Beverly Cleary: We Are All Medium Kids.

"Quite often somebody will say, What year do your books take place? and the only answer I can give is, In childhood." ~ Beverly Cleary“

"I am sort of medium...I guess you could call me the mediumest boy in the class. -Leigh Botts” 
~ Beverly Cleary, Dear Mr. Henshaw


In "Dear Mr. Henshaw", Beverly Cleary once again writes of childhood and family life in a real setting, in an unromanticized, true manner. It's about all of us, the "medium" kids.  Those of us with average parents, whether we had one parent, or two, who lived in an average house in the middle of the block, or an apartment or a mobile home park.   Beverly Cleary's characters may be lonely, excited, embarrassed, friended or friendless.  They are facing new classrooms, new schools, new neighbors, new experiences.   She deftly explores childhood emotions like flowers that bloom into understanding and acceptance.

"Dear Mr. Henshaw" is told through Leigh Botts' letters to his favorite author and later, to his diary.  Through his writing, Leigh learns to describe and confront his own feelings about his life, his parents' divorce, and his loneliness at his new school.  He discovers understanding of both his talents, and his parents' relationship, and he learns to think about the feelings of others.

Awarded the Newbery Medal in 1984, "Dear Mr. Henshaw" is a fine example of why adults should continue to read children's literature long after they become adults.  I found myself having an understanding of why the parents' relationship suffered that I would not have had as a young reader.  Proof that you're never too old to read a Beverly Cleary story.  I'm happy I didn't miss this one. I listened to it on Audiobook borrowed from my local library.  You can find it at Scholastic.com and from your local library.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/dear-mr-henshaw-by-beverly-cleary/