Dear Mr. Henshaw

Cleary, B. (1983).  Dear mr. henshaw. New York:  Morrow Junior Books.

Leigh's parents are recently divorced and he is in 4th grade.  Ever since he was in second grade, Mr. Henshaw was his favorite author.  He has written letters back and forth to Mr. Henshaw for school reports.  Then, he decides he needs to start writing a diary to keep track of his life and feelings.  Instead of writing "Dear Diary", he writes to "Dear Pretend Mr. Henshaw".  Many kids will relate to having a dad away, money struggles, and the feeling of not belonging.  Readers will root for Leigh as he makes his lunch box alarm and when he enters a writing contest.

Leigh is the main character in Dear Mr. Henshaw. Readers are able to see Leigh’s difficulties of being a child of divorced parents and his feelings of being an outcast at school as we read his journal entries titled “Dear Mr. Pretend Henshaw.”  Leigh feels let down that his truck driver dad does not phone or come see him very often.  He shows determination when someone at school keeps stealing his lunch and he builds a burglar alarm for his lunch box. Leigh changes from a beginner writer who is unsure of how to write his favorite author to winning an Honorable Mention in a writing contest at the end of the book.

The plot is relevant to children in elementary school.  The story deals with divorce and a boy missing his dad.  Readers will like how Leigh deals with the problem of someone stealing his lunch.  The story wraps up nicely with Leigh entering a writing contest and his dad coming for a visit.  

Lesson plan from Scholastic:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/dear-mr-henshaw-teaching-plan