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Dear Mr. Henshaw Audiobook
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(3.00) - 14,369 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Newbery Medal Winner * Teachers’ Top 100 Books for Children * ALA Notable Children’s Book
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.
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"This is a book that I really enjoyed reading because I love the voice ans style it is written in and most of all, I love the main character who seems like he could easily be one of my students. The story begins when the main character is in second grade and assigned to write a letter to an author. Unfortunately, Leigh chose the author who decided to ask questions about Leigh rather than answer the questions Leigh asked - and Leigh's mother makes Lee answer them all! Although he is frustrated that his mom is making him do extra work, he actually begins to enjoy writing to his pen pal- after all, the tv is broken anyway. Because of the sincere first-person voice throughout the story, readers develop a strong relationship with Lee. They experience his frustration as someone steals from his lunch, they want to keep Leigh company while his mom works two jobs so they can live in their house, and they hope for Leigh's dad and dog to come visit and bring a little bit of sunshine to his life. Most of all, they want to continue reading to find out if the author ever writes back to Leigh."
— Mandy (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A first-rate, poignant story...a lovely, well-crafted, three-dimensional work.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“[A] poignant story.”
— Children’s Literature -
“This amusing, often touching series of letters from Leigh Botts to a children’s book author he admires again demonstrates Cleary’s right-on perception of a kid’s world.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Cleary succeeds again. [Her] sense of humor leavens and lightens.”
— School Library Journal
Awards
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Winner of the 1984 Newbery Medal
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Winner of the 1984 Christopher Award
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An 1983 ALA Notable Book for Children
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A 1983 School Library Journal Best Book
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A 1983 New York Times Notable Book for Children
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Winner of the 1985 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award
Dear Mr. Henshaw Listener Reviews
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" The best book, I've read this book in Chinese when I was 7 years old. Bought it again later in English and loved it! "
— Leonor , 12/14/2024 -
" A good book for a 8-12 year old boy who is missing his father due to a divorce. In this story Leigh(boy) longs for his father to call him and want to take him somewhere after the divorce of his parents. In place of his father, he writes to Mr. Henshaw an author who responds to Leigh's needs through letter writing. "
— Theresa, 2/1/2014 -
" I enjoyed reading this book, which is interestingly in letter format. Leigh Botts wants to be an author when he grows up. He wants to achieve his dream and even writes to his favorite author through mail and postcards. Leigh expresses his tragedies in his life to Mr. Henshaw. The theme in this book is hope, even if you are going though tough times in life and come across many obstacles you can still be what you want to be or achieve your dreams. "
— Amanda, 1/26/2014 -
" When I was little, this book inspiried me to continue working toward my dream of becoming a writer. =) Now that I'm older, it's still one of my favorite books. It's such a great story of strength, hope, and being who you are. "
— Kim, 1/4/2014 -
" I absolutely hate this book. There are few books that I hate as much as this one. Reading it in 3rd grade was intolerable. Sooooo boring and terrible. "
— Jen, 1/3/2014 -
" I remember reading this in 4th grade and not really liking it. Thank goodness I read it again b/c I just loved it. Highly recommend it. "
— Patrick, 1/3/2014 -
" This book just brings back so many memories from elementary school. I think I read this book at least ten times. It is such a great book. "
— Georgmarie, 1/1/2014 -
" My mom read this book to me when i was little and i read it to my little brother. "
— Megan, 12/31/2013 -
" Really sweet story about young boy who turns to writing to cope with his parents' divorce and the life changes that accompany. Hit a little close to home in parts. Glad my youngest is reading this now as she can really relate. Interesting that she has started a journal since starting this book. "
