Published in 1983 and winner of the 1984 Newberry Award, Beverly Cleary’s Dear Mr. Henshaw marks a departure for the novelist known for her books that celebrate the whimsy and adventurousness of childhood. Dear Mr. Henshaw is an epistolary novel, in which protagonist and aspiring author Leigh Botts narrates his story through letters and diary entries addressed to his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. Leigh begins writing yearly letters to Mr. Henshaw in second grade but gradually increases his correspondence as he gets older and experiences the pain of his parents’ divorce, endures bullying at school, and feels a crushing sense of loneliness and abandonment.

Through his letters, Leigh not only forges a friendship with Mr. Henshaw but also learns how to hone his writing skills and find the courage to persevere through his struggles. Paul O. Zelinsky illustrated the novel, and the illustrations were never changed in subsequent editions. Zelinsky also illustrated Cleary’s 1991 sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw, Stryder, which picks up Leigh’s story as he enters high school and continues to write in his journal. Cleary is best known for her Henry Huggins series and the award-winning Ramona series. She is the author of over 30 books, and in addition to her National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the Newberry Award, she received the National Medal of Arts Library of Congress Living Legend Award, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder medal.

The source material for this guide comes from the 2009 Harper Collins ePub edition.

Content Warning: This guide and the source text contain a brief mention of addiction and substance abuse.

Plot Summary

Leigh Botts first writes a letter to Boyd Henshaw, the author of Ways to Amuse a Dog, in second grade and continues to write to the author annually until he is in fifth grade, when Leigh writes again to tell Mr. Henshaw that he read his newest book, Moose on Toast. As he ages, Leigh’s letters become longer and contain fewer spelling errors. He enjoys sharing with what he loves about Mr. Henshaw’s writing and claims to be his number-one fan. When Leigh is in sixth grade and his teacher assigns a report on a famous author, Leigh of course chooses Mr. Henshaw. Leigh sends Mr. Henshaw a list of personal questions about his life and family. The response letter arrives late, and the answers are silly and nonsensical. Surprisingly, Mr. Henshaw’s response includes a list of questions for Leigh to answer about himself. The list angers Leigh, and at first, he refuses to answer them. However, his mom says she won’t repair the broken television until he responds, so over several days and several letters, Leigh answers questions about who he is, what his family is like, what bothers him, and what he wishes for. Through the process of answering the questions, Leigh reveals that his parents are divorced, and he and his mother moved out of their mobile home to a new town.

As Leigh adjusts to life in an unfamiliar town, navigating social dynamics at school and living without his father and beloved dog Bandit, he begins to write letters more frequently to Mr. Henshaw. Though Leigh’s letters are mostly filled with his adoration for the author’s work, it becomes clear that he is also using the letters to reach out because of his crippling loneliness. Leigh’s father, Bill, is a truck driver who enjoys the long hauls and is often out of contact with his family for extended periods. Bonnie, Leigh’s mother, works for a catering company whose owner, Katy, is kind to them and sends treats for Leigh’s lunch. However, each day, someone at school steals the food from his lunch bag, causing Leigh even more stress at school. Leigh misses his father and Bandit and spends a lot of time alone since his mother attends nursing school when she’s not working. After he completes the questions, Leigh admits it was a good exercise and he enjoyed the daily practice of writing. Leigh aspires to be a writer and he asks Mr. Henshaw for writing advice. The author responds by telling him that the best way to improve his writing is to write often and write with authenticity. He encourages Leigh to keep a diary where he chronicles his daily life.

As Christmas approaches, Leigh longs to hear from his father. Bill is late sending his child support payment, but Leigh wishes he could just see his father or talk to him. Leigh dreams of traveling with his father in his truck and wishes that his dad took more of an interest in his life. Leigh’s depression intensifies as the lunch thief continues to steal his food, the only part of Leigh’s day he looks forward to. Feeling lonely and isolated at school, Leigh becomes friends with the school custodian, Mr. Fridley, who is kind and allows Leigh to help him raise the flag each day. Mr. Fridley cares for all the students in the school, but his kindness finds Leigh at a low point in his life. He encourages Leigh to smile and gives him the idea to put an alarm on his lunch bag. Leigh distracts himself from his sadness by researching how to build an alarm, but when Christmas Eve arrives, his father still hasn’t called. Bill sends Leigh a new coat through a truck driver friend passing through the area, and Leigh can’t understand his father’s emotional and physical distance.

Leigh writes in his journal daily by pretending to write letters to Mr. Henshaw. He documents his attempts to thwart the lunch thief and his frustration over his father’s silence. Finally Leigh reaches his breaking point and dials his father’s number, expecting him to be away on a trip. His father answers and tells Leigh that Bandit ran away at a truck stop and is still missing. Leigh also hears other voices in the background and realizes that his father has a lady and another boy in his home. Leigh ends the call and declares that he hates his father. The next day, Leigh takes a walk to clear his mind and finds a grove of trees covered in butterflies. The peaceful scene calms him and, on the way home, he gets an idea for his lunch woes. He purchases a black lunchbox and plans to arm it with an alarm. At the same time, the school librarian announces a writing contest, and the winner will enjoy lunch with a famous author. Leigh begins writing a story about a giant made from wax who drives a truck across the desert and keeps melting.

Though Leigh struggles with his story, his alarm project is a success and he takes his new lunchbox to school in hopes of catching the thief. However, the alarm never trips, and when lunchtime arrives, Leigh must activate the alarm to eat his lunch. All his classmates are astounded by his invention and several students whose lunches have been stolen ask Leigh to build them an alarm. Leigh’s classmate Barry asks him to build an alarm for his bedroom door to keep his sisters out, and a friendship blooms between the two boys. Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw for help with the wax man story, and he responds by telling him to scrap the fiction story and write about himself. Leigh decides to write about a day he spent riding in his father’s truck, entitled “A Day on Dad’s Rig.” Leigh only wins Honorable Mention for his submission but ends up getting to attend the author lunch when the judges determine the winner plagiarized her submission. During the lunch, Mrs. Badger, the author, gushes over Leigh’s story and encourages him to continue writing authentic stories. She knows Mr. Henshaw and confirms he is a kind, generous person.

Leigh’s father finally returns home and attempts to reconcile with Bonnie, but she firmly tells him no. Bill finds Bandit and brings him to Leigh, who is happy to see his father and shares his story with him. As Bill prepares to leave, Leigh decides Bandit should stay with him on the road to keep him company. Leigh feels simultaneously grateful for his father’s visit and sad that he is once again gone.