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Leigh Botts #2
Strider
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.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 1991
110 people are currently reading
1270 people want to read
About the author
Beverly Cleary
266 books3,361 followersBeverly Atlee Cleary was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction. One of America's most successful authors, 91 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide since her first book was published in 1950. Some of her best known characters are Ramona Quimby and Beezus Quimby, Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and Ralph S. Mouse.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.
The majority of Cleary's books are set in the Grant Park neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon, where she was raised, and she has been credited as one of the first authors of children's literature to figure emotional realism in the narratives of her characters, often children in middle-class families. Her first children's book was Henry Huggins after a question from a kid when Cleary was a librarian. Cleary won the 1981 National Book Award for Ramona and Her Mother and the 1984 Newbery Medal for Dear Mr. Henshaw. For her lifetime contributions to American literature, she received the National Medal of Arts, recognition as a Library of Congress Living Legend, and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Beverly Cleary School, a public school in Portland, was named after her, and several statues of her most famous characters were erected in Grant Park in 1995. Cleary died on March 25, 2021, at the age of 104.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
August 25, 2020
During a few year stretch of my adolescence, there was a time when I kept a lot of penpals. Before the internet and email’s arrival with the touch of a button, I loved the thrill of seeing mail addressed to me from all parts of the globe. I had penpals from as far as Australia and as close as Michigan, and each piece of mail was no less thrilling than the last. It is little wonder that one of my favorite books during that time was Dear Mr Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. I read it so many times that I knew the key points in the plot by heart. I did not know that the estimable Cleary had written a sequel after I had advanced to the teen and adult sections of my library. To my thrill, I found Strider on my parents’ bookshelf a few years ago yet never got around to reading it. Needing either an author or character whose name starts with the letter B for a scrabble challenge, I thought this was as good a time as any to read one of my childhood favorite authors.
Three years have elapsed since Leigh Botts and his mother moved to their cottage by the beach in Pacific Grove, California. No longer the new kid, Leigh is about to enter high school and hopes to make a good impression on the rest of the school. His father still drives a long distance truck and calls from time to time, and his mother still works the afternoon shift at the local hospital while studying to be a registered nurse. Told by his mother to clean out his room one summer morning, Leigh unearths the diary he kept during sixth grade and decides to write in it again. During the eighties and nineties when gender roles in society were much more defined than they are now, in hindsight I see how cutting edge Cleary was in having a male teenaged protagonist keep a diary, a hobby usually associated with girls. Leigh needed an outlet because he still only had one friend Barry and he spent long hours alone in his cottage. Writing would keep him from loitering on the beach and watching too much television, keeping him in his mother’s good graces.
Leigh’s loneliness takes a turn for the better when he and Barry discover an abandoned dog on the beach one day. Leigh still misses his dog Bandit that his dad took with him when his parents got divorced three years earlier. Leigh and Barry, whose parents are also divorced, make a lighthearted jab at divorce as they agree to joint custody of this dog who they name Strider. Surprisingly, Leigh’s mother agrees to this arrangement because she knows that he could use a companion on his long nights alone in the cottage. He has always been a good kid- mopping floors, doing his share of the laundry on their trips to the laundromat, and maintaining good grades in school. An Australian shepherd dog, Strider ended up being a blessing for Leigh who no longer had to spend all of his time on his own. Even though he is growing into a young man at age fourteen, Leigh is still in need of his parents, neither of whom is around that much. A dog and writing his thoughts down in a diary would have to suffice. Strider ends up being the loyalest of dogs and a blessing in Leigh’s life, and, important to this animal lover, nothing happens to him other than being loved by Leigh, Barry, and their families. Strider picked two quality families to be adopted by indeed.
