This follows a character through a series of events. This could be a long series (Think Lord of the Rings, where we follow Frodo through a series of events.) or a single book. (To stick with the Tolkien theme, The Hobbit, where we follow the original hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, through the quest to regain the dwarves' home and treasure from the evil dragon Smaug--and get in a war while he's at it.) One of the first examples of this theme is the Homer tome The Odyssey, in which we follow one of the first recorded heroes, Odysseus through the trials and tribulations he faces just to get back home. Beowulf is the story about the character of the same name who quests to slay the monster, Grendel. The Mortal Instruments/Infernal Devices, both series that are fairly new, both have very different teens who quest for a way to survive and thrive in a world that they had no idea was real. All throughout the ages, a story of adventure, of the difference between good and evil, has always been popular.