Dear Mr. Henshaw is a coming of age story for a young boy.
He gets excited when he reads a book written by Mr. Henshaw and decides that
Mr. Henshaw is his favorite author. The whole book is written in letter format
and is an absolutely fabulous read. We get to dive into this young boys head as
he goes and learns the difficulties when a parent gets divorced and when things
don’t always go his way. He is taught throughout the book how to become a
better write by Mr. Henshaw who believes the best way to become a better writer
is to write. He isn’t always happy about having to write and gets angry with
Mr. Henshaw for having to write letters to answer the questions that were asked
of him. Although the plot isn’t as obvious there is a definite plot taking
place where the young boy misses his father and wants his parents to be happy
again. We get the great part of the story being first person which puts us right
into the adolescents head. 6th and 7th grade students
would be able to relate to this story really easily and those who have divorced
parents would also be able to relate. A fabulous must read for any young child.
Good pick! I think this book would relate to not only the students with divorced parents, but also any child having problems in their home life. To me Mr. Henshaw represents the strong mentor every child needs to be pushed into education and to believe in themselves. Middle school is usually the place students feel most alone or lost. So this book sounds perfect for middle school students!
ReplyDeleteI have never read this book, but it sound like one that will be a good book! I agree with you that it would be good for middle school kids because that is a time in their lives that they are going through a lot just because they're maturing and parents getting divorced only adds to the amount of chaos in their lives. They can definitely relate to the character which is always something important when you want to enjoy a book! sounds like a good book I will look out for it! :)
ReplyDeleteI am very familiar with Beverly Cleary books. She wrote Ramona and Beezus.
ReplyDeleteThis book would be wonderful to help kids express their feelings through writing instead of acting out.
Great review!
I think this book would be a great book to not only get students motivated to read but I also believe it would motivate them to write, whether they are writing to someone, like a pen pal, or just writing to get their feelings and issues out of their heads and down onto paper. I think writing can be extremely therapeutic for anyone and it sounds like this would be a great book for students to read to get them interested in writing and in language as a whole. I would like this book for instructional purposes but also a novel students can enjoy.
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