I highly recommend Python Crash Course (volume 3!) by Eric Matthes from No Starch Press.

He does start with "Hello World", but quickly builds from there. Each chapter has practical exercises, and some of them build upon one another. He covers the basic components of the language (most of which are common in nearly all C-based languages), and shows how to use them together.

Aside from learning Python, he covers some "best practices", and demonstrates why they were created. This includes proper formatting, commenting, variable/function/class name usage, etc. He dabbles in Object Oriented Programming as well. Finally, and something I find to be really important, he shows how to write tests for your code. I used to be a Software Quality Assurance Engineer though, so I am biased.

The second half of the book is a walk-through to writing three complete programs; an arcade game, a data visualizer, and a web based site that manages users and their data.

I love the practical examples, how he's teaching more than just syntax, and the manner in which some situations are presented. After this book, it will be easy to learn more intermediate topics while still being able to write practical code for yourself.