— Tina, 12/22/2013 -
" I love Beverly Cleary. My favorite are the Ramona serious but this one talks about the hardships a boy goes through with divorced parents and stolen lunches. "
— Gabriela, 12/17/2013 -
" This is a sweet book. It deals with a hard topic in a sensitive way, and also has a lot of humor that got me laughing. I would recommend it to any middle aged child. It is definitely a keeper. "
— Janessa, 11/11/2013 -
" I found this story much more poignant and sad the second time around. The boys enjoyed it and found it amusing in places, but I guess as a mother I focused on how sorry I felt for not only the boy, but for both his parents too. "
— Briana, 10/27/2013 -
" This book is cleverly told through letters from Leigh Botts to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw and later through Leigh "
— Julie, 10/19/2013 -
" Read this in the third grade and really liked it. "
— D'Arcy, 8/25/2013 -
" An interesting tell through a one way letters and a journal. "
— Felicia, 2/25/2013 -
" Classic book about a boy dealing with his parents divorce and moving to a new city. "
— Liann, 1/6/2013 -
" it is not a good book!!! "
— Eunsol, 12/14/2012 -
" Written first person of a young boy in his letters to Mr. Henshaw and his journal entries. Mr. Henshaw is an author who helps Leigh value the reflective nature of journaling as he matures and learns how not to hate his father. "
— Suzanne, 11/24/2012 -
" This was a nice book of him growing up and getting help from his favorite author. "
— Kristin, 9/14/2012 -
" Sad, but so true for single parent children. "
— Anita, 8/8/2012 -
" The way this book is formatted made it a very quick read. I read it in one sitting. My sons enjoyed this book too. "
— Barb, 3/22/2012 -
" I just finished reading this book for the first time, and it was an awesome book. The details were amazing and the book is good for a younger audience! (: "
— Hailey, 1/30/2012 -
" I literally could *not* stomach this. "
— Madi, 12/5/2011 -
" I read this in school. I would sit down and force myself to read it! It was really really boring (I thought, you might have a different opinion though!) "
— Julia, 11/28/2011 -
" This is a sad story about a boy who's parents are divorced. His father has a girlfriend and his dog even gets lost. Please read this book! "
— Chipmunk, 10/6/2011 -
" A good book for an advanced early reader. The story of a young boy writing to.....Mr.Henshaw! "
— Ali, 6/27/2011 -
" I enjoyed seeing the main character's writing ability improve but it was sadder than I was expecting. "
— Andrea, 6/26/2011 -
" I disliked this book because I thought it was very predictible. I didn't feel a connections to Leigh in the story. "
— Chloe, 6/25/2011 -
" i hated this book! i usaully love beverly cleary but not this book! "
— Bailey, 6/15/2011 -
" This book is a diary. It is very interesting. "
— Trenten, 6/14/2011 -
" It was pretty good. We read it for school. "
— Booklover123, 6/8/2011 -
" This was a nice book of him growing up and getting help from his favorite author. "
— Kristin, 6/7/2011 -
" It took me about 20 pages to get into the book and then I couldnt put it down. I love Beverly Cleary and her books usually catch my attention from the first few pages. "
— Diana, 5/31/2011 -
" In this collection of touching letters to his favorite author, a young boy reveals his struggles in coping with life. "
— Brittany, 5/26/2011 -
" This is a good book to recomend to a young boy (approximately 4th - 6th grade) who is dealing with divorce and/or moving to a new school. "
— Therese, 4/5/2011 -
" LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! A story about a boy who's father is always gone. He writes to his favorite author about his life and receives responses back. So sweet it made me cry. I loved this book. "
— Alissa, 4/4/2011
About Beverly Cleary
Beverly Cleary (1916–2021) was an American author of highly acclaimed fiction for children and young adults, including the Henry Huggins series, Ramon Quimby series, stand-alone novels, picture books, and two memoirs. Some of her many awards include the Newbery Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the National Medal of Arts. She was born in McMinnville, Oregon, and lived on a farm in Yamhill, a town so small it had no library. Her mother arranged to have books sent to their tiny town from the state library and acted as a librarian in a room over a bank. It was there that she learned to love books. Generations of children have grown up with Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, Ralph Mouse, and all of their friends, families, and assorted pets. Her books continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of children of all ages throughout the world.