A Royal Conundrum

Olive asks if she is going to prison, but her mother explains that RASCH is a boarding school. Olive’s grandmother, Mimi, used to take care of Olive when her parents were engaged in their frequent and lengthy business trips. However, Mimi is now gone, and the Corbin Zangs are about to embark on another extended business trip that will keep them away for months. Olive realizes that her mother is sending her away because no one can take care of her. Dr. Corbin Zang gives Olive orange-colored luggage because she believes that orange is Olive’s favorite color. In reality, Olive prefers purple. Instead of packing, Olive researches RASCH and learns that it was a monastery, then a yoga retreat, and then a prison. Her mother urges her to pack, so Olive includes her diary and her Meggie & Her Fun Family comics. On the four-hour drive to RASCH, Olive contemplates the prospect of starting over.

Upon their arrival, Dr. Corbin Zang wakes Olive, but thick fog obscures the view. After a rare hug from her mother and a rushed goodbye, Olive meets Yashika “Yash” Banerjee, the dean’s assistant. Yash drives an amphibious vehicle (called “BoBu” for “boat bus”) through the San Francisco Bay to Foggy Island, the home of RASCH. The fog clears briefly, revealing a castle. Yash leads Olive through the school grounds as students dressed in eclectic outfits gather. Sunny O’Moa, the dean and a friend of Olive’s parents, greets Olive and explains that although RASCH was once an experimental program for juvenile offenders, it is now a boarding school for artistic students.

Sunny gives Olive a tour, pointing out a chain-link fence with a “Do Not Trespass” sign that has been modified to read “Donut Trespass!” She explains that the government seized Foggy Manor and converted it into a prison, but the government abandoned the project before completion. The part of the island separated by the fence is the former prison section. Sunny assures Olive that RASCH is no longer a detention center and explains that the school funds itself through tours, events, and bakery rentals. Sunny introduces Olive to Brood, the maintenance man, and tells her to contact him for repairs.

Sunny drops Olive off at the dining hall, and Olive meets Primrose, a girl with pink hair who tells her to sit in the “loser zone.” Another student, Ignatia Amara Inzaghi, or “Iggy,” defends Olive but declines to eat with her. Primrose mocks James Harmon, a boy who spills his milk. Olive tries to comfort James, but he turns the situation into a lesson on donkeys and Pesse canoes. Olive eats only chocolate cake but finds it delicious, and the meal soothes some of her nerves. She sleeps in the visitor’s quarters because Sunny has not assigned her to a “pod,” or group of students. Olive discovers that in her haste, she accidentally grabbed her mother’s suitcase. She worries about the prospect of wearing her mother’s clothes and imagines her parents reading her diary. She has nightmares all night and wakes to a note slipped under her door, instructing her to report to the dean’s office at 10 a.m. for her “Conundrum.” At breakfast, Iggy explains that the Conundrum determines placement at RASCH; some students leave afterwards. James reassures Olive that there are no wrong answers, just different opinions, but Iggy warns her not to mess up on the test.

Olive explores the island to calm herself before the Conundrum. She visits the general store but decides against adding another snow globe to her collection. (Her collection consists of gifts from her parents after their business trips.) At Butter Bakery, she meets Poppy, the owner and former finalist on The Big British Baking Battle, and she also meets Auntie Winnie, Poppy’s assistant. Olive watches a few classes and grows excited for the Conundrum. Exploring further, she sneaks under the “Donut Trespass!” fence and finds a dilapidated area. She feeds baby swans in the moat but falls in. Panicked because she cannot swim, Olive splashes for a bit before realizing that the water is only three feet deep. Embarrassed, she climbs out and heads back.

Olive changes into her mother’s wool suit and arrives at the dean’s office three minutes late. Sunny starts the Conundrum by asking Olive several personal and observational questions. When Olive draws a detailed map of Foggy Island from memory, Sunny praises her attention to detail. The Conundrum continues into the afternoon with increasingly creative tests. Finally, Sunny congratulates Olive on her thoughtful answers and places her in Pod 101.

Olive meets her new class, which is led by Modest Cusak, a former ballet dancer, and Monica LaMonica, a two-time lightweight boxing champion. Modest explains that RASCH’s goal is to help students reach their full potential. Olive recognizes Iggy and James among her pod mates, along with Primrose and her followers, Enid and Ethel. Primrose insults Olive, who did not have time to shower after her fall in the moat, before moving away. The class also includes Philomena, who wears computer-equipped rings; an attractive boy named Zeke; and a friendly, curly-haired boy named Theo. Modest and Monica announce the Gymkhana Splore, a mental and physical challenge. They reassure Olive that despite the intensity of the challenge, no one has ever died.

Now in a pod, Olive moves into a luxurious dorm with a view of San Francisco Bay. Philomena, who prefers to be called Phil, brings a gift basket from Sunny and invites Olive to dinner. They bond over trivia and their interest in the Meggie & Her Fun Family comics. In class, James explains that “gymkhana” refers to a forum for skill-based contests, while “splore” means “frolic” in Scottish. Modest describes it as a dexterity challenge. Monica praises Olive’s messy handwriting and encourages the students to practice writing in code. They then head to a converted ballroom where the Gymkhana Splore will take place.

The gymkhana resembles a stadium with an above-ground pool. Olive sees aerial silks hanging from chandeliers, and the sight reminds her of honing her acrobatics skills and spending time with Mimi. The students change into tracksuits and stretch. They rotate through the first challenges, which they complete in teams, playing board games while waiting for their turn. In their first task, Olive struggles to vault over a chair but succeeds on her third attempt. She excels in the aerial silk challenge, effortlessly using the silks to move across the room. The final event is an obstacle course. Olive and Iggy help James through a durian-filled room but get stuck at the buttered monkey bars. Working together, Olive, Iggy, and Theo reroute a water obstacle to wash off the butter, and this gambit allows them to finish the course. As they wait for the results, Primrose accuses them of cheating. Olive remembers her last expulsion; the principal accused her of starting a fight when she was just trying to protect a younger student from bullies. Realizing that she enjoys RASCH and her new friends, she waits nervously for the final results.