Dear Mr. Henshaw

Clearly, Beverly. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: Newberry Medal
Lexlile Measure: 910L
DRA: 40

Summary: Second grader, Leigh Botts claims himself to be the number one fan of the author, Mr. Henshaw. He writes to his favorite author for a classroom assignment and to his surprise the author writes back. At first Leigh is unsatisfied with the simple questions he gets from his idol, but replies anyway. He finds himself reveling so much of his life, from being raised by a single parent, being the new kid at school, the roller coster relationship with his dad, to the thief that steals his lunch at school. Mr. Henshaw encourages Leigh to keep a dairy, which helps him write his frustrations and emotions that he finds difficult to talk about with others. Four years later, Botts still writes to his author and finds out that not only his writing improved, but also the way he views life.

Reader Response:This book is a great way to teach cross curriculum activities. Reading and letter writing skills can be both taught using this book. Students can also be encourage to write to their favorite author or write in a journal or diary just like the character, Leigh Botts.

Dear Mr. Henshaw Reading Guide by Angela Bean Bolton

Other Books by Beverly Clearly: