Dear Mr. Henshaw

Title: Dear Mr. Henshaw

Author: Beverly Cleary

Illustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky 

Genre: Audiobook

Awards: 1984 Newbery Medal

Age Group: 4th-6th 

I listened to the audiobook for Dear Mr. Henshaw, which tells the story of Leigh Botts through letters he has written to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. Leigh has a school assignment that requires him to write to an author. Naturally, he picks Mr. Henshaw. In response, Mr. Henshaw gives Leigh a list of questions about his own life to answer. Leigh begrudgingly answers, somewhat resenting Mr. Henshaw for giving him all this work to do. As time passes, Leigh begins a diary (per Mr. Henshaw's suggestion) where he tells about the thief at school who steals the special items in his lunch that come from the catering company that his mother works for. He ends up trying to create a burglar alarm system to keep the thief away, though in the end, he is happy that he doesn't ever find out who the thief was. He also writes about his home life. His parents are divorced, and this really takes an emotional toll on Leigh. His father is a trucker and spends all hours on the road. Leigh has fostered some resentment against his father for not really being involved in his life and for calling him "kid" instead of by his name. Leigh grows in his writing skills, and submits a piece about him and his father. He gets to meet with an author, who encourages him to keep on writing and staying true to himself. By the end, he has found a great mentor in Mr. Henshaw and attributes the progress he has made with his writing to him. Leigh's dad visits him and his mother with their dog, Bandit, and expresses how much he has missed them. Some peace is made and Leigh's grudge starts to thaw a bit. Leigh's story ends with him giving Bandit back to his father to keep him company, and he is left with a bittersweet feeling when he thinks about his dad. 

I am unsure as to whether or not I would use this book in my classroom. I didn't dislike it, but I also didn't love it. It for sure shares struggles that many students go through in school, especially the topic of divorce. I think this book would definitely be one that I could recommend if I have a student in that situation at home, but I do not think I would use this book as a read aloud, just because it was kind of so-so for me. Also, I must admit, I was not a fan of listening to this book. Something about it being written as letters did not mix well with an audiobook for me. It was short and sweet though, so it was perfect to listen to in the car because I could keep up with the plot well.

I would recommend Dear Mr. Henshaw for 4th through 6th grades, because the main character, Leigh, is a 6th-grader for the majority of the book, so it would be relatable for students in this age group. It is pretty short, so it would make a good independent read. It is also written from the point of view of a child, so the language is understandable and has humor mixed in.

A couple of activities to go along with this book could be to have students write to one of their favorite authors or to create a foldable with different questions for students to answer about the book. Students would need to cite the text to support their answers. Questions could have to do with Leigh's growth throughout the book (why was Leigh so frustrated with Mr. Henshaw at the beginning?) or his relationship with his father. I also found a really neat activity called a Tic-Tac-Toe. The grid has different activities, such as creating a crossword puzzle, writing about what you would talk about with Leigh over dinner, etc. I like how creative that activity is and takes the student beyond the text!