Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary - Book Review

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary- Book Review

Title: Dear Mr. Henshaw

Author: Beverly Cleary

Publisher: Harper

Publish Date: 1983

Rating: 4.5/5

Summary(blurb): Beverly Cleary’s timeless Newbery Medal-winning book explores difficult topics like divorce, insecurity, and bullying through the thoughts and emotions of a sixth-grade boy as he writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. After his parents separate, Leigh Botts moves to a new town with his mother. Struggling to make friends and deal with his anger toward his absent father, Leigh loses himself in a class assignment in which he must write to his favorite author. When Mr. Henshaw responds, the two form an unexpected friendship that will change Leigh’s life forever. From the beloved author of the Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse series comes an epistolary novel about how to navigate and heal from life’s growing pains.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Although this book is aimed for much younger audiences(4th-5th grade), I still read this book because it was a Newbery Award book I didn't remember reading back in sixth grade. I used to read Beverly Cleary books a lot in my elementary school days, starting with the Ramona Quimby series in 2nd-3rd grade and then progressing through the Ralph S Mouse series. This book was a joy to reread, and it did a great job of portraying difficult issues (divorce, absent father, bullying, insecurity, etc) through the eyes of a child.

Dear Mr. Henshaw is written in epistolary format, meaning the entire book consists of a series of letters. In this particular case, main character Leigh Botts initially writes letters to his favorite author Boyd Henshaw in second grade. He continues to exchange letters with Mr. Henshaw every year until sixth grade, but only Leigh's letters are shown (while Mr. Henshaw's responses are indirectly mentioned). By sixth grade Leigh is more mature, and is already dealing with issues such as bullying, divorce, and an absent father. Leigh transitions to writing journals, addressed to Mr. Henshaw (instead of the customary Dear Diary). Throughout his letters and journals, we readers get a glimpse into Leigh's life and experience the highs and lows of middle school life with him.

Because this book is geared towards younger readers, there's not much to actually talk about in the story, but there's a lot to be learned and gained from it (it did win the Newbery Medal after all). Leigh Botts faces various challenges, including writer's block, stolen lunch goodies, lost dogs, overly sarcastic authors, divorced parents, and good-willed-but-promise-breaking fathers. It seems like it's designed to be relatable to kids of most ages and backgrounds, Leigh encounters such a variety of problems. Through his journaling, letter writing (to Mr. Henshaw), and the course of middle school life, Leigh matures and comes to realize that being a good writer is about writing your own stories, not copying anyone else's. He also understands the situation between his parents better, and realizes how his dad can't be together with his mom again (his dad's always on the road, and his mom wants to stay put, and it didn't work out). As this is in epistolary format, being able to explore and witness a portion of someone's life (especially their childhood) without feeling like the reader is being 'told' the story is a particularly nice addition to the reading experience. This is why I love epistolary format so much-- when you read letters, text messages, emails, and other memories of someone's life, you get immersed into their story without feeling like you're interfering with their life. Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern perfectly demonstrates this style (and is up there near the top of my favorite books list). 

All in all, Dear Mr. Henshaw is a sweet short children's book about dealing with the inevitable challenges in life, whether it be problems with school, home, or life. I've succeeded in a Newbery Spree-- wait, does reading three Newbery books in a row count as a spree at all? Anyways, this was such a fun story to read and empathize with, and I'm probably going to read a longer Newbery book next time-- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman maybe. 

I would recommend this book for grade 3 to 6, it's targeted for that age group and is a well-crafted novel that tells a (at least partially) relatable story for many kids.

Rating: I would give this a 4.5/5 - a wonderful children's book that is made relatable to many kids, and also gives an honest middle-school view on life.