Dear Mr. Henshaw

Dear Mr. Henshaw book cover
Author	Beverly Cleary
Illustrator	Paul O. Zelinsky
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Young adult
Publisher	HarperCollins
Released	August 1983
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	144 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-688-02405-X

Dear Mr. Henshaw is a juvenile novel by Beverly Cleary which was awarded the Newbery Medal in 1984. Image File history File links DearMrHenshawBookCover. ... Beverly Cleary (born April 12, 1916) is the author of over 30 books for young adults and children. ... Paul O. Zelinsky is an American author and illustrator. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Collins was a Scottish printing company founded by a Presbyterian schoolmaster, William Collins, in Glasgow in 1819, in partnership with Charles Chalmers, the younger brother of Thomas Chalmers, minister of Tron Church, Glasgow. ... See also: 1982 in literature, other events of 1983, 1984 in literature, list of years in literature. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... Beverly Cleary (born April 12, 1916) is the author of over 30 books for young adults and children. ... The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the outstanding American book for children. ...

Plot summary

The character of Boyd Henshaw is a novelist who does not actually appear in the book. The story is actually about Leigh Botts, a young boy who lives with his divorced mother and misses his father. The beginning of the book is a collection of letters written from Leigh to Mr. Henshaw, his favorite author. The letters show a progression as Leigh grows up. They also reflect his desire to become a writer. It has been suggested that Divorcee be merged into this article or section. ...

As the book progresses, the format changes from letters to diary entries. Although we never see Mr. Henshaw's reply, Mr. Henshaw apparently answered at least one of Leigh's letters and suggested that if he wanted to be a writer the best thing to do would be to write in a diary every day. At first Leigh's diary entries take the form of unsent additional letters to Mr. Henshaw, even beginning with the salutation, "Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw." But as he matures, Leigh eventually decides that he does not need to do this and begins keeping his diary only for himself. == c programming[[a--203. ... A salutation is a greeting, in particular a formal greeting used in a letter. ...

The diary reveals Leigh's feelings of loneliness at his school, detail his troubles with an unknown schoolmate secretly stealing his lunch before lunchtime, and most of all address the feelings of sorrow he has over his parents' divorce and his father's absence.

Audience

Unlike many of Cleary's novels, Dear Mr. Henshaw does not fit into any other series or continuity. It did eventually spawn a sequel many years later, however, titled Strider. Also, while most of Cleary's children's novels take place in or near Portland, Oregon, Dear Mr. Henshaw takes place in California. Strider is a novel by childrens author Beverly Cleary; it is the sequel to Dear Mr. ... Nickname: City of Roses, Stumptown, Bridgetown, PDX Location in Multnomah County and the state of Oregon Coordinates: Country United States State Oregon County Multnomah County Incorporated February 8, 1851 Mayor Tom Potter Area    - City 376. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

For teachers who might use this book in the classroom, it appeals to tenth through fourteenth grade students. The main character is in the second grade but progresses to sixth grade in less than 10 pages. Some of the projects that can be researched are monarch butterflies, life of a truck driver, and catering businesses, electronics and creating a burglar alarm.