Beverly Cleary made a career writing about kids with real issues without going over the top, just writing about the everyday occurrences in their lives. Fans had been clamoring for a sequel to Dear Mr Henshaw so she obliged, yet, in high school, Leigh is a little older than her averaged age protagonist. Here, she helps children of divorce navigate through difficult times by writing of how Leigh, Barry, and their new friend Kevin cope with their parents’ splitting in unique ways. At fourteen, Leigh is just beginning to experience teenaged angst and conflict, chuckling about his English teacher behind her back, dealing with a brief falling out with Barry, and falling for Geneva Weston, a girl with monarch butterfly hair. They join the track team and integrate into their high school community, all the while Leigh maintaining the qualities that have adults saying he is a good kid. Now having a dog, Leigh’s life appears stable and “normal” as he begins the path through his teenaged years toward adulthood. He is the type of young man that his parents do not have to worry about and is the protagonist of a story that parents feel comfortable having their kids read, hopefully influencing them for the better.
In this era where most young adult books involve teen romance or supernatural elements, I find it difficult to choose quality books for my advanced reading fourth grade daughter. Although below her current reading level, Strider is the type of book I read at her age that I keep looking for in current library stacks, a book about an everyday kid whose issues are not dramatized. Leigh Botts is the type of wholesome character that authors today should focus on rather than making every teenaged friendship into romance and divorce into the end of the world. Rather than sinking into depression, Leigh keeps a diary and becomes a friend to a loyal dog. The world needs more authors like Beverly Cleary, who help kids navigate through real world issues by minimizing conflict. I am glad that is discovered this gem of hers on my bookshelf.
4.5 stars 📔 🐕 🐾 🏃
Three years have elapsed since Leigh Botts and his mother moved to their cottage by the beach in Pacific Grove, California. No longer the new kid, Leigh is about to enter high school and hopes to make a good impression on the rest of the school. His father still drives a long distance truck and calls from time to time, and his mother still works the afternoon shift at the local hospital while studying to be a registered nurse. Told by his mother to clean out his room one summer morning, Leigh unearths the diary he kept during sixth grade and decides to write in it again. During the eighties and nineties when gender roles in society were much more defined than they are now, in hindsight I see how cutting edge Cleary was in having a male teenaged protagonist keep a diary, a hobby usually associated with girls. Leigh needed an outlet because he still only had one friend Barry and he spent long hours alone in his cottage. Writing would keep him from loitering on the beach and watching too much television, keeping him in his mother’s good graces.
Leigh’s loneliness takes a turn for the better when he and Barry discover an abandoned dog on the beach one day. Leigh still misses his dog Bandit that his dad took with him when his parents got divorced three years earlier. Leigh and Barry, whose parents are also divorced, make a lighthearted jab at divorce as they agree to joint custody of this dog who they name Strider. Surprisingly, Leigh’s mother agrees to this arrangement because she knows that he could use a companion on his long nights alone in the cottage. He has always been a good kid- mopping floors, doing his share of the laundry on their trips to the laundromat, and maintaining good grades in school. An Australian shepherd dog, Strider ended up being a blessing for Leigh who no longer had to spend all of his time on his own. Even though he is growing into a young man at age fourteen, Leigh is still in need of his parents, neither of whom is around that much. A dog and writing his thoughts down in a diary would have to suffice. Strider ends up being the loyalest of dogs and a blessing in Leigh’s life, and, important to this animal lover, nothing happens to him other than being loved by Leigh, Barry, and their families. Strider picked two quality families to be adopted by indeed.
Beverly Cleary made a career writing about kids with real issues without going over the top, just writing about the everyday occurrences in their lives. Fans had been clamoring for a sequel to Dear Mr Henshaw so she obliged, yet, in high school, Leigh is a little older than her averaged age protagonist. Here, she helps children of divorce navigate through difficult times by writing of how Leigh, Barry, and their new friend Kevin cope with their parents’ splitting in unique ways. At fourteen, Leigh is just beginning to experience teenaged angst and conflict, chuckling about his English teacher behind her back, dealing with a brief falling out with Barry, and falling for Geneva Weston, a girl with monarch butterfly hair. They join the track team and integrate into their high school community, all the while Leigh maintaining the qualities that have adults saying he is a good kid. Now having a dog, Leigh’s life appears stable and “normal” as he begins the path through his teenaged years toward adulthood. He is the type of young man that his parents do not have to worry about and is the protagonist of a story that parents feel comfortable having their kids read, hopefully influencing them for the better.
