Editorial Review
Dear Mr. Henshaw,
I wish somebody would stop stealing the good stuff out of my lunchbag. I guess I wish a lot of other things, too. I wish someday Dad and Bandit would pull up in front in the rig ... Dad would yell out of the cab, "Come on, Leigh. Hop in and I'll give you a lift to school."
Leigh Botts has been author Boyd Henshaw's number one fan ever since he was in second grade. Now in sixth grade, Leigh lives with his mother and is the new kid at school. He's lonely, troubled by the absence of his father, a cross-country trucker, and angry because a mysterious thief steals from his lunchbag. Then Leigh's teacher assigns a letter-writing project. Naturally Leigh chooses to write to Mr. Henshaw, whose surprising answer changes Leigh's life.
Winner of the Newbery Medal
An ALA Notable BookÂ
Cached date: AWS Called=true
Customer Reviews
What you need to know about Dear Mr. Henshaw 
2008-12-20
The first thing to know about this book is that it is not at all similar to Beverly Cleary's other books -- Beezus, Ramona, Henry, that whole gang are not here. This book is truly poignant. The tone, the subject matter, the style, everything about this book is more serious and thoughtful than the other books which are delightful, lighthearted, fun.
Now that you know that, it's also good to know that this book is beautifully written and tells a moving story of a boy coming to grips with his parents' relationship and how it has and will affect his life. There is humor in the book, and it's not all doom and gloom, but the boy's feelings are vividly expressed, and often he's isolated, confused, and sad. If you are a parent, I'd recommend that you read the book too so that your child can talk to you about it. For kids who've experienced divorce or an adult who has seriously disappointed them, this book may bring up strong feelings. For kids who haven't experienced any of this (yet), it will help them to understand that the story is something that really could happen, and maybe to help them feel grateful for the family life they have.
Dull... 
2008-10-27
I was disappointed--This is a Beverly Cleary book, and I grew up on the Ramona Series. Maybe I just went into it with irrationally high hopes, thinking it'd be a happy, fun-filled story. Nooope. It's a really boring story, with the main character as a boring ordinary boy. Nothing spectacular happens. He acts younger than his age and the characterization is quite horrible. The plot threads are chaotic and disorganized (What does the lunch have to do with his father? What does any of it have to do with the letter writing?) After the climactic phone call to his father, maybe the one part of the book I thought was emotionally charged and realistic, everything works out WAY TOO NEATLY. And then, the worst thing she could possibly do--she brings his dad back! WHAT?! There was no point to that, none at all. It would have been so much stronger if he hadn't come back and if Leigh had learned to cope. Nothing gets resolved (There are still daddy issues. The lunchbox thief still hasn't been found. And darn it, he STILL hasn't met Boyd Henshaw!) and it's a ridiculously dull book. :(
Coming-of-Age 
2008-09-27
I cannot think of this book without deep fondness. If you let it, this is one of those books that can change your life. It's honest and innocent all at once, and Cleary does an incredible job of capturing the mood of a boy going through a confusing time of friends and family. His only outlet is a series of letters to his favorite author.
What begins as a school assignment becomes a relationship (even though we are granted only Leigh's perspective) that is personal and makes you appreciate the wonderful people that are out there.
The best thing about this is watching Leigh grow as a character and learn to deal with the ups and downs of his life.
Excellent novel 2008-04-14
Lee is a lonely little boy dealing with his parents' divorce. He begins a correspondence with his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. This letter writing helps Lee understand himself better.
I read this to my classes every year when we are learning about letter writing. It is a powerful novel that kids can relate to.
Great Realistic Fiction! By JS from North Boulevard 2007-11-21
The book I am reviewing is written by Beverly Cleary. It is a great book named Dear Mr. Henshaw. It is a book about a boy named Leigh Botts, he writes letters to his favorite author Mr.Henshaw. He writes about many of his problems such as his parents' divorce and trouble at school. I think this book deserves four stars because I like reading about realistic problems and people. I recommend this book to people who like realistic fiction in grades 3-5. Beverly Cleary also writes many stories like Ramona the Pest and Mouse and the motorcycle.
Dear Mr.henshaw=#1 2007-07-25
Dear Mr. Henshaw,
I wish somebody would stop stealing the good stuff out of my lunchbag. I guess I wish a lot of other things, too. I wish someday Dad and Bandit would pull up in front in the rig ... Dad would yell out of the cab, "Come on, Leigh. Hop in and I'll give you a lift to school."
Leigh Botts has been author Boyd Henshaw's number one fan ever since he was in second grade. Now in sixth grade, Leigh lives with his mother and is the new kid at school. He's lonely, troubled by the absence of his father, a cross-country trucker, and angry because a mysterious thief steals from his lunchbag. Then Leigh's teacher assigns a letter-writing project. Naturally Leigh chooses to write to Mr. Henshaw, whose surprising answer changes Leigh's life.
Winner of the Newbery Medal
An ALA Notable BookÂ
Dear Mr.Henshaw 2007-06-14
I just finished reading a book called "Dear Mr.Henshaw". I think that it's just a waist of time writing letters. Some characters in the story are Leigh Botss, Mr.henshaw and Biscuit the dog. I think it's really interesting book. I liked the book because it's easy to read the book. It is no that complicated to read I also loved it because. It's too funny sad, and boring at times. I also thought that I would hate the book. But, once I opened and read it, I loved it so much. I also loved it because my friend recommended this book to me. I think the book is interesting to read.
Hated this book 
2007-06-12
I strongly disliked this book. this probably was one of the worst books I have ever read. The reason I somewhat enjoyed this book was making fun of it in class with my friend. I thought it was stupid and was boring. Don't read this Dear Mr. Henshaw, unless you like to mock of books.
The book that made me want to be a published author 2007-04-18
If I had to choose any book from my childhood that encouraged me to read more, it would have to be this book by Beverly Cleary. This book is well written for such a young age group but is still readable for adults, as well. In fact, her book made such an impact on me that this book motivated me to want to be a published author (and I am). I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who was positively impacted by her story.
This book contains a lot of insightful tales that are still very applicable to today's world. Leigh writes to his favorite author to tell him how much he enjoyed his book, he never suspects that he would still be writing to him years later.
~=Gregory M. Kuzma=~
Author, "On the field, from Denver, Colorado...The Blue Knights!"
On the field from Denver, Colorado...The Blue Knights!: One member's experience of the 1994 summer national tour
Dear Mr. Henshaw 2007-04-06
Jimmy carnes book 3/26/07 review
There are numerous problems and solutions in Dear Mr. Henshaw. The 2 lager problems are no one is inviting him over after school and someone is stealing his lunch. The minute I read about leigh not having any friends I went in shock because he sounds awesome.
Beverly Cleary is so descriptive like when she describes what kind of lunch box and alarm he buys so he can capture the criminal you have to read to see if he does. If I were him I would have just give up but he didn't .this is a realistic fiction piece. This book is good for all ages because of its heart warming solutions.
