Book Review Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. New York: William Morrow.

Leigh Botts the main character is kid living through the fall out of divorce. He now lives with his mother in a cramped how where they struggle a lot. Leigh is given an assignment at school writing letters to their favorite authors. The book is told through a series of letters between Leigh and Mr., Henshaw. It’s very interesting how Leigh writing develops through the novel. At first the letters are short and non-detailed oriented. Throughout the novel as a reader you get a deeper look into Leighs life and the lessons learned from divorce, loneliness and friendship. This is considered a classic book although I’m not sure how it holds up todays more current reads for this age group.

Grade Level: 3-5