In this era where most young adult books involve teen romance or supernatural elements, I find it difficult to choose quality books for my advanced reading fourth grade daughter. Although below her current reading level, Strider is the type of book I read at her age that I keep looking for in current library stacks, a book about an everyday kid whose issues are not dramatized. Leigh Botts is the type of wholesome character that authors today should focus on rather than making every teenaged friendship into romance and divorce into the end of the world. Rather than sinking into depression, Leigh keeps a diary and becomes a friend to a loyal dog. The world needs more authors like Beverly Cleary, who help kids navigate through real world issues by minimizing conflict. I am glad that is discovered this gem of hers on my bookshelf.
4.5 stars 📔 🐕 🐾 🏃
July 30, 2008
The other day my 8-year-old surprised me by liking a passage in one of her books enough to read it to me with great expression while I was driving the car:
“The old man said to the stranger, ‘I gotcha cornered, and I’m gonna tell ya about my dog. Ya gotta listen even if ya don’t wanna. My dog’s coat is sorta rough, but his ears are kinda soft. He knows howta heel. His eyes say, Gimme your attention, gimme your love, gimme a bone. Whatcha think of that? When I walk him, he always hasta lift his leg. Ya oughta see my dog.’ The stranger said, ‘Lemme go. I don’t care aboucher dog.’”
My curiosity piqued, I read more and found that the above excerpt was a writing assignment the protagonist had prepared for his English class, inspired by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – and that his teacher gave him trouble about the informal spellings. I told my daughter the teacher was out of line and said I want to hear about it when she runs into problems like that with her teachers. As the kid in the book says, his teacher would have given Coleridge a bad grade for misspelling Rhyme.
This is the first time I’ve attempted to review a children’s book, but having now read the whole thing I think Strider is great stuff. I already knew the author’s Ramona books, not to mention many others that the daughter leaves around the house, and they aren’t bad. But this one, written in diary style about a boy with ambivalent feelings toward his parents and his place in the world, should be a classic. Every bit of it ties together, and it’s just as touching as it can be. (Am I unusual in responding to it that way? Cannot believe the reviewer who claims to have "dumpstered" it.)
“The old man said to the stranger, ‘I gotcha cornered, and I’m gonna tell ya about my dog. Ya gotta listen even if ya don’t wanna. My dog’s coat is sorta rough, but his ears are kinda soft. He knows howta heel. His eyes say, Gimme your attention, gimme your love, gimme a bone. Whatcha think of that? When I walk him, he always hasta lift his leg. Ya oughta see my dog.’ The stranger said, ‘Lemme go. I don’t care aboucher dog.’”
My curiosity piqued, I read more and found that the above excerpt was a writing assignment the protagonist had prepared for his English class, inspired by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – and that his teacher gave him trouble about the informal spellings. I told my daughter the teacher was out of line and said I want to hear about it when she runs into problems like that with her teachers. As the kid in the book says, his teacher would have given Coleridge a bad grade for misspelling Rhyme.
This is the first time I’ve attempted to review a children’s book, but having now read the whole thing I think Strider is great stuff. I already knew the author’s Ramona books, not to mention many others that the daughter leaves around the house, and they aren’t bad. But this one, written in diary style about a boy with ambivalent feelings toward his parents and his place in the world, should be a classic. Every bit of it ties together, and it’s just as touching as it can be. (Am I unusual in responding to it that way? Cannot believe the reviewer who claims to have "dumpstered" it.)
September 14, 2019
In the introduction of Henry Huggins Beverly Cleary wrote that she wanted to write a book for school boys about boys, books about kids who are bored and try to find something to do.
She underestimated her prose. I am not a boy, turning 30 soon, and her books make me so happy. I envy these boys who would go to library and find Cleary as their librarian.
