Bethany Brown, Central Junior High School freshman, Lawrence

“‘No Laughter Here,’ by Rita Williams-Garcia. It’s a fictional story about female circumcision in Africa.”

Katie McClelland, lead dispatcher, Overland Park

“‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ by J.K. Rowling.

I love it. It’s great. It’s more mature and has more drama than the other ones.”

Torkel Skogman, IT consultant, Stockholm, Sweden

“‘Virtual History,’ by Niall Ferguson. It’s a collection of speculations about what would have happened if certain historical events had different outcomes.”

Bogdan Pathak, engineer, Lawrence

“‘Suburban Nation,’ by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck. It’s essentially about the way that urban sprawl has affected America.”

Carly Mesmer, Kansas University junior, Lawrence

“I’m trying to get through ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It’s about a fictional family in South America. It’s the first example of magical realism. He kind of invented it.”