When Ruby's grandmother, Miss Eula goes to visit her new grandbaby in Hawaii, Ruby is sure that she will have a lonely, empty, horrible summer without her in boring old Halleluia, Mississippi. What happens instead? She makes a new friend, saves the school play, writes plenty of letters to her favorite (and only) grandmother . . . and finally learns to stop blaming herself for her grandfather's death. Not too bad, for a nine-year-old.
Winner of numerous awards and included on seventeen state reading lists, Love, Ruby Lavender is now republished in paperback with the original cover art by Marla Frazee.
Brilliant!!! It is summer time in Hallelujah, Mississippi and Ruby Lavender has a lot to deal with. She is taking care of some recently "liberated" chickens, missing her grandmother Miss Eula, who is on an extended visit to her son in Hawaii, and dealing with a nemesis, Melba Jane, all while trying to come to terms with a recent family tragedy. The heart of this story is the correspondence between Ruby and her grandmother while they spend this summer apart. I can not praise this audio book highly enough. This wonderful children's book is just made to be read aloud. Judith Ivey gives a memorable performance and brings the book to life in a way that I have rarely experienced. The accents and voice pitch she employs are truly remarkable and convey many different emotions and ages, It has been days since we finished this book and it still sits vividly on my mind. Don't be mislead by the cover of this book. The colorful watercolor style picture along with the cozy font led me to expect a light and airy kids book that would keep the kids happy for a few hours as we drove around , but have little depth or meaning beyond light entertainment. It is so much more than that. This is a very deep and affecting story which sucks you in from the beginning and really grabs you by the heart. Half way through the book my kids said with such feeling" I HATE Melba Jane!" I love it when they get emotional about their "reading". I wondered aloud whether they would feel the same about that character by the end of the story and a great conversation ensued and continued when the book ended. Not only was there great character development in the pages of this book there was also some positive growth and empathy occuring in my car. This book will tear at your heart Take my advice and hear this book. You will not be sorry.
Love - Ruby Lavender Love, Ruby Lavender is a delightful mix of sensitivity and fun. This book is an absolute delight to read out loud. While reading the book you can feel the rhythm of the dialogue. This book is silly, this book tugs at your heart, this book can teach you to appreciate the really fine things in life. You know the simple free stuff in life. You will be happy if your kids choose a Deborah Wiles book, they're good for you.
Ruby Lavender has a lot going on her life, she's and her grandma are chicken liberators, Ruby's grandpa passed away last year, Ruby's about to be a cousin, and Melba Jane won't leave poor Ruby alone. Not too mention a new teacher coming in the fall, one of the liberated chickens is going to hatch some eggs, Ruby's grandma has to go to Hawaii for that new cousin, and a new friend on the horizon.
WHEW! Ruby and her grandmother write letters to each other and leave them in a special "post office" but when Ruby's grandma goes off to Hawaii for the birth of Ruby's cousin they have to send letters through the real post office. Ruby has a lot going on back in Aurora County that she needs to keep her grandmother in the loop on, and grandma helps guide Ruby from afar. There is so much going on in this book, and I would hate to spoil any of the fun.
It is funny, it is touching, it is brilliant!
It's been 3 years!! It's been three years since I first read this book and I can't say "I love this book!" enough. An amazing novel for young girls that teaches independence. The author has a great sense of humor that shines through the story. Ruby Lavender is a perfect character for the plot and fits in expertly. The setting is described wonderfully and is also a fun environment for the character's to interact in. The author makes the read more whymsical by adding the letters that Ruby writes, instead of just saying "Ruby wrote a letter saying..." It also provides for a more realistic feeling. I don't have any suggestions for improvements that could be made on this masterpeice. I have read this book four times in the past three years and am still discovering new details. Anyone who ventures out into the magical world of "Love, Ruby Lavender" is on the right path and will enjoy the walk thoroughly.
All About Ruby All About Ruby Love Ruby Lavender was the most outstanding book I ever read. I liked this book because it has excitement drama and a whole lot of other things to. The reason I did not like this book was the part when they put the diary entrees in there I did not like them because I do not want to know why they miss each other. Another part I did not like was when Ruby's grandpa and Melba Jane's dad died and Melba makes it seem like its Ruby's grandpa fault and that makes Ruby sad and like it her fault. This book takes place in a beautiful city, Halleluia Mississippi. It is a small city with a lot of heart. The conflict in this book is Ruby's grandma Miss Eula is going to Hawaii and Ruby is jealous and misses her and does not what to have a new cousin. She fixed that problem by growing up and went on with her life even though she missed her grandma. I did not like how Ruby acted when her grandma left. I think this book had a really good ending. It was about how Ruby grew up and made other friends. I like this ending because she starts to act more mature and acted more like her age. There is this one event that happens at the beginning of this book that I think is really cool when Miss Eula and Ruby steal chickens and drives them away in a get away car to rescue them so they can have little chicks.
Here are some of the things that happened in the book are Ruby mom always cooks the same food over and over and Ruby does not like that food. Melba Jane and Ruby be come friends and they help each other all the time. One of the chickens had eggs but then they all died but one of them lived and had a good life by its self. They wrote lot of letters to each other here is one of them. Dear Ruby I am flabbergasted! I am stupefied with joy! Bemmie has laid an EGG?? Oh joy and happy day! How lovely that Bemmie and Herman are sweet on each other-Bemmie is woman after my own heart. (Of course, Herman seems to be sweet on just about anybody. Somebody's going to have to talk to that man. He has no decorum.) Love, Your (so happy I could go surfing-I think I will!) grandmother, Miss Eula So as you can see they really missed each other and keep in touch with each other. Here are all the main characters in this book: Miss Eula Ruby Lavender Melba Jane Ruby's Grandpa Melba Jane's Dad Uncle tater Aunt tot Bemmie Herman Dove Miss Mattie This book was outstanding and I hope there is another one the author of this book has a good use of words. By. Anthony Brown
great Love, Ruby Lavender, is a realistic fiction book. It was written by Deborah Wiles. The story took place in Halleluiah, Mississippi, in the early 1900's. The characters lived a simple life and had ordinary problems, just like we do, today.
Ruby was a nine year old girl, who lived on a chicken farm with her mother and grandmother, who Ruby called Miss Eula. Ruby and her grandmother were very close and spent lots of time writing notes to each other. Ruby loved her three hens very much and spent time in the hen house, which she called the pink palace. Tragedy happened to Ruby's family when her grandfather died in a terrible wreck. He drove his truck off a bridge, killing himself and another man. The other man who died in the wreck had a little girl named Melba Jane. She did not like Ruby and tried very hard to make Ruby's life miserable.
I thought, Love, Ruby Lavender, was a good book to read. I liked it because it talked about family, friendship, helping others, and caring for animals. Ruby's life was not perfect and she learned to work through problems, forgive others, and find happiness in her life. I think girls, ages 9-12, would like to read this book. We can relate to different topics in the story.