Novel Study

Read

Dear Mr. Henshaw: Part Seven

Read pages 73 to 81 of Dear Mr. Henshaw


In this section of the story, Leigh’s mom finally talks to him about his dad. You will notice his mood changing as the story progresses.

As you read pages 73 to 81, use the questions below to guide your reading and thinking about this section:

  • Why doesn’t Leigh write to pretend Mr. Henshaw any more?
  • Why does Leigh wash his face and try to look like he wasn’t crying?
  • What happened between Leigh’s mom and dad?
  • What important thing does Leigh’s mom tell him about his fault in his parents' divorce? Why does Leigh start feeling better?
  • Why does Mr. Fridley seem less friendly to Leigh?
Open

Open Your File

Go to Part 7 of your Dear Mr. Henshaw Diary.

  • Summarize this part of the story.
  • Answer this question: Mr. Fridley gives Leigh some very important advice. What is the advice?
  • Can you make any connection to this story at this point? Have you had a time, or read in a story, when it seemed that everything is bad and you (or the character) can’t understand why? Write about it or draw a picture that tells about your connection.

Save

How to save a file:

  1. Have the file open and select Save As from the File menu.
  2. Name your Dear Mr. Henshaw Diary file in this format: jsmith_dearmrhenshawdiary and save the file to your Documents folder.