Preview of Dear Mr. Henshaw Summary:

Dear Mr. Henshaw is an entertaining book that offers the distinct pleasure of reading a boy's personal letters and private diary. Within the novel's pages, Cleary effectively and sensitively handles the delicate problem of a young adult's struggle with the effects of his parents' divorce and conveys the message that dedicated work to improve one's situation will result in both maturity and satisfaction.

Leigh Botts must learn to accept that his parents will never remarry, no matter how much he might like them to, and that he cannot count on his father to be available when he needs him. The daily problems Leigh faces are familiar to many young adults: classroom assignments, a name he dislikes, an absent father, a working mother, a move to a small house, loneliness, a lunch bag thief, staying at home alone before and after school, broken promises, a lack of friends, a...