“'A Long Way Down,' by Nick Hornby. It's about four people who meet at the top of a building on New Year's Eve.”

— Whitney Morse, home school senior, Lawrence

“'The Objective Eye,' by John Hyman. It's about optics and representation in art, and the history of visual theory.”

— Rachael Huffman, Kansas University graduate student, Lawrence

“'The Dispossessed,' by Ursula K. Le Guin. It's about a physicist who has traveled from his planet of anarchists to tear down the walls of hatred that have kept his planet isolated.”

— John Harvey, farm worker, Lawrence

“My dad got me 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,' by J.K. Rowling. It was OK. It will be interesting to compare it with the movie when it comes out.”

— Adriene Norton, independent consultant, Lawrence