The Minor Miracle: The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor (The Amazing Adventures of Noah Minor)

by Meredith Davis

Billy Yong (Illustrator)

What happens when a seemingly average seventh grader discovers he has superpowers . . . and then realizes his life just got super complicated? Find out in this action-packed adventure perfect for young readers.

“A spectacular new superhero.”—Kathi Appelt, Newbery honoree and National Book Award finalist

As a baby, Noah Minor miraculously—and mysteriously—survived a fall from a sixteen-story balcony. But ever since then, Noah’s life has been pretty boring.

As he enters seventh grade, Noah is hoping to be less ordinary and more extraordinary, like his best friends, trumpet prodigy Rodney and the practically perfect Haley. So Noah’s sure his star is on the rise when during a standard vision test, he learns he can manipulate gravity and is recruited to train with Gravitas, a top-secret government agency!

Noah thinks his life will now be awesome, but instead, he has a whole new set of problems. The biggest one: His great-uncle Saul is on Gravitas’s most-wanted list . . . but might also be the only person who can help Noah reach his full potential.

• ISBN10: 0593445333
• ISBN13: 9780593445334
• Publish Date: 7 May 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Waterbrook Press (A Division of Random House Inc)
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593445334

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Minor Miracle is a fun middle grade series starter with an "everyman" protagonist (who has superpowers), written by Meredith Davis. Released 7th May 2024 by WaterBrook & Multnomah, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

The author is gifted at storytelling, and the narrative arc is full of action and with appealing and relatable characters. Noah is living a life that most adolescents can relate to, not super gifted academically, picked on by a school bully, and not the best on his basketball team. He's got good friends, though, and he's trying his best. He -also- has a genetic mutation which lets him (and other gravitars) manipulate gravity. Mostly his manifestation just makes his clothing cling to him in funny ways when he gets annoyed. 

There are lots of forces at work behind the scenes: a mysterious uncle who dropped him off a building when he was an infant, a shadowy government agency, and surviving math tests and basketball practice.

The incidental art throughout is well rendered by Billy Yong and his simple and dynamic style complements the comic book narrative very well and is full of small details which invite a closer look. 

Four stars. It's appealing and appropriate for all ages but should do especially well with the middle grade boy demographic. It would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and gifting.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.