by Beverly Cleary
Dear Mr. Henshaw follows the life of Leigh Botts from second through sixth grade as he corresponds with his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. His letters and diary reveal much about Leigh's hopes, fears, dreams, disappointments, and victories, as he writes about his divorced parents, absent dad, often stolen lunch, lost dog, lack of friends, and desire to become an author.
Beverly Cleary does an exceptional job developing the character of Leigh Botts in this 134-page book. From Leigh's first letter containing three simple sentences with one misspelling to his last diary entry consisting of over one-hundred complex sentences, Cleary reveals Leigh's heart. We see him mature personally and as a writer as he wrestles with the challenges in his life. We also observe what a positive impact various adults have on him, including Mr. Henshaw, Mr. Fridley, and Miss Neely. Readers will empathize with Leigh, those who have divorced parents will identify with his feelings, and all will be inspired to be kind to others. Grammar lessons are built into this book. Teachers will be able to utilize it in lessons about writing letters, proper use of quotation marks, using complete sentences, and parts of speech.
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Author, Beverly Cleary's website: http://www.beverlycleary.com/
Cleary on turning 100 in April 2016:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/beverly-cleary-on-turning-100-kids-today-dont-have-the-freedom-i-had/2016/04/02/7a63e92c-e6d4-11e5-b0fd-073d5930a7b7_story.html?utm_term=.b62ed94cf4bf
A brief interview with Cleary:
Book trailer:
