Grace Underwood is a new teacher on Kelley's Island. When she was young, she was known as Miss Understood, because she was always daydreaming. Her mentor, Mrs. Pink, taught at Mrs. Pink's History Mystery School. She taught her students to see the world differently.

On her first day of school, her class is excited to solve a mystery that began before the students started their day. She has an encounter with a teacher who doesn't engage students in the learning process. The teacher sees things as black and white, where Grace wants the students to expand their minds

Grace is a teacher who believes her students can be the change in the world and do some good. She wants to inspire students and the mystery is a great teaching lesson. Grace takes her students on field trips to get real world experiences and work on the locket mystery along the way.

There are a few editing errors that need to be fixed. I loved reading it with my daughter. It is great for young readers who enjoy Nancy Drew and solving puzzles.

This was an unfortunate DNF for me. It sounded super interesting but it just didn't hit the mark for me, there was too much repition for me to be able to stick myself into the story as well as some errors that didnt seem to get picked up on which made it much harder for me to continue, this could of been an amazing book but it wasnt for me.

I liked reading the book. It is light hearted and was fun to read. However, I found some parts of the book to be repetitive and instead of building the suspense, the author writes it out, which I thought was not a great idea.

The quirky name of Miss Understood captured my attention. This could have been a captivating story but it misses the mark on a few points.

This is said to be a middle grade book but the cover nor the set-up where we follow an adult teacher makes it feel like that. I honestly think this book would have greatly benefitted from the main character being one or two children from the class that we follow. I think that would have opened up the story more, even more so with the addition of the ghost that visits one of the children. A quirky teacher is often more fun from the point of view of a child than that of the teacher itself.

There is also a lot of repetition in the story telling and the element of the ghost was not worked out well. The ghost gets mentioned early on by one of the children. The teacher doesn't bat an eyelid and on they go to find something on basis of the ghosts saying. Yet later the child asks the teacher if ghosts can be real and she tells her clearly that no they cannot. It just felt weird and disjointed.

I also had a problem with some of the very typical lines near the ending of chapters. They made my eyes roll. It was just a clear example of how typical and with how very little personality our main character navigated us through the story.

Examples of the lines are;
- Little did she know, the discovery of the locket was just beginning
- With Mrs. Pink's help, she knew they were on the verge of uncovering something truly special.
- Whatever happened next, she knew they were ready for the challenge.

All kids have an itch to explore the world around them and that is where they learn best. Miss Understood and the Case of the Missing Locket takes a deeper dive into that exploring side of growing children and shows us how much we can help the kids by adopting to their methods of learning instead of our methods of learning. The story also dives into the debate of traditional teaching vs hands-on learning.

Miss Understood is a very hands-on teacher who pays attention to her students and their interests, may it be soothing and catching the attitudes of more sarcastic students or nurturing another student's love for archeology and history. She motivates the quieter ones to ask questions and redirects the energetic ones to productive activities. The detail with which all kinds of children, their development and their education is handled, made me extremely curious about the author's background with kids.

While the characters and their development was endearing throughout the story, the flow of the story felt a little jerky at times.

This book has a very interesting premise. The main character Grace is written as a teacher who is dedicated to creating a hands on learning environment. The atmosphere of the novel is cozy. The narrative does have some issues that effect the reading experience. There are some sentences and paragraphs that are repeated a few pages apart. Ashley, the only student in class on Grace's first day, is name changed to Lily for one chapter, then is called Ashley again. I did enjoy the Civil War mystery aspect and the historical research the students were involved in.

This mystery has a lot going for it, an engaging premise, a fascinating historical backdrop, and a strong attempt to spark young readers’ interest in history. There are plenty of compelling characters, entertaining villains, and classic heroes to keep things interesting.

However, the execution is where things falter. The repetition is frustrating, whole conversations, thoughts, and bits of information are rehashed just a few pages apart, which feels unnecessary even for a younger audience. Then there are the editing errors, which make for a confusing read. Character names inexplicably change, such as Ashley, who starts off as the only one in her class, suddenly becomes Lily for a chapter before reverting back to Ashley. Important details are skipped over or ignored entirely, leaving the reader scrambling to keep up. The group visits Johnson Island for the first time… and then, a chapter later, visits Johnson Island for the first time again.

The mystery itself is built around clues left by a ghost, but for a significant portion of the book, there is no ghost. I genuinely thought I had missed a chapter. Then, halfway through, the ghost is introduced for the first time. And then, later, introduced for the first time again.

