Dear Mr. Henshaw

After school, Leigh still feels depressed, so he goes for a walk to clear his head. He sees a sign that points to trees covered in butterflies that have migrated there for the winter. Though he doesn’t see many butterflies at first, Leigh appreciates the peacefulness of the grove. Leigh closely examines the trees, which appear to be covered in small twigs. Suddenly the twigs begin to move. The butterflies move as if they are one being as they fly away, and the scene deeply moves Leigh. On his way home, Leigh feels lighter and inspired to write his story. He notices that stores have black boxes labeled “Alarm System,” which gives him an idea.

Leigh asks Chuck, who works at the gas station, what is inside the black alarm boxes. He explains that it’s just batteries and a bell, which gives Leigh another idea. He wonders if he could rig the inside of his lunchbox with an alarm. Meanwhile, he begins writing his story, entitled The Ten-Foot Wax Man, which he thinks is quite different from the monster stories the other boys are writing.

On February 9, Leigh receives a letter from his father with a $20 bill and a hastily written note on a napkin apologizing for what happened with Bandit. His father says he can use the money to buy an ice cream cone. The gesture makes Leigh angry, but his mother encourages him to cut his father some slack, saying that most men don’t express their feelings well. Leigh continues to work on his story and decides to save the money to purchase a typewriter.

Leigh writes a letter to Mr. Henshaw on February 15 to ask for advice on the ending of his story. Leigh’s story is about a ten-foot-tall man made of wax. He is a truck driver, and driving through the desert makes him melt, so he cannot operate the rig. Leigh has noticed that the boys in his class lean on formulaic endings in which someone vanquishes the bad guys, but he wants something different for his tale. Leigh adds a postscript to his letter saying that he writes in his journal every day unless he is working on his story.

Mr. Henshaw responds to Leigh’s letter sharing that he once struggled as a young writer and suggests that it may not be the right time for this story. Leigh responds to the letter thanking Mr. Henshaw for his advice and agrees that a story about a man who melts isn’t very compelling. After talking to his teacher, Leigh considers writing a poem for the contest instead. Leigh includes a postscript telling Mr. Henshaw that he purchased a used copy of Ways to Amuse a Dog at a garage sale.

Leigh resumes writing in his diary on March 1 and titles the first entry “FROM THE DIARY OF LEIGH BOTTS VOL. 2” (93). He admits to falling behind on writing in his journal and writing letters to Mr. Henshaw, but he does reveal that he already filled one notebook with his entries. Leigh purchases a used black lunchbox from the thrift store and carries it to school. Part of his lunch is stolen, but he expected that and is confident that he can catch the lunch thief. At the library, Leigh checks out books on batteries and learns enough to help him build his lunch box alarm. Though he abandons his wax man story, Leigh still wants to write a poem for the contest about the butterfly trees. However, finishing his alarm project distracts him from working on the poem.

Leigh tries to work on the poem but gets sidetracked trying to find rhyming words. He also considers writing a thank-you note to his father for the $20 but doesn’t complete either task.

Leigh uses the $20 to purchase the remaining supplies he needs for the alarm. At the hardware store, a kind older man recognizes what Leigh is creating and offers some suggestions. Overwhelmed by the man’s kindness and excited to complete his project, Leigh races home to put it together. After running into a few engineering snags, Leigh completes the assembly and administers a test run. The alarm works so well that his mother comes to his room to investigate. Bonnie is delighted at Leigh’s ingenuity and helps him perfect the design so he still has room for his lunch inside. Leigh is giddy with excitement for Monday.

Leigh’s mother helps him conduct one last test of the alarm before going to school. During class, Leigh is distracted from his work as he waits to hear the alarm sounding. By lunchtime, the alarm hasn’t gone off. To eat his lunch, Leigh has to trip the alarm himself, garnering the attention of everyone in the lunchroom, including the principal. Soon students gather around Leigh to get a closer look at the invention, claiming that they have also been the target of the lunch thief and asking Leigh to build them a lunch box alarm. Leigh’s classmate Barry wants a custom alarm for his bedroom door. All the positive attention makes Leigh feel proud of himself, but he still wants to know who’s stealing his lunch.

Barry invites Leigh to his house to rig a bedroom door alarm to keep his sisters out, but he doesn’t have the proper battery for the job so he and Leigh just hang out. Barry shows Leigh how he likes to put together models, and Barry’s ability to assemble them without using the instructions impresses Leigh. Leigh’s joy over spending an afternoon with a friend makes him forget about the writing contest and he writes his father a letter thanking him for the $20, since the gift led to him making a friend. However, he still worries that his father is starting a new life with a new family.

Rigging lunchboxes with alarms becomes a trend amongst the students and the unidentified thief stops stealing from Leigh’s lunch. In retrospect, he is glad he never caught the thief. He finds empathy for them, thinking that they might have been hungry or didn’t enjoy what was in their lunchbox.

By March 16, Leigh still doesn’t have any inspiration for his Young Writers assignment. His father calls, taking Leigh by surprise. Bill still hasn’t found Bandit. Leigh feels awkward speaking to his father on the phone after so long. Bill asks, “Do you ever miss your old Dad?” (105), and Leigh isn’t sure how to answer. He misses his father but has grown accustomed to being without him. Bill asks to speak to Bonnie, but she doesn’t want to talk to him. Bill promises to send the child support check soon and ends the call the same way he always does, telling Leigh to “keep his nose clean” and calling him “kid” (106). Leigh is so shaken by the call that he picks up his favorite book, Ways to Amuse a Dog, to comfort him. Reading the book makes him think of Mr. Henshaw.

