Miss Understood and the Case of the Missing Locket
The History Miss Stories Series Book 1
by Melissa G Wilson
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Pub Date 16 Mar 2025 | Archive Date 12 Jul 2025
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Description
When Grace Underwood arrives on Kelley's Island to teach at a one-room schoolhouse, she expects a quiet year of traditional lessons. Instead, she finds herself embroiled in a century-old mystery when one of her students, Ashley Reed, claims to be communicating with the ghost of a Civil War soldier's son.
Armed with the unconventional teaching methods she learned at Mrs. Pink's History Mystery School, Grace must navigate skeptical friends, concerned parents, and many doubts as she helps Ashley uncover the truth behind two matching lockets and a family torn apart by war. With the help of her mentor, Mrs. Pink, and a determined group of young students, Grace discovers that some of history's most important lessons can't be found in textbooks.
This first book is set against the rich historical backdrop of Lake Erie's islands and the Civil War-era Johnson's Island Prison, "Miss Understood and the Case of the Missing Locket" weaves together ghost stories, historical mysteries, and the timeless power of family bonds. This enchanting middle-grade novel reminds us that sometimes the most extraordinary discoveries come from being misunderstood - and that every person and every object has a story waiting to be told.
Perfect for fans of The Ghost of Grey Fox Inn, Chasing Vermeer, and The Mysterious Benedict Society, this captivating tale will inspire young readers to look beyond the surface and discover the hidden stories all around them.
About the Author
Melissa G Wilson is an award-winning and best-selling author of 4 non-fiction books and one fiction book. With this book, she brings history alive for young readers through her imaginative storytelling. With ten published books and a background in education and leadership, she is now crafting stories bridging past and present. This history-mystery Miss Stories series combines ghostly mysteries with powerful messages about courage and understanding.
Advance Praise
From a top editor at Midwest Book Reviews:
Romance fans are in for a treat as they follow Claire into new possibilities in The Journey. Here, a experience-shy reluctantly goes on a cross-country road trip with an author and discovers the America that still lives along Route 66 as well as her own heart, which is still capable of embracing new things.
Melissa G. Wilson creates a quick portrait of Claire’s approach to life from the start:
Claire Marin’s fingers trembled as she watched the locksmith install the third deadbolt on her front door. The rhythmic sound of metal against metal echoed through her small, cozy condo — her fortress against the world outside. She wrapped her cardigan tighter around her body as if it could shield her from the anxiety that threatened to overwhelm her.
Well-meaning advice from others identifies these fears, but doesn’t address them until Claire makes her own move to break out of her familiar world. This is not to say that as soon as she hits the road, Claire opens up. Readers who harbor their own reluctance to engage with the world will readily recognize the emotional baggage Claire packs along with her clothes:
As the initial excitement of exploring the new space wore off, Claire felt her anxiety begin to creep back in. The room was beautiful, yes, but it was also unfamiliar. The silence seemed too loud, the space too open.
A host of encounters bring with them both challenges to Claire’s status quo and opportunities to change how she reacts to life. In few other stories do authors address the real impact of travel so compellingly as in The Journey, even though fictional road trips of discovery aren’t uncommon.
From techniques Claire develops to settle her nerves to how her responses move from guarded at best to being more open-minded about embracing life, Wilson crafts the kind of journey that many a reader will want to embrace themselves.
The journey brings with it the quintessential question of how a newly-revised mindset can’t go home again:
“When we started this trip, I never imagined it would end like this.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “End like what?”
“With me actually sad to see it finish,” Claire admitted. “With me considering... more.”
Jonathan stopped walking, turning to face her. “And what does ‘more’ look like to you, Claire?”
Claire took a deep breath. “I’m not sure. But I know I’m not ready to go back to my old life. The thought of returning to my condo, to my solitary existence... it doesn’t feel right anymore.”
What evolves then is as much a part of the journey as its outcome, making the story a terrific draw for libraries and readers seeking fictional tales of evolution, discovery, and the impetus for change.
Powerful in its character portraits, compelling in its travelogue, and deep in its consideration of emotional overlays to life experience, The Journey is highly recommended for readers who perhaps approach life with their own embedded reluctance, who will perhaps discover through Claire their own pathways forward into a wider world.
