Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983). Dear Mr. Henshaw. NY: Morrow.

About the Book

Leigh Botts is the main character he is in elementary school when he begins to write to his favorite author Mr. Henshaw. Mr. Henshaw wrote Ways to Amuse a Dog that Leigh believes to be the best book ever written. He is from a divorced family and moves to a new school. He is disappointed by his father multiple times throughout the book. Leigh writes to the author, and eventually begins to write in a journal. He develops into a writer over the course of the book with the limited mentoring from Mr. Henshaw through his return letters.

Evaluative Criteria for Realistic Fiction

The main character Leigh Botts is a young boy who begins writing letters to his favorite author. Mr. Henshaw is the author who very rarely responded to Leigh’s notes. Leigh expresses a variety of emotions in his writing about a variety of different topics. He is coping with growing up without his father in the picture and dealing with the feelings of abandonment. Leigh’s character can easily be related to by young boys who are dealing with learning how to express their emotions. Leigh is also depicted as a writer and he grows as a more confident writer over the course of the book. The theme in the book is Leigh coming to terms with his life after his parents’ divorce. He also must come to the understanding that he is not to blame in any way for his parents’ decisions.