Mercy is on a mission – a quest really. She has been trained all her life to make this fateful journey to Scotland to deliver a message, to protect an alliance. Now that she’s finally making this journey at the age of thirteen, she finds herself stranded in the Scottish wilderness with no one she knows to help. Following a terrible carriage accident, not surprising considering the lack of passable roads in this era, she discovers that her chaperone and the carriage driver have both mysteriously vanished. There’s only Calum, a Scottish lad about her age, who suddenly appears to offer assistance. He leads her on an intense journey, meeting the famous Rob Roy MacGregor and other clan chiefs until finally they learn of her destination, a mystery they had to solve before Calum could lead Mercy to fulfill her destiny.

Janet R. Macreery’s preteen historical fiction novel, A Little Noble, takes young readers back in time to follow an adventure across the rugged wilderness of Scotland. The characters are well defined and the descriptive narrative helps set the place. There are interesting tidbits of Scottish culture and history that are shared through dialogue as Mercy learns about the land and the people as she pursues her quest. There is a lot of dialogue and, although there are times when it’s difficult to follow who’s saying what, the dialogue does help to set the mood and move the story along. Both Mercy and Calum grow stronger in their friendship and the two seem to come of age, maturing throughout the quest. A great historical fiction read for young people.

A Little Noble by Janet R. Macreery takes the reader back in time to Scotland in 1694. When Mercy LaRoche’s carriage crashes and her chaperone abandons her in the middle of nowhere, she finds herself reliant on a Scottish lad named Calum to help her find a Mr. Kingsnot Silver in order to complete her mission and keep the Auld Alliance intact. However, Calum doesn't know where he could find Mr. Silver, and the two of them are left with no choice but return to Calum’s old clan that he left a few years ago and hasn't yet returned to. But there is no guarantee they will be able to help her. Will Mercy manage to complete her mission on time?

With intriguing characters and thrilling scenes, A Little Noble by Janet R. Macreery is a really enjoyable read. The characters are realistic and very well developed, and I like the way that they interact with each other. As well, they are all smart in their own way, very determined and honorable, making them very inspirational. There are many dramatic and exciting scenes that really add to the story and made me wonder what would happen next. At the back of the book, there are a few informative pages that explain which parts of the story were based on real-life events and people, because the book was historical fiction, which I found very interesting and educational. The fascinating characters and gripping scenes really add to this fast-paced and entertaining story, and so I would definitely recommend this book.