Love, Ruby Lavender, Deborah Wiles. Ruby Lavender and her grandmother, Miss Eula, share a close, warm relationship and it is no secret in their small town that they stole three chickens, saving them from the slaughterhouse. A tree serves as their mailbox, sharing notes back and forth. When her grandmother decides to visit her newest grand baby in Hawaii, Ruby is devastated and misses her terribly, however, Ruby writes her regularly to keep her grandmother current with local events, secretly hoping that she doesn't fall in love with the baby, replacing her. Her grandmother is also missing her husband, who died a year earlier, along with Melba Jane's dad, Lavender's friend, in an accident. Their friendship shatters soon after, but with a little help from a new friend, Dove, they find their way back to each other. This is a lovely little story, sure to make any young reader smile.