Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

1984 Newbery Medal Winner

Ratings Explanation

Adult Themes:  Leigh’s parents have recently divorced and his father is mostly absent from his life.

Synopsis

Dear Mr. Henshaw,

Guess what?  Today the school librarian stopped me in the hall and said she had something for me.  She handed me your new book and said I could be the first to read it.  Now I know Mr. Fridley isn’t the only one who notices me.

Leigh Botts is a sixth-grader with a lot of trouble on his mind.  His parents have recently split up, he and his mother have moved to a new town, and Leigh’s only friend at his new school seems to be the kindly custodian, Mr. Fridley.  He is angry at his father, a cross-country trucker who took the pet dog with him, seldom phones and usually sends his support payments late.  Does he even remember my name? Leigh wonders to himself.  (He only ever calls him kid–even Mr. Fridley calls him son.)  And to add insult to injury, someone keeps stealing all the “good stuff” out of his lunch every day.  Then an assignment in English class comes along:  write a letter asking questions to an author.  Naturally, Leigh chooses Mr. Boyd Henshaw, who’s been his favorite author since the second grade.  What Mr. Henshaw replies just may help Leigh through this rough patch, gain him some perspective, and earn him a friend or two while he’s at it.

Written as a series of letters and journal entries (first “Dear Mr. Henshaw”, then “Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw”, then just a date at the top of the entry), this book is a shift from Beverly Cleary’s usual light-hearted fare of children living on Klickitat Street and motorcycle-riding mice.  But as can be expected with Mrs. Cleary, her trademark sense of humor and realistic voice help paint an endearing portrait of a young boy coming to grips with himself and his emotions.  A wonderful and poignant book.

©2010 The Literate Mother