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The New York Times asked five experts for their pick of the best book on Afghanistan. Larry P. Goodson, an associate professor of international studies at Bentley College and the author of Afghanistan's Endless War: State Failure, Regional Politics, and the Rise of the Taliban. Ahmed Rashid's Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, although redundantly subtitled, is my favorite reference on the Taliban movement. Richly detailed, the book grows out of Rashid's more than two decades of reporting from the region.

"I read the book Meg Mackintosh and the Mystery at the Medieval Castle by Lucinda Landon. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries because this book is very suspenseful. I stayed up at night to read just so I could get to the next clue." -- Logan Bryant Linthicum Elementary "You should read Holes by Louis Sachar, a Newbery Award winning book. It is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who gets sent to Camp Green Lake for stealing some shoes. At Camp Green Lake, they have to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet all around the sides.

"My favorite book is 'Kit's Surprise' by Valerie Tripp. Kit doesn't like her uncle or his dog. And Kit and her friend Ruthie get into a very big fight because Kit doesn't want to take Ruthie's dress. But I think the last book of the Kit series will have a happy ending." -- Kristin Self Crofton Elementary "My favorite book is 'The Gingerbread Boy' by Paul Galdone. He jumps out of the pan and runs out of the house. Then a woman and a man run after him and a cow and then a horse chase him, too."

"I like the book `Possum Cane A-Knockin' by Nancy Van Laan because it is funny. The author is my favorite."- Ebony Jones Public School 159 "Have you ever gotten stuck in a situation that you didn't like? Then `Isabelle Shows Her Stuff' by Constance C. Greene is a great book for you. It is about a boy named Guy, who just moved on to Hot Water Street. Isabelle becomes friends with him. One day, people are teasing Guy and Isabelle chases them away. " - Brittney Reese Oakleigh Elementary " `Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants' by Dave Pilkey made me laugh.

"I like 'Robo's Favorite Places' by Wade Hudson because it gives you ideas about places you might like to visit. This book is funny. It is about Robo, who has a lot of places he likes to go, but has a hard time choosing among them." -- Darshell Taylor Arundel Elementary "I enjoyed reading 'The Hundred Dresses' by Eleanor Estes. There were a group of girls who did not believe that Wanda had 100 dresses. It was very sad that everybody made fun of her and looked down on her, instead of looking at her as a normal person.

" 'The Adventures of Taxi Dog' by Debra and Sal Barracca was a fun and interesting book. I liked it because Maxi, the taxi dog, found a new owner. Jim, the taxi driver, took Maxi everywhere. I would like others to read this book because the Taxi Dog and his owner loved each other and they showed what teamwork is about." -- Kane Samuel, Montebello Elementary "I think everyone should read 'Little House in the Big Woods' by Laura Ingalls Wilder because the descriptions help you picture in your mind how hard it was to live in the 1870s.

"I read 'The Cat's Purr' by Ashley Bryan. It tells a story about how cats started purring. It has a cat and a rat who are best friends." -- Vylencia Morton Carter G. Woodson Elementary "My favorite book is 'Where Do Balloons Go?' by Jamie Lee Curtis. I laughed when they said 'Do balloons tango with airplanes or cha-cha-cha with birds?' If you want to laugh, read this book." -- Ava Stallings Woodside Elementary "You will love 'Where's That Reptile' by Barbara Brenner for many reasons.

" 'The Swamp Thing' by Erica Farber is about L.C. and the gang going to a real swamp. They come face-to-face with the swamp thing, but it turns out to be a swamp crocodile. My favorite part was when they went home." -- Stephen Kaputsos Northfield Elementary "I enjoyed reading 'Kittens in the Kitchen' by Ben Baglio. It is about a cat named Walton who has kittens in the neighbor's kitchen. My favorite part was when old, grouchy Mr. And Mrs. Williams decided to take Walton because they wanted a cat to keep them company, even though Mr. Williams hates cats.

Every day, a quarter of the adults in the United States go to fast-food restaurants -- spending, in the year 2000, more than $110 billion. That's more than $1 a day per person. More than on higher education or new cars. More than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music combined. The premier fast-food chain is the largest owner of retail property on Earth. According to one serious study of iconography, its signature symbol -- "The Golden Arches" -- has become internationally "more widely recognized than the Christian cross."

"I like the book 'The Animal World' by Maurice Burton because it has pictures of different kinds of animals living under water, on land and in the air." -- Ricardo Petroff Highlandtown Elementary "I recently finished reading the biography 'Milton Hershey, Chocolate King' by Mary Malone. This wonderful book is about Milton growing up happily and becoming a success even though there were many difficulties along the way. This is a fascinating book because he opens a school for boys, Chocolate Town and Hersheypark.