I just want to find her, give a big hug, look into her eyes and try to find Ramona trapped in the body of this dearest old lady.
She underestimated her prose. I am not a boy, turning 30 soon, and her books make me so happy. I envy these boys who would go to library and find Cleary as their librarian.
I just want to find her, give a big hug, look into her eyes and try to find Ramona trapped in the body of this dearest old lady.
July 29, 2024
I was just sort of aware of this book's existence, but didn't realize until a couple of weeks ago when I listened to Dear Mr. Henshaw that it was a sequel! I love Leigh, and I love Dear Mr. Henshaw! And I love listening to Pedro Pascal read these books! This was fun, but I also really like getting see Leigh a little more grown, finding himself, working through his complicated feelings with his dad. Cleary is such a wonder at capturing exactly the way children look at the world and interact with it.
September 17, 2010
A welcome return to the life of Leigh Botts. Beverly Cleary once again uses tone with faultless control: Leigh has grown up, naturally and believably. The fledgling maturity of his character in coming to grips with his parent's divorce, his nascent attraction to a girl, his self-assuredness; all of it rings true, with the slightest tinge of sadness. There is a bittersweet undertone here not found in "Dear Mr Henshaw", a bit of saying goodbye to the younger way of living life, and for us, leaving Leigh behind.
I wish the end had been more satisfying. With a character as well-developed as Leigh, more closure was needed to put him to rest. Still, this book, like its prequel, is a prime example of realistic characterization, artistic character development and subtle emotion. If you liked "Dear Mr. Henshaw", consider this nonnegotiable reading.
I wish the end had been more satisfying. With a character as well-developed as Leigh, more closure was needed to put him to rest. Still, this book, like its prequel, is a prime example of realistic characterization, artistic character development and subtle emotion. If you liked "Dear Mr. Henshaw", consider this nonnegotiable reading.
May 23, 2021
2021 reads, #22. Stop everything! BEVERLY CLEARY HAS DIED! Like millions of others, Cleary is one of the authors I used to regularly read back in my childhood in the 1970s; and I've been meaning to do a middle-aged reassessment of her work, much like I did with Judy Blume in 2019, so her unfortunate passing seemed as good a day as any to jump on the Chicago Public Library website and check out eight of her ebooks before everyone else could come around to the idea of doing so themselves.
Today's book is from the end of Cleary's career, published in 1991 when she was 75 years old, and there's no other choice but to admit that her age is quite clearly showing here, the work of a deeply elderly woman who at that point had not only grown-up children but now grown-up grandchildren, with 38 books now under her belt and for very understandable reasons was simply running out of steam as a creative writer. It's not so much that this book is bad -- it's yet another chapter-book for tweens about the genteel adventures of a kid slightly older than them, which like we examined in Ramona and Her Mother is the product of Cleary's late-career turn into "social realism YA," inspired by peers like Judy Blume and Betsy Byars, making this as much about the anxiety and loneliness issues of our hero Leigh Botts (he of the previous book I most recently reviewed, 1983's Dear Mr. Henshaw) as it is about the random dog he comes across at the beach one day and eventually adopts, the same plot as Cleary's very first book (1950's Henry Huggins, also reviewed as part of this series) but now with a darker and more melancholic tone.
No, the problem is that, just like anything that was once daring but then was co-opted by everyone else once it became popular, child audiences were growing weary by the '90s with these kinds of "Cassavetes for Kids" stories; and I don't think it's any coincidence at all that a mere six years separates this book from the publication of the first "Harry Potter" volume, a new changing of the guard just as necessary and paradigm-changing as Cleary's own changing of the guard back in the years after World War Two, in her case from the weepy wish-fulfillment Dickensian Victorian tales that were the norm for children's literature at the time. That doesn't make Strider an objectively bad book in hindsight, but certainly it was a story type that had been played out by the time it was published; and after its disappointing results both commercially and critically, the world would have to wait an entire additional decade and a half before the ascendancy of Cleary and Blume's spiritual inheritor, John Green of The Fault in Our Stars fame. This should all be kept in mind before approaching it yourself, an interesting book from a historical perspective but definitely not the one to start with if approaching Cleary for the first time.
