Deze serie volgt de reis van een jonge jongen die te maken krijgt met ingrijpende levensveranderingen en uitdagingen. Door te schrijven naar zijn favoriete auteur en onverwachte vriendschappen te sluiten, leert hij om te gaan met gevoelens van eenzaamheid, onzekerheid en woede. De verhalen onderzoeken op gevoelige wijze thema's als echtscheiding, pesten en volwassen worden, en illustreren een pad naar heling en zelfontdekking. Het is een aangrijpend verhaal over het overwinnen van tegenspoed en het vinden van je eigen stem te midden van moeilijke omstandigheden.
Dear Mr. Henshaw, Leigh Botts has been author Boyd Henshaw's number one fan ever since he was in second grade. Now in sixth grade, Leigh lives with his mother and is the new kid at school. He's lonely, troubled by the absence of his father, a cross-country trucker, and angry because a mysterious thief steals from his lunchbag. Then Leigh's teacher assigns a letter-writing project. Naturally Leigh chooses to write to Mr. Henshaw, whose surprising answer changes Leigh's life.
Strider has a new habit. Whenever we stop, he places his paw on my foot. It isn't an accident because he always does it. I like to think he doesn't want to leave me. Can a stray dog change the life of a teenage boy? It looks as if Strider can. He's a dog that loves to run; because of Strider, Leigh Botts finds himself running -- well enough to join the school track team. Strider changes Leigh on the inside, too, as he finally begins to accept his parents' divorce and gets to know a redheaded girl he's been admiring. With Strider's help, Leigh finds that the future he once hated to be asked about now holds something he never expected: hope.