Despite these frustrations, I still found the story enjoyable and engaging for younger readers. There’s so much potential here, and I truly hope the editing errors are caught before publication. With a thorough revision, this could be a fantastic read—one that not only entertains but also inspires curiosity about history.

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The premise of the story was interesting, but this book was poorly written. Grace Underwood is also known as Miss Understood. She comes to teach on Kelley's Island. She and her students become involved in a mystery when Ashley (her student) says a ghost has been talking to her and they work to uncover the truth.

A book should have some continuity -- the story line should follow logically, but this one didn't. In many ways, I felt the author wrote several chapters and strung them altogether, but didn't reread what she had written. Some of my complaints were: 1) she told us in one chapter that Ashley was the only student who showed up for the first day of class. In the next chapter, she says it was Lily. She then switched back to Ashley. 2) I also noted that she repeated the same paragraph verbatim and only a couple of pages apart. 3) "Little did she know the discovery of the locket was just the beginning." She repeats words similar to these throughout the book. We know there is more coming to the story, why repeat that over and over. 4) Grace acts like she has just heard of Johnson's Island and says her class has been researching. Why pretend she is just hearing of it when she was told about it earlier in the book. Inconsistent! 5) We have been hearing of a ghost boy that has interacted with Ashley since about the second or third chapter. She and Grace have been talking about him, but in chapter 10 we have Ashley deciding to tell Grace about the ghost. 6) Another case of changing names when, Charlie, the ghost is known by another name in a later chapter. I could go on. I made so many notes when I was reading this book. I could go on. I made so many notes when I was reading this book. If this book is going to be published, someone needs to look at it before it is.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a free e-book ARC edition of this title in exchange for my review.

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable, interesting mystery for younger readers. However, I found the repetitions to be very annoying. And I'm hopeful that the editing errors will be caught before going to print, because it left me very confused with character names changing and other details.

If errors are corrected, I think this would be an enjoyable book for a younger reader.

3 stars.

This was a perfectly acceptable mystery story that was let down by some basic errors and frustrations. The repetition disappoints. It may be aimed at younger people, but whole conversations, thoughts and information do not need to be repeated a few pages apart.

There are also some very basic errors that a proof reader should have picked up on - Ashley is the name of the red head who originally is the only one in her class, and yet a few chapters later, it becomes a mysterious Lily for a chapter, then jumps back to being Ashley. Important information is skipped over, ignored and the reader is left to fend for themselves. The group visit Johnson island for the first time and then a chapter later... visit Johnson island for the first time.

The whole mystery starts because they are following clues left by a ghost. I was very confused, thinking I had missed a chapter and then nearly halfway through the ghost is introduced for the first time. And then again, for the first time.

It's a shame, because under the desperate need for proofing, is an entertaining story about the civil war in America, the slave railway and a really good attempt to inspire children to be more interested in history. The fact that the confederate soldiers are presented sympathetically, pushing the reader to think more deeply about the people, not just the overarching view makes it a more nuanced look. There are characters that are interesting, entertaining villains and good old fashioned heroes. It just needs someone to take a good look and edit it. There is so much potential here.

The little bonus prequel at the end was fun, a couple of chapters that promised a better read.

The general idea of this story is very interesting and intriguing. It has the potential to offer a sweet, wholesome tale. Unfortunately, the lack of proper editing impacts the text negatively. I found myself going back and forth between chapters, confused by repeated scenes, mix-up of characters' names, and the overall progression of events.

Miss Understood and the Case of the Missing Locket by Melissa G. Wilson is a fun, clever, and heartfelt mystery that’s perfect for young readers and anyone who enjoys a charming, light-hearted whodunit. The story follows the spirited and intelligent Missy “Miss Understood” as she finds herself tangled in the mystery of a missing family heirloom—and uncovers much more than just a locket along the way.

Missy is a fantastic protagonist—curious, observant, and full of personality. Her voice is both relatable and empowering, making her an inspiring character for young readers, especially girls who love puzzles and aren't afraid to ask questions. The mystery itself is well-paced with just the right amount of suspense, clues, and red herrings to keep things interesting without becoming too complex.

One of the highlights of this book is how it blends mystery with important themes like friendship, self-confidence, and standing up for what’s right. The writing is accessible and engaging, making it a great pick for middle-grade readers. My only small critique is that a few moments could have been fleshed out a bit more for deeper character development—but overall, it’s a delightful and meaningful read.

A solid 4 out of 5 stars! Perfect for fans of Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, or any young sleuth ready to solve their next mystery.