The 2021 Beverly Cleary Memorial Re-Read:
Henry Huggins (1950)
Henry and Beezus (1952)
Otis Spofford (1953)
Henry and Ribsy (1954)
Fifteen (1956)
Henry and the Paper Route (1957)
Henry and the Clubhouse (1962)
Ribsy (1964)
Ramona and Her Mother (1979)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (1983)
Ramona Forever (1984)
Strider (1991)
Today's book is from the end of Cleary's career, published in 1991 when she was 75 years old, and there's no other choice but to admit that her age is quite clearly showing here, the work of a deeply elderly woman who at that point had not only grown-up children but now grown-up grandchildren, with 38 books now under her belt and for very understandable reasons was simply running out of steam as a creative writer. It's not so much that this book is bad -- it's yet another chapter-book for tweens about the genteel adventures of a kid slightly older than them, which like we examined in Ramona and Her Mother is the product of Cleary's late-career turn into "social realism YA," inspired by peers like Judy Blume and Betsy Byars, making this as much about the anxiety and loneliness issues of our hero Leigh Botts (he of the previous book I most recently reviewed, 1983's Dear Mr. Henshaw) as it is about the random dog he comes across at the beach one day and eventually adopts, the same plot as Cleary's very first book (1950's Henry Huggins, also reviewed as part of this series) but now with a darker and more melancholic tone.
No, the problem is that, just like anything that was once daring but then was co-opted by everyone else once it became popular, child audiences were growing weary by the '90s with these kinds of "Cassavetes for Kids" stories; and I don't think it's any coincidence at all that a mere six years separates this book from the publication of the first "Harry Potter" volume, a new changing of the guard just as necessary and paradigm-changing as Cleary's own changing of the guard back in the years after World War Two, in her case from the weepy wish-fulfillment Dickensian Victorian tales that were the norm for children's literature at the time. That doesn't make Strider an objectively bad book in hindsight, but certainly it was a story type that had been played out by the time it was published; and after its disappointing results both commercially and critically, the world would have to wait an entire additional decade and a half before the ascendancy of Cleary and Blume's spiritual inheritor, John Green of The Fault in Our Stars fame. This should all be kept in mind before approaching it yourself, an interesting book from a historical perspective but definitely not the one to start with if approaching Cleary for the first time.
The 2021 Beverly Cleary Memorial Re-Read:
Henry Huggins (1950)
Henry and Beezus (1952)
Otis Spofford (1953)
Henry and Ribsy (1954)
Fifteen (1956)
Henry and the Paper Route (1957)
Henry and the Clubhouse (1962)
Ribsy (1964)
Ramona and Her Mother (1979)
Dear Mr. Henshaw (1983)
Ramona Forever (1984)
Strider (1991)
November 20, 2011
I home-school my kids and we like to listen to books on cd in the car. (we have a 45 minute drive to just about anywhere we go) We recently listened to Dear Mr. Henshaw on cd. I thought I had read it growing up, but the story was not familiar to me. I really enjoyed listening to it and so did my kids. I was thrilled to hear that there was a sequel.
I was even more thrilled to learn that our small local library had it on cd as well. My husband doesn't care to read, but has been recently laid off. I got the book on cd and wasn't sure when we would listen to it. My husband said to go ahead and put it in the car cd player. He enjoyed it just as much as I did. Now he wants to get more books on cd to listen to in the car. We especially loved the voice of the narrator (?)- George Guidall. He was very pleasant to listen to and made the characters come to life.
I really like the style of the book, in diary form. The characters have fun distinctive personalities. It's a book that children and adults can relate to and enjoy.
