Closed To Observe The 4th: The Webb will be closed Sat. July 2 and Mon. July 4. We reopen at 10 am on Tue.
 
Popcorn Theater
Webb Memorial Public Library
Features begin at 1:00 p.m. Every Thursday
Free films for ages 4 and up

Authors that write like Maeve Binchy.  
Kate Atkinson, Amanda Brookfield, Elizabeth Buchan, Sarah Challis, Marika Cobbold, Isla Dewar, Clare Dowling, Patricia Fawcett, Katie Fforde, Margaret Forster, Caro Fraser, Adele Geras, Sarah Harrison, Judith Ryan Hendricks, Erica James, Deborah Moggach, Rosamunde Pilcher Belva Plain, Libby Purves, Victoria Routledge, Kate Saunders, Barbara Trapido, Joanna Trollope, Mary Wesley, Marcia Willett.      

NEW MATERIALS 

Adult 

Those In Peril  by Wilbur Smith 
Product Description 
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Hazel Bannock is heir to the Bannock Oil Corporation, one of the major global oil producers. While cruising the Indian Ocean, her yacht is hijacked by Somalian pirates and her nineteen-year-old daughter, Cayla, kidnapped. The pirates demand a crippling twenty-billion-dollar ransom for her release, and complicated political and diplomatic sensitivities render the major powers incapable of intervening.
            With growing evidence of the horrific torture to which Cayla is being subjected, Hazel calls on Hector Cross to help her rescue her daughter. Hector is the man behind Cross Bow Security, the company contracted to Bannock Oil Corporation to provide all their protection. He is a formidable fighting man. Between them, Hazel and Hector are determined to take the law into their own hands.
            For nearly fifty years, internationally bestselling author Wilbur Smith has thrilled readers with novels set during the Egyptian era all the way up through the present day. Now, Those in Peril brings his matchless storytelling to bear on the violent, ruthless world of twenty-first-century piracy.

Southern Comfort  by Fern Michaels 
Product Description

Atlanta homicide detective Patrick 'Tick' Kelly turned his back on the world the day his wife and children were murdered. Abandoning his city and his career, he holed up in a beach house on Mango Key, Florida, and drowned his grief in Jack Daniels. Now sober and a bestselling author, Tick would gladly stay a recluse forever if his brother Pete didn't keep trying to drag him back to the land of the living. After years of sacrificing her personal life in favour of her DEA job, special agent Kate Rush resigned and moved back to her native Miami. But the unofficial assignment that has just come her way is too intriguing to pass up. She and a fellow ex-agent are relocated to Mango Key to keep an eye on an imposing, mysterious fortress believed to be at the centre of a human trafficking ring. At first, the Kelly brothers are suspected of involvement, but Kate is sure Tick poses no danger - except for the slow-burning gaze that makes her breath catch and her heart race. Tick finds himself fascinated by Kate's investigation - and by her inviting mix of courage and kindness. Teaming up, they uncover a web of betrayal, blackmail, and ruthless greed. And as danger mounts, Tick realizes how far he'll go to protect the rare and surprising gift that's come his way: a second chance at a happy ending.

In Their Blood  by Sharon Potts 
From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. At the start of Potts's debut, a red-hot suspense novel, a midnight intruder murders D.C. Stroeb, an economics professor at Miami Intercontinental University, and his CPA wife, Rachel, in their exclusive Lotus Island, Fla., estate. Oddly, the killer takes only the couple's laptops. Their 16-year-old daughter, Elise, who was home at the time, suffers emotional trauma in the aftermath. Their 22-year-old son, Jeremy, who can't believe anyone could kill his parents, returns from backpacking abroad to assume the guardianship of Elise, against the wishes of his lawyer uncle, Dwight Stroeb. Jeremy connects with a sympathetic Miami detective, gets a job at his mother's CPA firm and enrolls at his father's university, where he becomes involved with his father's female graduate assistant, a Peruvian-French sexpot. The clue hunt sizzles in a plot driven largely by shifty accounting. By the end, the dangers of creative number crunching are all too apparent.

A Moment In the Sun  by John Sayles 
Product Description

It’s 1897. Gold has been discovered in the Yukon. New York is under the sway of Hearst and Pulitzer. And in a few months, an American battleship will explode in a Cuban harbor, plunging the U.S. into war. Spanning five years and half a dozen countries, this is the unforgettable story of that extraordinary moment: the turn of the twentieth century, as seen by one of the greatest storytellers of our time.
Shot through with a lyrical intensity and stunning detail that recall Doctorow and Deadwood both, A Moment in the Sun takes the whole era in its sights—from the white-racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in the Philippines. Beginning with Hod Brackenridge searching for his fortune in the North, and hurtling forward on the voices of a breathtaking range of men and women—Royal Scott, an African American infantryman whose life outside the military has been destroyed; Diosdado Concepcíon, a Filipino insurgent fighting against his country’s new colonizers; and more than a dozen others, Mark Twain and President McKinley’s assassin among them—this is a story as big as its subject: history rediscovered through the lives of the people who made it happen.

