"The Red Pyramid" - Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson was so good I had to try out his second series, The Kane Chronicles. (It didn't hurt that I was already watching Stargate SG-1 and was on an Egyptian mythology kick.) Just as good as Percy Jackson and I learned a great deal about the Egyptian pantheon of gods.

Carter and Sadie are siblings separated after the death of their mother. Their father has never been the same since then, so when he opens up a portal to the Egyptian underworld and calls for the gods, the kids think he needs saving. Turns out the whole world needs saving now. Travel around the world and meet many of the Egyptian gods of mythology as Sadie and Carter learn that they are stronger as a family than any giant, jackal-headed, imbued-with-powers dude.

Read Also:

Stewart Ross' Curse of the Crocodile God graphic novel.

Brandon Sanderson's "Alcatraz" series. Same humorous style of writing.

Mummies in the Morning from the "Magic Treehouse" series by Mary Pope Osborne.

"Why Not, Lafayette?" - Jean Fritz

I never really knew much about Lafayette except that he fought during the American Revolution.

BUT this man was there for every major event in France and America during his lifetime! He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was friends with George Washington. He visited every state in the Union at the time. Every town called Lafayette is named after him. He met all the Founding Fathers and Presidents during his lifetime. And that's just America.

He was there when the French stormed the Bastille. His family was imprisoned during the French Revolution. He fled his country and was imprisoned in Germany. His family got out during the Reign of Terror and rescued him from Germany. They lived in Denmark. He saw the rise and fall of Napoleon twice! He served in the French government. He formed France's version of the National Guard.

The man was awesome! And always for Liberty.

Read Also:

Revolutionary Friend: General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette by Selene Castrovilla.

Jean Lafitte: the pirate who saved America by Susan Goldman Rubin

Jean Fritz does a whole bunch of picture book format books about famous people during the American Revolution.

"Every Cowgirl Goes to School" - Rebecca Janni

She's a true blue cowgirl. But the new girl in her class is making fun of her, throwing food and paint all over her, and stealing her best friend away. Or is she...? She'll never be friends with such a mean girl. Or would she...?

Read Also:

My Three Best Friends and Me, Zulay by Cari Best

Mo Willem's My New Friend is So Fun from the "Elephant & Piggie" series.

"The Real McCoy" - Wendy Towle

I grabbed this one because I'd heard the saying forever but never knew the origin. It's an interesting story, very well-done.

Elijah McCoy was the son of ex-slaves. They fled to Canada where Elijah was born. He studied mechanical engineering and from an early age took things apart to see how they worked. His first major invention was an oiling can to speed up maintenance of trains. Throughout his life, he had 57 patents on his inventions.

Read Also:

Balloons Over Broadway: the true story of the puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Anthony 'Tony' Sarg.

Blockhead: the life of Fibonacci by Joseph D'Agnese

The Boy who loved Math: the improbable life of Paul Erdos by Deborah Heiligman

"The Man Who Never Missed" - Steve Perry

This was good, but weird. Involved, but not long enough. Deep, but gruesome. It's like a book you want to recommend but you feel like you let someone down if they do read it.

Seriously, I enjoyed reading it, but I hesitate to recommend it because it does have a lot of graphic language and it felt short-lived. It feels like it's book 1 of a series only there isn't a book 2. (It is book 1 of 8 in the "Matador" series but ... you'll have to read it to see why).

Khadaji is a bar owner on a planet loaded with Confederation soldiers. He goes out at night and paralyzes almost 3,000 of them. Khadaji is a soldier in the Confederation army, a governing body for the galaxy. After a slaughter of a battle, he deserts. Khadaji is in training for Sumito, a martial art. He stinks at it. Khadaji is a student on a planet designed for education. He learns a lot, including how and what drugs are worth smuggling.

Read Also:

I feel kinda bad about this but...the Firefly TV series by Joss Whedon again.

David Weber's "Honor Harrington" series.

"When Calls the Heart" - Janette Oke

Christian romance...also a TV film by Hallmark...I don't think it gets any cheesier than that. But it takes place in Canada! RCMPs and heart-wrenching losses, a welcoming community and a girl who is "clutzy." All the elements are there.

At least I read the book!

Elizabeth Thatcher heads west to teach school. What she finds is a community full of children who want to learn, grateful parents regardless if their children are school-age or not, and eligible men! Hmm...seems mighty convenient...

Read Also:

Rosslyn Elliot's "The Saddler's Legacy" series; book 1 is Fairer Than Morning.

Lynn Austin's "Refiner's Fire" series.

Francine Rivers "Lineage of Grace" series. Ruth's story: Unshaken.

"Nimona" - Noelle Stevenson

Oh good golly! Such a subtle study of how someone becomes a "hero" or "villain." But not Nimona, she's the sidekick to the villain. Shapeshifter, hip, loyal, she's great! Also, a fascinating mix of medieval and technological societies.

Nimona is a sidekick, assigning herself to Ballister Blackheart, the villain in town. Sir Goldenloin is his archnemesis, a hero. However, determining who the real villain is may take the three combining efforts and trust.

Read Also:

Firefly TV series by Joss Whedon.

"Bone" graphic novel series by Jeff Smith.

I just found out about The Rise of Aurora West by Paul Pope and it looks good!

"Emma" - Kaoru Mori

Cursed serials!!! Yeah, I don't do manga much. But this sounded good...

...It was good. Detail was amazing, story was cute, the side-characters were intriguing. Of course, having said that, I've only read 3 of the 10 volumes!! I'm committed.

A 10-volume set, over 4,000 pages of Manga Victorian England. So well done.

A Japanese woman authored these books. They were serialized in Japan and, 10 years later, are being translated into English. She tells stories in the afterwords about her fanmail, interviews, and editor. She's never been to England, is alive now so never lived through the time period, her fanaticism with details. It's quite fascinating.

Read Also:

Try some Graphic Shakespeare, Shakespeare plays turned into graphic novels! by Vincent Goodwin.

Check out BBC America and PBS. "Downton Abbey," "Upstairs, Downstairs," or any other British class-system show.