Pride and Prejudice By Jane Austen

     The most wonderful news has come to the ears of the mother of the Bennet Daughters: Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. A young gentleman will be renting a large manor who is fabulously wealth and, of course, single.  Mrs. Bennet is exceedingly desperate to marry of each of her daughters as not let them become burden upon society.  Little does she know that with all of her meddling wiles, Mrs. Bennet could not conceive the events which were to follow Mr. Bingley's coming.  
     Jane, the eldest, develops a certain fondness for Mr. Bingley right away.  Love at first sight seems very real to Jane.  She confides in her sister Elizabeth, who has a very different view of love.  Upon meeting Mr. Bingley for the first time, the also happen to meet his dear friend, Mr. Darcy.  He seems sour; brooding even and wants very little to do with the things of this world which are enjoyable.  Upon meeting, he insults Elizabeth who swears that she will never understand why such an arrogant and unpleasant man could exist.  
     Thought to be one of Austen's finest novels,Pride and Prejudice is certainly among the most well known.  And while character development is present in all of her novels, this one in particular I believe has the most drastic changes and some of the most relate-able characters.  
     
Grade Level: 12.0
Interest Level: 8.0-12.0

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

As poor Percy Jackson struggles through school (and does something rather embarrassing to his math teacher)  he begins to suspect that his life is not what it seems. He discovers that his lifelong reading and attention troubles are all signs that he is a half-blood-a child of the Greek gods. After training, Percy and the gang go on a quest to recover Zeus' lost thunderbolt and stop a war between the fickle gods. Along the way, where modern life and mythology intersect to create both humor and excitement, Percy will come to know his father Poseidon, rescue his mother, and discover that he has what it takes to be a hero. Ultimately, Percy learns to trust his friends and his abilities and to choose love over despair. -Scholastic Review 

This is such a great beginning to a series!! Riordan is a master of creating reading appeal to children (and adults!!).  The Lightning Thief is the first book of the Olympian series, and has earned all of the hype.  Truly an excellent novel; one which stays true to its mythological backgrounds.  I appreciate when fiction is accurate when portraying concepts taken from Ancient mythologies.  This novel is informative as well as a load of fun!

Grade Level: 4.7-4.9