Meredith Davis

Book Review: The Minor Rescue

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The Minor Rescue
The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor #2
by Meredith Davis

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous book, The Minor Miracle.

In the aftermath of his encounter with Uncle Saul, anger is nearly always lurking beneath the surface of Noah Minor’s mind. He’s angry about his friend Haley’s loss of one of her gravitar abilities. Angry about his other friend Rodney’s loss of his musical know-how. Angry that the Gravitas organization has demoted him because he broke the rules involving his great uncle. And mostly angry that Uncle Saul caused all of this destruction and got away. Noah’s anger seems to make his gravitar abilities stronger, though, so he’s happy to lean into it. But when 26 middle schoolers are kidnapped, his anger may be a liability in the search for the missing kids.

This book definitely had some ups and downs for me. Noah is impulsive and impatient, and though I understood his anger at the beginning of the book, it made him a fairly unlikeable character, especially when he actually bullies others with his power. On the other hand, it is resolved in a way that is meaningful; I only wish he hadn’t been quite so harsh for quite so long. I liked the story arcs for both Haley and Rodney, though. And there’s a serious plot twist in this book that I think will have kids on the edge of their seats. Overall, this is a decent follow-up for the previous book, and I’ll keep an eye out for more to the series, especially now that Noah has gotten past his anger issues. I think kids around age 8-12 will enjoy the book, though it would make more sense to start with the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about The Minor Rescue

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Minor Miracle

/ Kristi / Leave a comment

The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor
by Meredith Davis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade fantasy

When he was a baby, Noah Miracle survived a sixteen-story fall with no explanation. Fast forward to twelve-year-old Noah, who is an average kid wishing he was as extraordinary as his miraculous fall made him seem. Then he is contacted by a secret government group called Gravitas and told that he does have abilities, if he can only learn how to use them. But they also tell him that the man who dropped him from a balcony as a baby, his uncle Saul, is a villain with powers of his own, and that they need Noah’s help to stop him.

This was a fairly quick read with characters that may start out a bit stereotypical, but I think the author took some interesting turns with them. The powers possessed by Noah and other gravitars were a bit deeper than your average super hero or magical powers, especially at this age group, but I liked the way the author explained the gravity-controlling powers. It’s really more sci-fi than fantasy in that way. I also appreciated that Noah, though possessing stronger-than-average powers, still struggles a lot to learn to use and control them. And that his stronger powers aren’t just a coincidence because he’s the MC or a “chosen one,” but rather were caused by something specific.

Though I understood Noah’s difficulty in basically having to choose between Gravitas and Uncle Saul, certain aspects of the plot were fairly predictable (though would probably be less so to the younger audience this book is meant for). It was no surprise to me that Noah couldn’t keep a secret and used his powers in public, though I’ll admit I was a little surprised that there seemed to barely be any consequences. I also think there was a lot that could have been expanded upon and some things that could definitely continue on into another book. I see no signs that there will be more to follow this book, but if there is, I’ll definitely be reading it. I would recommend this book for pre-teens or young teens, especially those interested in fantasy, sci-fi, or super heroes.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.

Find out more about The Minor Miracle

See what I’m reading next.

If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!