I was even more thrilled to learn that our small local library had it on cd as well. My husband doesn't care to read, but has been recently laid off. I got the book on cd and wasn't sure when we would listen to it. My husband said to go ahead and put it in the car cd player. He enjoyed it just as much as I did. Now he wants to get more books on cd to listen to in the car. We especially loved the voice of the narrator (?)- George Guidall. He was very pleasant to listen to and made the characters come to life.
I really like the style of the book, in diary form. The characters have fun distinctive personalities. It's a book that children and adults can relate to and enjoy.
October 2, 2015
Although this is a sequel, you do not have to read the first book in order to understand what's going on here. I'm 45 -- not exactly Cleary's target audience. However, I found this clever and cute story absorbing. The diary thing has been done to death, though. I wish this book had been published at the time of my parents' divorce.
March 29, 2021
I couldn’t sleep so I read this whole book, and I loved it. I loved it even more than Dear Mr Henshaw. I love seeing the character growth in Leigh and his dad. I love Leigh’s friendship with Barry especially and Kevin. I love meeting Geneva. And of course Strider. What a gem of a dog!
September 17, 2021
Not a real review, just some odds and ends before they fly out of my head:
• STRIDER IS THE GOODEST BOY okay whew just had to get that out of the way
• The book Leigh picks up to read while at the laundromat is The Human Comedy by William Saroyan. Haven't read it but looking at the Wiki synopsis, it's about a 14-year-old boy growing up in WWII California. This tracks, since Leigh is the same age, in the same state, and Strider is about his adolescent coming-of-age. Not something I picked up on the first time I read this. On first glance it feels like a weird book for a teenage boy to independently pick up, but then Leigh's more of a Beezus than a Ramona: he's always come across as solidly down-to-earth, so I can't picture him reading sci-fi or anything.
• When Leigh tells his ~girl crush~ that her hair is pretty, only it comes out as "Your hair would look nice knit into a sweater" still makes me laugh. "I felt like bagging my head". end of chapter. Peak comedy. Their whole budding romance is understated but very cute. His idea of a kind-of date is taking Geneva out to pull weeds for a community park cleanup. I LOVE THIS KID.
• Leigh's dad gets sympathetic treatment here and/or Leigh's more mature than in the last book and the divorce is less fresh, leading to a repair in their relationship. No villains here. Leigh's two male friends also come from divorced households, which is responsible for one of the more dated/awkward portions where repeated reference is made to Barry's "real" mom and/or sisters, which wouldn't fly today, I don't think. Made me cringe, anyway.
• I thought the spaghetti wall sounded So Cool when I first read this.
• Bonnie (the mom) no longer works at the catering shop! She's a nurse! Sometimes she goes out on dates! Go, Bon! You can feel Cleary's generational limitations here on the Roles of Women in the workforce - I think Ramona's mom took up a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office?
• There's a light subplot here about a power struggle Leigh has with an English teacher he doesn't like very much, and the ways a bad teacher can neuter creativity and love for a subject, while a good teacher does the opposite. The Bad Teacher is one of those rulebound 'the English language works THIS way' and he pulls a funny little r/maliciouscompliance bit with one of his essays - anyway, I thought this and 'joint custody of the dog' were two of the bits that really shone wrt Cleary's enormous sympathy toward children and how they think.
• The part where Leigh finally takes stock of his life and he's like "I belong"? YES YOU DO, SWEETIE. YOU DESERVE IT. He's growing up! *bursts into tears of pride*
• Pedro Pascal for narrating ALL the books about Tired Preteen Boys please, he continued to be a delight to listen to here, not because he took it over the top but precisely because he didn't. Smart acting choice to have the Spanish bits in a flat American accent, because Leigh would. That said, the transition music still sucked, but at least it wasn't played over a depressing bit this time.
