Dear Mr. Henshaw
Beverly Cleary
 Dear Mr. Henshaw begins with the book's main character, Leigh Botts, writing a letter to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. He continues to write him letters occasionally until the sixth grade when he is expected to write a report on an author. Naturally, he chooses to do it on Mr. Henshaw, and writes him a series of questions. Mr. Henshaw writes back with silly responses some questions for Leigh to answer. At first Leigh is reluctant to reply to Mr Henshaw, but his mother finds out and demands he reply because the author answered his questions. Through his answers to Mr. Henshaw, Leigh's personal matters are revealed, such as his struggles with his parents' divorce, his complex relationship with his father, as well as his being the new kid in school. Later, Mr. Henshaw encourages Leigh to keep a diary of his thoughts and feelings, and the book then switches from a letter format to a diary, in which Leigh writes to Mr. Pretend Henshaw. By writing to Mr. Henshaw, Leigh Botts must learn to accept that he cannot change parts of his life. For example, his parents may never re-marry, people will continue to steal his lunch, and that he can never count on his father to be available when he is needed. He must deal with problems that many other children also have to cope with: feeling lonely because he is new in town, school assignments, etc.Plot summary from Bookrags.comPlot summary from Scholastic Books