When fourth-grader Leigh Botts asks Mr. Henshaw to write to him personally, he gets more than he bargained for. Mr. Henshaw's letters are full of questions, and Leigh is getting tired of answering them. But as he continues his correspondence with his favorite author, he not only gets plenty of tips on writing, he finds a wise and thoughtful friend whom he can tell his troubles.

#1230 in our old book database. Rated: Good. ( )

I remember this being on my radar as a child, but I didn't pick it up. I got a copy for my daughter from goodwill or a library book sale since we love Beverly Cleary and it's a Newbery award winner. My daughter, at 10, wasn't too impressed. She finished it in an hour or two, but didn't have much to say about it. I decided to pick it up afterwards. I felt differently - I thought it was a sweet story and although a quick read, there was a lot of depth in it. I think the Newbery award is deserved. ( )

Leigh Botts lives with his mother in a small, run-down house. He misses his father, who is a trucker. His parents are divorced; his mother is always busy working and his father doesn't follow through on his promises to call or visit. On top of that, he's having trouble at school with someone stealing his lunch.
He begins writing to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw, hoping to get some help from him. And he does, when the author writes back, encouraging him to start a diary.
Probably pretty good for an elementary school reader; but as an adult who usually enjoys books for young readers, I got a little bored with this one, even as short as it is. ( )

Leigh Botts - that's a boy and it's pronounced the same as Lee - starts writing his favorite author, Mr. Henshaw. But what started as a school assignment then morphs into really asking for advice and finally writing in his own diary when sixth grade brings a lot of changes. Leigh's parents are divorced, and he's dealing with a new place, no friends, and a lunch thief.

I enjoyed so many of Beverly Cleary's books as a child - Ramona, Ralph the mouse, and Henry Huggins - but I never did get around to her standalone books. I like how she can get into the minds of her protagonist and really explain how things feel as a kid, the confusion and anger and sadness and yes, joy and happiness too that's a part of life and growing up. She does it again with Leigh, and it was a pleasure to see how everything turned out for him as he learns to write and turns to his journal to sort it all out. ( )