Local Insider
- Aug 15, 2020
- 3 min read

The Best Books, Handpicked by Your Local Librarians

Our usual summer activities may have hit a snag this year, but that hasn’t stopped our local libraries. Like many, the Greece Public Library has had to adapt to changes, though they have continued to promote reading and family time with their Summer 2020 Reading Program and craft projects. Reading is crucial at any age, and the library offers a great deal of resources for everyone in the family.

“We are only offering virtual programs at this time,” said Catherine Henderson, a librarian at the Greece Public Library. There is currently no sitting, printing or computer use for the time being, though patrons may enter the library wearing a mask and browse the entire collection and check out whatever catches their eye. “Staff is available to help anyone find whatever material they’re looking for.”

The library hosts a number of online book clubs through Facebook that cover a range of genres in both fiction and non-fiction, including sci-fi, mystery, and historical fiction to name a few. Their two previous in-person clubs (Print & Prose and As the Page Turns) have shifted from the Blue Barn Cidery and the library to Zoom meetings. People can visit their online calendar in order to sign up and participate.

Similarly, their craft and story time programs for children, tweens, and teens have also been moved online. “Participants can pick up supplies and then either craft alongside a staff member via Zoom or they can watch it on YouTube later," said Henderson. "We just ask them to send us pictures of their projects!”

Every year, the library hosts a summer reading program for all ages and encourages all who enter to record their reading. For more information, check out our summer recommended reading list crafted by the library staff! You’re sure to find something for everyone in the family.

Be sure to check your local library’s website for more information on their reading programs and for any specialized COVID-19 safety practices!

Grades 1-3 Chapter Books: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey Dragon Masters by Tracey West The Chicken Squad by Doreen Cronin Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows Critter Club by Callie Barkley Humphrey’s Tiny Tales by Betty G. Birney Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown Magic Tree House by Mary Pop Osborne I Survived by Lauren Tarshis

Grades 1-2: Bug Boys by Laura Knetzger Dragonbreath by Ursula Vernon Blowfish by Emma Bassier Whoo-Ku Haiku by Maria Gianferrari Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley Who Would Win? Ultimate Showdown by Jerry Pallotta The Sun is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk Riddle Me This! Animal Riddles by Lisa Regan Fly Guy Presents: Monster Trucks by Tedd Arnold Flop to the Top! A Toon Book by Eleanor Davis & Drew Weing Meditation: My Mindful Day by Katie Marsico I Want to Be a Veterinarian by Laura Driscoll With My Hands: Poems About Making Things by Amy Ludwig The Great Pet Escape by Victoria Jamieson Noodleheads Find Something Fishy by Tedd Arnold Owly The Way Home: Owly Series by Andy Runton

Grades 3-5: Nat Enough by Maria Scrivan The Big Break by Mark Tatulli Science Comics: Cars by Dan Zettwoch The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson Guts by Raina Telgemeier Game On: Mario by Paige V. Polinsky The Slime Book by DK Where is the Bermuda Triangle? by Megan Stine Chef Gina’s Taste Test Challenge by Gino Campagna I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis Hilo all the Pieces Fit by Judd Winick The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith The Fierce 44 Black Americans Who Shook Up the World by Robert Ball

Adult Staff Picks: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk Summing for Sunlight by Allie Larkin The Dutch House by Ann Patchett My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing The Girl He Used To Know by Tracy Garvis Graves # MomSoHard by Kristin Hensley The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina Two Weeks by Karen Kingsbury