Skulduggery Pleasant

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant
Ace detectiveSnappy dresserRazor—tongued witCrackerjack sorcererandwalking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton
As well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgely, a very unusual and darkly talented twelve-year-old.
These two alone stand in the way of an all-consuming ancient evil.

I love a book that grabs me from the first chapter. This is an excellent example. Stephanie, the main character, is thrown into a magical world she didn't know existed - but she has the help of her deceased uncle's best friend, Skulduggery Pleasant. He's a talented sorceror, and a living skeleton. Skulduggery is very witty, and a sharp dresser - and he helps protect and teach Stephanie. This is a start of a new series and I'm eager to read more!