Dear Mr. Henshaw
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| Dear Mr. Henshaw | |
 Dear Mr. Henshaw book cover |
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| Author | Beverly Cleary |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Paul O. Zelinsky |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | August 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 144 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-688-02405-X |
Dear Mr. Henshaw is a juvenile novel by Beverly Cleary which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1984.
[edit] Plot summary
Boyd Henshaw, a novelist, does not actually appear in the book. The story is actually about Leigh Botts, a young boy who lives with his divorced mother and misses his father. The beginning of the book is a collection of letters written from Leigh to Mr. Henshaw, his favorite author. The letters show increasing emotional and literary complexity as Leigh grows. They also reflect his desire to become a writer.
As the book progresses, the format changes from letters to diary entries. Although we never see Mr. Henshaw's reply, Mr. Henshaw apparently answers at least one of Leigh's letters and suggests that a would-be writer should write in a diary every day. At first Leigh's diary entries take the form of unsent additional letters to Mr. Henshaw, even beginning with the salutation, "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw." But as he matures, Leigh eventually decides that he does not need to do this and begins keeping his diary only for himself. The story begins with the main character in the second grade but he progresses to sixth grade in less than 10 pages.
The diary reveals Leigh's loneliness at school, details his troubles with an unknown schoolmate who secretly steals his lunch in the mornings, and most of all addresses his sorrow about his parents' divorce and his father's absence.
[edit] Audience
Unlike many of Cleary's novels, Dear Mr. Henshaw does not fit into any other series or continuity. It did eventually spawn a sequel many years later, however, titled Strider. Also, while most of Cleary's children's novels take place in or near Portland, Oregon, Dear Mr. Henshaw takes place in California.
| Preceded by Dicey's Song |
Newbery Medal recipient 1984 |
Succeeded by The Hero and the Crown |
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