Dear Mr. Henshaw

In his next letter, Leigh is in third grade and reminds Mr. Henshaw that he wrote him a letter last year. He is proud to tell Mr. Henshaw that his book is “the first thick book with chapters that I have read” (1). Leigh enjoys Ways to Amuse a Dog because he has a dog named Bandit. Leigh asks Mr. Henshaw to respond to his letter so he can get recognized by his teacher. Leigh shares with Mr. Henshaw the trick he learned for correctly spelling “friend.”

Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw again in fourth grade as part of a “Book Week” at school. Mr. Henshaw sent a typed response to Leigh’s last letter, but Leigh asks the author to send a handwritten response next time. Leigh says that the dog in Ways to Amuse a Dog reminds him of Bandit.

Leigh follows up with another letter just one month later where he asks Mr. Henshaw why the adults in his book don’t get annoyed with dogs. Leigh lives in a mobile home park; all his neighbors are older and own cats. He tells Mr. Henshaw that he likes his author photograph in the book and that one day he hopes to be an author just like him. Since Leigh’s class is studying how to write business letters, his form has improved since the last letter. He signs it “Your favorite reader” and encloses a photo of himself with the letter (4).

Leigh writes again one year later when he is in the fifth grade. He informs Mr. Henshaw that he delivered a book report to the class on Ways to Amuse a Dog. The class enjoyed it, but his teacher gave him an A- for incorrect posture. Mr. Henshaw responds to Leigh’s letter, and Leigh writes to him in November thanking him for his book recommendation. Leigh enjoyed Moose on Toast, a book about a family from Alaska who hunts a moose and must think of creative ways to use over 1,000 pounds of meat. Leigh still identifies himself as Mr. Henshaw’s “number 1 fan” (6).

Leigh is now in the sixth grade and his family has moved to a new town. Leigh is completing a school assignment on an author and sends Mr. Henshaw a list of questions about his life as an author. The list also includes some personal questions about his family and likes and dislikes. Leigh also asks for book writing tips since he still wants to be an author one day. Leigh directly asks Mr. Henshaw to send him an autographed photo and bookmark and ends the letter with a playful poem: “De Liver / De Letter / De Sooner / De Better / De Later / De Letter / De Madder / I Getter” (7-8).

In November, Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw again. The author didn’t respond to Leigh’s letter in time for him to include the information in his report. Leigh instead used information he already knew about Mr. Henshaw, and in his research, he learned the author now lives in Alaska. When Mr. Henshaw finally responds, he answers all Leigh’s personal questions with nonsense answers such as saying his full name is “Messing A. Round” (9). Leigh says he isn’t angry and understands that Mr. Henshaw is busy. However, Leigh is angry that Mr. Henshaw included a list of questions for him to answer in his response. Leigh appreciates that Mr. Henshaw responded to his letter, especially considering some of his classmates got no response, but he refuses to answer the questions. He includes a postscript where he asks Mr. Henshaw about the title of his next book.

Leigh writes another letter the following day because his mother found Mr. Henshaw’s letter and is making him answer the questions. He says that he may or may not answer the questions and threatens to stop reading Mr. Henshaw’s books. Leigh signs the letter “Disgusted reader” (13).

A few days later, Leigh sends a letter with the answers to Mr. Henshaw’s questions. In response to the question “Who are you?” (13), Leigh shares his full name, Leigh Marcus Botts, which people constantly mistake for a girl’s name. His parents are Bill and Bonnie Botts, and he says he is a normal boy. He responds to the next question, “What do you look like?” (15), by reminding Mr. Henshaw that he already sent him a photo. He is small for his age, and classmates used to tease him, calling him “Leigh the Flea” (15). He explains that he has a normal appearance. He ends the letter and promises to answer the rest of the questions later.

On November 22, Leigh sends a letter with his answer to the third question, “What is your family like?” (16). Leigh’s father took Bandit and left him and his mother. His parents are now divorced, and he and his mother live in a mobile home in Bakersfield, California. Leigh’s father is a cross-country truck driver, and his parents’ problems began when he spent all their money to purchase his rig. Leigh claims his hand is tired and closes the letter.

Leigh begins a new letter the following day and tells Mr. Henshaw about his mother, Bonnie, who works for a catering company owned by a kind lady named Katy. Bonnie works hard and is a good cook, but Leigh wishes that she would cook for him more often. Bonnie is also studying at the local community college to be a nurse. Leigh resents having to answer all these questions from Mr. Henshaw and says he will no longer be using “dear” as a greeting.

Leigh begins a new letter on November 24 to answer the fourth question, “Where do you live?” (20). He explains that they live in the Great Central Valley and they enjoy being near the ocean. There isn’t much farmland nearby. Leigh and his mother no longer live in a mobile home and instead live in a rundown cottage. Leigh uses the one bedroom and his mother sleeps on the couch. They live near a gas station that keeps him awake sometimes. There are a few stores nearby as well, but Leigh’s mother doesn’t allow him to visit them alone. He closes the letter by saying that he misses his dog, Bandit.

Leigh’s television is broken and his mother refuses to have it repaired until he finishes answering the questions, so Leigh begins another letter. In response to the question “Do you have any pets?” (23), Leigh explains that in the divorce settlement, Leigh’s father took Bandit because he enjoys the dog’s company on his long-haul truck drives. Bandit got his name when Leigh’s father found him at a truck stop and the dog was wearing a red bandana. Leigh says he misses Bandit a lot but thinks the dog is happy on the road with his father.

Leigh writes again the following day and answers the sixth question, “Do you like school?” (25). Leigh doesn’t have much to say about school except that he will be glad when he is done with it. The seventh question is “Who are your friends?” (25), and Leigh explains that he doesn’t have many friends and wishes someone would invite him over to play soccer. Mr. Henshaw asks about his favorite teacher and Leigh says Mr. Fridley the custodian is his favorite school employee. At the end of the letter, Leigh mentions briefly that his father used to stay out too long partying, which made his mother angry.

On December 1, Leigh answers the last two questions. In response to what aggravates him, Leigh lists all the things at school that annoy him, including when people steal from his lunch bag. He also doesn’t like spending so much time alone before and after school. Leigh is hurt by his father’s seeming lack of concern for him. He says, “I am bothered when my Dad telephones me and finishes by saying, ‘Well, keep your nose clean, kid.’ Why can’t he say he misses me, and why can’t he call me Leigh?” (28). Still, Leigh uses maps to trace his father’s routes across the country just to feel close to him.

The tenth and final question asks what Leigh wishes for, and he explains that he has many wishes but mostly he wants to see his dad and Bandit. He has a dream of his father coming to pick him up and taking him on a trip in his truck with Bandit. Leigh closes the letter by snidely thanking Mr. Henshaw for making him do so much work.

Leigh follows up with another letter apologizing to Mr. Henshaw for being unkind in the previous letter. He is frustrated because his father hasn’t sent the monthly child support payment and won’t answer his mother’s phone calls. Leigh wishes that his father would visit him.

In his letter to Leigh, Mr. Henshaw told him that the best way to become an author was to write, and Leigh acknowledges that answering the questions was a helpful writing exercise for him. Leigh is lonely and writing gives him something to focus on. He continues to have issues with his classmates stealing his lunch. His mother’s boss, Katy, always puts treats in his lunch from their catering jobs, and his classmates steal them. Leigh says he will call his first novel “The Great Lunchbag Mystery” (32). Leigh ends his letter by once again calling himself Mr. Henshaw’s biggest fan.