The Hard Way by Lee Child

My wife and I 'discovered' the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child back in 2007 when we borrowed an audiobook from our local public library to listen to as we drove out to visit relatives in Prescott, AZ. Bad Luck and Trouble was the title of that one and we got so caught up in the narrative that a couple of times we found ourselves sitting in parking lots or making an extra block to get to a good stopping point in the story. The Hard Way is book #10 in the series about ex-military tough guy Jack Reacher, a loner who travels on a whim and usually finds trouble waiting on him. I wish I had read the books in order, but really, so far I've been able to just pick any one of them up at random and get into the plot almost immediately. Background information is doled out as needed, so a reader is never at a loss for backstory.
The Hard Way takes place in New York City and rural England as Reacher follows the trail of a supposed kidnapper and rogue ex-military mercenary with mental health problems plus control issues. The guy's first wife was found dead in New Jersey following her kidnapping, now his new wife and step-daughter are being held for a ransom in the millions. The action is almost nonstop as clues lead to literal dead ends and red herrings before the truth comes out and the mayhem starts. Highly recommended if you are in the mood for a fast-paced page-turner.

This book is suitable for high school age and older.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but now I understand what all the buzz for this series has been about. Having finished the first book, I am anxious to take on the next volume in the adventures of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
I never had much of a background in classical mythology growing up, which I suppose explains my initial lack of interest in this story about the half-blood child of an ancient Greek god and a modern-day human. Most kids today don't have that background either, which may actually be the reason for the success of the five novels in this series. There's a little familiarity already built in because some of the characters have names young readers may have heard before: Poseidon, Zeus, Athena, Hades, etc. But there are also enough other characters with unfamilar names to make the stories seem new, fresh and interesting. It also helps that there are undeniable comparisons to the Harry Potter franchise: missing parents (check), abusive relative at home (check), faithful sidekicks in the form of a goofy but loyal best friend and a brainy but beautiful girl (check, check), teachers and adult role models who may or may not be trustworty (check), a home-away-from-home for Percy and other similar special creatures like him (check)....You get the idea. Oddly enough, a movie version of this book comes out in mid-January 2010, and the director is none other than Chris Columbus, the same guy who brought the first two Harry Potter books to life on film! (Have you seen the trailer for it? It looks awesome!)

The Lightning Thief contains enough adventure and excitement to keep young readers interested in following along with Percy and his pals to find out where they are headed, who they'll meet along the way, and what will happen next. Heck, it may even spur some students into checking out library books on ancient mythology to give them some background on these characters. (One can hope anyway.) Copies of this whole series are available at SMS Library and are recommended for ages 10 and older.