Leigh visits the butterfly trees for inspiration, but looking at the beautiful trees reminds him of a happy time when he accompanied his father on a trip to haul grapes to a winery.

It’s March 20, 24 hours until the Young Writers deadline, and Leigh still doesn’t have anything to submit. The librarian, Miss Neely, encourages Leigh to write something, and Leigh agrees since he would enjoy meeting an author. He thinks about his failed wax man story and incomplete lunchbox mystery story and decides to write about traveling with his father to the winery. He includes details about the scenery and even what the grapes smelled like. He submits it to Miss Neely.

Barry and Leigh have become good friends, so Bonnie encourages Leigh to invite him to dinner. Leigh is embarrassed by his house, but Barry enjoys his dinner. Everyone shares a laugh as the boys discuss how they successfully created an alarm for Barry’s door but now his little sisters insist on setting it off to hear the sound.

Though Leigh is happier, he worries about his father. He doesn’t want him to start a new life with the other kid he calls “pizza boy.” Leigh asks his mother if his father will remarry, and Bonnie explains that Bill probably can’t afford it due to all his truck expenses. Bonnie sees Bill as a good person and a good father because he always sends his support payments, even if they’re a bit late. This angers Leigh because he doesn’t understand why his parents aren’t still together. Bonnie reiterates that Bill is too immature. Leigh shifts his thoughts toward the Young Writers Contest and hopes he is the winner.

The school announces the winners on yearbook distribution day, and Leigh is disappointed when he sees he’s not the winner. However, he does win an honorable mention and enjoys seeing his name printed along with his story, “A DAY ON DAD’S RIG” (113). The winners get to meet the author Angela Badger, whom Leigh claims writes mostly for girls. He is just glad it’s not Mr. Henshaw.

The librarian discovers that one of the contest winners plagiarized her submission, so Leigh gets to attend the author meeting in her stead. Leigh gives his lunch to Barry and rides with Miss Neely to the hotel where all the winners will have lunch with Angela Badger. Leigh worries that he isn’t dressed appropriately, but then he remembers that Mr. Henshaw wears an old shirt in his author photos, and he feels like his old shirt will be adequate.

The students serve themselves from a salad bar, which they find strange, but Leigh mostly worries about talking to the author since he hasn’t read any of her books. Mrs. Badger is a friendly woman, and she attempts to engage with all the students. When she asks Leigh the name of his submission, she excitedly says, “So you’re the author of A Day on Dad’s Rig!” (117). Leigh can’t believe she called him an author and is filled with pride as she shares how much she enjoyed his honesty and the sensory descriptions of the trip. When Leigh expresses his doubts about the quality of the piece, Mrs. Badger encourages him to keep writing, saying that he will get better at his craft the older he gets and the more he practices. She reiterates the importance of what Mr. Henshaw told him about being authentic and not trying to imitate other authors. After ice cream, Leigh musters the courage to ask Mrs. Badger if she knows Mr. Henshaw. She met him one time and calls him a kind man. Leigh beams with joy the entire ride home and can’t wait to tell his mother about the lunch and write about it in his journal. He only wishes he could share it with his dad.

Leigh writes a letter to Mr. Henshaw telling him about winning an honorable mention in the contest. He thanks him for his encouragement and admits that he wasn’t ready to write a fictional story. He signs the letter “Your friend, the author” (124). He includes a postscript telling Mr. Henshaw that he still writes in his diary.

In late March, Leigh and Barry visit the butterfly trees and then watch sailboats in the bay. When they return to Leigh’s house, his father’s rig is parked outside. Barry leaves, sensing that he’s intruding on a private family moment. Leigh’s dad is there along with Bandit, and though Leigh is overjoyed to see them, he keeps his distance. He feels strange having not seen his father for so long. Bill comments on how much Leigh has grown and explains how he found Bandit by making calls over his CB. Bill is on his way to Salinas to pick up a load of broccoli and decided to stop for a visit because he misses Leigh and Bonnie. Leigh feels sad that his father only came to see him because of work. Bonnie invites Bill in for coffee and the three sit awkwardly in the kitchen. Bill seems concerned about their living conditions, but Bonnie explains that it’s all they can afford and much better than the trailer they once lived in.

Leigh shares his prize-winning story with his father, and Bill smiles, saying that he also remembers that day fondly. He is also very impressed with Leigh’s lunchbox alarm. Bill and Bonnie say little to each other, and Leigh wishes they would talk. Bill finally breaks the silence and asks if there is any chance they could reconcile, but Bonnie doesn’t even let him finish. She says no because she already gave him plenty of chances to prove he could be a caring spouse and responsible father. Bill prepares to leave and promises to visit more often. Leigh worries that his father is lonely and tells him to take Bandit with him. For the first time, Bill calls Leigh by his name instead of “kid” and tells him that he is proud of him. Later, Leigh decides that maybe his father came all that way to see him, not just to pick up broccoli. The visit leaves him with a sense of relief and sadness.