• STRIDER IS THE GOODEST BOY okay whew just had to get that out of the way
• The book Leigh picks up to read while at the laundromat is The Human Comedy by William Saroyan. Haven't read it but looking at the Wiki synopsis, it's about a 14-year-old boy growing up in WWII California. This tracks, since Leigh is the same age, in the same state, and Strider is about his adolescent coming-of-age. Not something I picked up on the first time I read this. On first glance it feels like a weird book for a teenage boy to independently pick up, but then Leigh's more of a Beezus than a Ramona: he's always come across as solidly down-to-earth, so I can't picture him reading sci-fi or anything.
• When Leigh tells his ~girl crush~ that her hair is pretty, only it comes out as "Your hair would look nice knit into a sweater" still makes me laugh. "I felt like bagging my head". end of chapter. Peak comedy. Their whole budding romance is understated but very cute. His idea of a kind-of date is taking Geneva out to pull weeds for a community park cleanup. I LOVE THIS KID.
• Leigh's dad gets sympathetic treatment here and/or Leigh's more mature than in the last book and the divorce is less fresh, leading to a repair in their relationship. No villains here. Leigh's two male friends also come from divorced households, which is responsible for one of the more dated/awkward portions where repeated reference is made to Barry's "real" mom and/or sisters, which wouldn't fly today, I don't think. Made me cringe, anyway.
• I thought the spaghetti wall sounded So Cool when I first read this.
• Bonnie (the mom) no longer works at the catering shop! She's a nurse! Sometimes she goes out on dates! Go, Bon! You can feel Cleary's generational limitations here on the Roles of Women in the workforce - I think Ramona's mom took up a job as a receptionist at a doctor's office?
• There's a light subplot here about a power struggle Leigh has with an English teacher he doesn't like very much, and the ways a bad teacher can neuter creativity and love for a subject, while a good teacher does the opposite. The Bad Teacher is one of those rulebound 'the English language works THIS way' and he pulls a funny little r/maliciouscompliance bit with one of his essays - anyway, I thought this and 'joint custody of the dog' were two of the bits that really shone wrt Cleary's enormous sympathy toward children and how they think.
• The part where Leigh finally takes stock of his life and he's like "I belong"? YES YOU DO, SWEETIE. YOU DESERVE IT. He's growing up! *bursts into tears of pride*
• Pedro Pascal for narrating ALL the books about Tired Preteen Boys please, he continued to be a delight to listen to here, not because he took it over the top but precisely because he didn't. Smart acting choice to have the Spanish bits in a flat American accent, because Leigh would. That said, the transition music still sucked, but at least it wasn't played over a depressing bit this time.
November 19, 2021
This is a sequel that could technically be read as a standalone, but I'd still suggest reading the first entry - Dear Mr. Henshaw. That one was a focus on Leigh Bott's letters and diary entries written towards his favorite author. In these entries, it's learned that Leigh's parents are divorced and we see how a 10 year old is coping with that. It ended with some nice closure.
With Strider the story is still told in epistolary fashion. Except for this time around, Leigh is a few years older and is about to enter high school. The diary entries begin due to Leigh's mom asking him to clean up his room, which is when he finds all his old writings (from the last book). Right away, it's noticeable that the writing is similar but more angsty. Leigh is growing up. He has a best friend now, is noticing girls, going through growth spurts, finding an image that he is proud of when he dresses. You know, teenager stuff.
The plot gets going when Leigh and company find a stray dog sitting by the oceanside. It's made clear that the dog was abandoned by the way he acts timid and unwilling to approach anyone but the unknown owner. Leigh doesn't like the idea of the dog being alone, so when time goes by and the dog is still there, he and his friend decide to co-own the dog together to avoid the dog being captured by animal control. As the dog becomes more familiar with these kids, they learn that he loves to run, so they name him Strider.
Once Strider comes into the story, the majority of subplots revolve around him. For example, Leigh and his friend start to bicker on who might deserve Strider more. A girl notices how happy and outgoing Leigh starts to become, mostly due to Strider pushing him to do more. Strider also poses a challenge since Leigh and his mom are still in a small house that might not allow animals. We even get some more story revolving around Leigh's dad which is nice, hence why I think it would benefit from reading the first book.