Young Adult

Speak  by Laurie Anderson 
From Publishers Weekly

In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. Divided into the four marking periods of an academic year, the novel, narrated by Melinda Sordino, begins on her first day as a high school freshman. No one will sit with Melinda on the bus. At school, students call her names and harass her; her best friends from junior high scatter to different cliques and abandon her. Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. A girl at a school pep rally offers an explanation of the heroine's pariah status when she confronts Melinda about calling the police at a summer party, resulting in several arrests. But readers do not learn why Melinda made the call until much later: a popular senior raped her that night and, because of her trauma, she barely speaks at all. Only through her work in art class, and with the support of a compassionate teacher there, does she begin to reach out to others and eventually find her voice. Through the first-person narration, the author makes Melinda's pain palpable: "I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special." Though the symbolism is sometimes heavy-handed, it is effective. The ending, in which her attacker comes after her once more, is the only part of the plot that feels forced. But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired. Ages 12-up.

Mistwood  by Leah Cypress 
From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—For centuries, the kings of Samorna have depended upon the immortal Shifter for protection. When the Crown Prince Rokan ventures into the Mistwood to find the Shifter, she again allows herself to be caught, to be tamed, and to be tangled into the deception and danger of the human court. The Shifter is uneasy, though. First she woke with no distinct memory of the past and now she finds that she is unable to change shape. As she adapts to palace life and painstakingly hides her inability to embrace her past abilities fully, she seems to become more the Lady Isabel as she is known in court, unwittingly displaying human emotions and hesitating in her bound duties to the crown. As Rokan becomes king, he is thrust into danger, seemingly from all sides. Isabel learns much more than she bargained for as she hunts among courtiers for conspirators and finds her loyalties divided. This story unfolds gracefully, mirroring the slow path Isabel must travel to begin understanding herself and her place in the world. Her journey in self-acceptance takes place within a country in turmoil.

Picture Books

My Side of the Car  by Kate Feiffer 
Product Description 
Wishful thinking and a wonderful daughter-and-dad rapport drive this charming collaboration between Kate Feiffer and her father, Jules Feiffer.
Sadie has wanted to go the zoo forever, but something always gets in the way. Not today! Today they are finally on their way, and nothing can stop them - not a broken arm or a lost dog or a surprise visit. Not even her dad’s observation: "Sadie, it’s raining." Because when Sadie looks out her window, not only is it not raining on her side of the car, the sun is shining and people are watering their lawns and wearing sunglasses. Even when the road on Dad’s side starts looking more like a river, Sadie can barely see a raindrop fall on her side of the car. This warmhearted tale of a child’s optimism and a father’s loving patience is guaranteed to tickle the funny bone, no matter the weather.

My Dad, My Hero  by Ethan Long 
Product Description

A young child starts off this laugh-out-loud picture book by listing all the ways his dad is NOT a superhero: he can't leap tall buildings, run faster than a speeding bullet, or shoot webs out of his wrists.
Each spread illustrates how Dad doesn't have super powers but is still a hero at heart. The sweet ending depicts all the cool-if not super-activities Dad does do with the child, like throwing a baseball, playing checkers and going toy shopping.
Ethan Long's spot-on artwork perfectly accompanies this super funny and super sweet story.


Itsy Mitsy Runs Away  by Elanna Allen 
Product Description

NO ONE likes bedtime, and Itsy Mitsy has had quite enough. So tonight’s the night she’s running away to the perfect place where there are no more bedtimes ever (not even one). But running away isn't as easy as it seems. There's a lot to pack: Mitsy's friendliest dinosaur Mister Roar; a snack for Mister Roar; her dog, Pupcake, to keep the bedtime beasties away from said snack; the list goes on and on. But with a helpful Dad who makes sure Mitsy doesn't leave anything behind--especially not him--Mitsy might want to run away tomorrow night, too.


