogue establishes hierarchy and affection within the team.
Details	Look for the specific, weird artifacts mentioned that serve as 'red herrings'.
Descriptions	Observe how Yee describes the museum's layout to create a mental map for the reader.
Strong First Lines	Critique the opening sentence for its immediate hook into the mystery.
Immediacy & Engagement	Study how the action starts within the first page to minimize exposition.
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Identify the ratio of 'in-the-moment' action to narrative summary.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Analyze the use of short, punchy endings to chapters.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Track the rising tension as the Copycat’s identity gets closer to being revealed.
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Discuss why specific scenes were chosen for chapter endings.
Performance	Notice how the characters 'perform' for one another through banter.
Personality	Examine how Yee uses quirks to define personality instantly.
Humor	Pinpoint where irony is used to deflate tense situations.
Pause	Look for moments of quiet reflection amidst the investigative chaos.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Identify instances of alliteration used for comedic effect.
Repetition	Monitor recurring phrases or inside jokes that bind the group together.
Rhythm	Study the short sentences used during action sequences.
Punctuation	Analyze the use of em-dashes for interrupted thoughts and excitement.
Questions	Count the rhetorical questions the Misfits ask themselves to solve the mystery.
Compare-Contrast	Evaluate how the Misfits compare their own investigation skills to 'professional' detectives.
Objects	Examine how a physical prop acts as the turning point for a clue.
Threes	Look for the rule of three in the Misfits' decision-making processes.
Whitespace & Negative Space	Notice how whitespace is used to emphasize a surprising discovery on the page.
Art & Graphics	Discuss how Dan Santat's illustrations act as a visual narrative layer.
Interactives & Gamification	Identify clues hidden in the text that invite the reader to guess the culprit.

Pace-Write It!

Students spend 10 minutes writing a 'cliffhanger' ending for a scene where they lose a crucial piece of evidence, followed by 10 minutes of swapping and predicting how the partner would solve it.