Shelly's Book Blog

Beverly Cleary, one of my favorite children's book authors, won the Newbery Medal in 1984 for Dear Mr. Henshaw, which is a collection of letters and diary entries written by a ten-year-old boy named Leigh (it's pronounced Lee).
Leigh's parents have recently divorced, and he just started going to a new school, so he does not yet have any friends. On top of all this, someone keeps stealing the best food out of his lunch every day.
The school custodian, Mr. Fridley, befriends Leigh, and Mr. Henshaw, the author of Leigh's favorite book, answers some of his letters, so with the help of these two men Leigh works toward finding a place for himself and making the best of what life has offered him so far. This story tackles, in a sensitve and inventive way, some very difficult issues (divorce, lonliness) that many kids have to face . It also provides kids with excellent advice about writing that I'm sure Ms. Cleary hoped would inspire many young authors.