Blue-Ribbon Dad  by Beth Raisner Glass 

Product Description

In this sweet, rhyming picture book, a little boy thinks about all the special things he does with his dad—schoolwork, reading, swimming lessons, haircuts, and more—and decides to craft a present, a homemade blue ribbon, to show his dad how much he loves him. The boy counts down the hours until his dad comes home, recalling their favorite memories and preparing the special gift.
Simple text for the earliest readers and cuddly squirrel characters make this precious picture book the perfect way to celebrate Dad on Father's Day, or any day of the year.

Chicken Sunday  by Patricia Polacco 
From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-- Despite the differences in religion, sex, and race, Winston and Stewart Washington are young Patricia's best friends, and she considers their grandmother, Miss Eula, a surrogate since her own ``babushka'' died. On Sundays, she often attends Baptist services with her friends, and Miss Eula fixes a sumptuous fried chicken dinner with all the trimmings, after stopping to admire the hats in Mr. Kodinski's shop. The youngsters hope to buy her one, but when they approach the merchant looking for work, he mistakenly accuses them of pelting his shop with eggs. To prove their innocence, the children hand-dye eggs in the folk-art style that Patricia's grandmother had taught her and present them to the milliner. Moved by the rememberance of his homeland, the Russian Jewish emigre encourages the children to sell the ``Pysanky'' eggs in his shop and rewards their industry with a gift of the hat, which Miss Eula proudly wears on Easter Sunday. Polacco's tale resonates with the veracity of a personal recollection and is replete with vivid visual and visceral images. Her unique illustrative style smoothly blends detailed line drawing, impressionistic painting, primitive felt-marker coloring, and collage work with actual photographs, resulting in a feast for the eyes as filling as Miss Eula's Chicken Sunday spreads. The palette is equally varied, while the application of color is judiciously relieved by sporadic pencil sketches. An authentic tale of childhood friendship.

Kids World

The Keeping Quilt  by Patricia Polacco 
From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 Polacco's first-person voice moves her narrative forward gracefully from the time when her Great-Gramma Anna came to America during the last century to the present. Richly detailed charcoal drawings fill the pages of this beautifully conceived book. Particularly striking are the faces of the Russian Jewish immigrant families who people the pages. The only color used is in the babushka and dress of Great-Gramma Anna, which become part of a brightly hued quilt. Following that quilt through four generations is the basis of this account. Customs and fashions change, but family is constant, visually linked by the ``keeping quilt.'' Children will be fascinated by the various uses to which the quilt is put, although some of those uses make one wonder how its ``like-new'' shape was maintained. That stretch of the imagination is gentle, however, and does not mar the story. Readers who notice that the author and the narrator share the same name may realize that this lovely story is true; that should make it even more appealing.

E Is For Eiffel Tower  by Virginia Kroll 
Product Description 

Reading level: Ages 4-8
From its achievements in architecture (Chartres Cathedral), science (Louis Pasteur), and literature (Marcel Proust), the country of France has had a profound impact on the world. E is for Eiffel Tower: A France Alphabet explores its venerable history and cultural heritage.
Young readers can experience the treasures of the Louvre Museum, play hide-and-seek in the gardens of Versailles Palace, or get a bird’s-eye view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. The achievements of Claude Monet and Victor Hugo come to life alongside stunning monuments, breathtaking scenery, and history-in-the-making moments.

Great Ice Bear: The Polar Bear & the Eskimo  by Dorothy Patent

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who needs up-to-date information on polar bears. It is divided into short chapters that deal with all aspects of this topic - from physiology to interaction with humans. An index is provided which greatly facilitates the retrieval of information. The superb illustrations also add to the overall appeal of this title. 




The Bird, The Monkey and the Snake in the Jungle  by Kate Banks 
From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3-When a rainstorm destroys their home, a bird, a monkey, and a snake start off into the jungle in search of a new place to live. Tired of one another's annoying habits, each animal hopes to find a tree of its own. But the jungle is a dark and scary place, and after rescuing one another from spiders, crocodiles, and tigers, the three companions realize that they are better off sticking together. When they find a tree inhabited by a frog that is willing to share, they set up housekeeping, happily tolerating one another's idiosyncrasies. Told in rebus form, the story includes a key to the pictures on the outer margin of each right-hand page. Although children will undoubtedly enjoy playing the game, some aspects of the book may confuse them. A few of the illustrations don't look like what they are supposed to represent, e.g., the tree looks more like a leaf and the clouds look like rocks. In addition, the type is placed on the pages in a way that enhances the design but makes the order of the text difficult to follow. Still, the primitive-style illustrations, set on backgrounds of green and blue, have a Gauguin-like quality that captures the mystery and magic of the jungle. The story of friends who learn the value of sharing has been told many times but the rebus format puts a fresh spin on the tale.