I wouldn't say book two is better than book one, but I'd pin them close to being equals due to offering different stories. I think I enjoyed this one a little bit more. I appreciate that Leigh still sounds like Leigh, but just a bit more grown-up. While the writing is simple and aimed towards younger readers, the subject matter is still quite mature and I appreciate that I can still enjoy it, even though it didn't get as heavy as the first book. It also didn't hurt that Pedro Pascal returned as the audiobook narrator. Like the last one, he did a wonderful job in conveying a young kid.
Read this one if you want a simple story about a kid and his dog. There were plenty of moments where I just had to hug my dogs.
With Strider the story is still told in epistolary fashion. Except for this time around, Leigh is a few years older and is about to enter high school. The diary entries begin due to Leigh's mom asking him to clean up his room, which is when he finds all his old writings (from the last book). Right away, it's noticeable that the writing is similar but more angsty. Leigh is growing up. He has a best friend now, is noticing girls, going through growth spurts, finding an image that he is proud of when he dresses. You know, teenager stuff.
The plot gets going when Leigh and company find a stray dog sitting by the oceanside. It's made clear that the dog was abandoned by the way he acts timid and unwilling to approach anyone but the unknown owner. Leigh doesn't like the idea of the dog being alone, so when time goes by and the dog is still there, he and his friend decide to co-own the dog together to avoid the dog being captured by animal control. As the dog becomes more familiar with these kids, they learn that he loves to run, so they name him Strider.
Once Strider comes into the story, the majority of subplots revolve around him. For example, Leigh and his friend start to bicker on who might deserve Strider more. A girl notices how happy and outgoing Leigh starts to become, mostly due to Strider pushing him to do more. Strider also poses a challenge since Leigh and his mom are still in a small house that might not allow animals. We even get some more story revolving around Leigh's dad which is nice, hence why I think it would benefit from reading the first book.
I wouldn't say book two is better than book one, but I'd pin them close to being equals due to offering different stories. I think I enjoyed this one a little bit more. I appreciate that Leigh still sounds like Leigh, but just a bit more grown-up. While the writing is simple and aimed towards younger readers, the subject matter is still quite mature and I appreciate that I can still enjoy it, even though it didn't get as heavy as the first book. It also didn't hurt that Pedro Pascal returned as the audiobook narrator. Like the last one, he did a wonderful job in conveying a young kid.
Read this one if you want a simple story about a kid and his dog. There were plenty of moments where I just had to hug my dogs.
September 16, 2019
My YA book club keeps picking books that lead off a series, which I feel compelled to investigate, if not read, but in this case I was glad I did. Cleary is not a writer for adults, but I cannot think of many adults who were not at some point a 14-year old, and there's a melancholy and a quietness to the beauty of her work. Admittedly, I cared more about the dog than the 14-year-old Leigh, but it was a fine novel - I wish I had first read it when I was 25 years younger!
June 1, 2021
Not as endearing as Dear Mr. Henshaw, but a decent read. Another book that gave some insight into how a teen boy thinks and operates.
Being the overnight mom to a teen boy came with many challenges, one of them being I didn't know how to piece together what he was feeling or needed. A regret I have and one I am trying to mend. Books written towards a male teen audience has been very beneficial for me.
Being the overnight mom to a teen boy came with many challenges, one of them being I didn't know how to piece together what he was feeling or needed. A regret I have and one I am trying to mend. Books written towards a male teen audience has been very beneficial for me.
November 20, 2017
This was a nice gem, recently found out that there was a sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw and this does a nice job tying up Leigh Botts teenage life. This book is told in diary form and an abandoned dog, who Leigh names Strider, has a starring role. Both myself and my 10 year old enjoyed this book, GOOD READ!
April 11, 2024
Listened to this audiobook today while I played house flipper 2 lol. I am not ashamed to admit that I listened to it because it was read by Pedro Pascal. 😂 that man could read a cereal box and I’d listen to it. So. 🤷🏻♀️
April 22, 2025
It's been ages since I've read this book and it still holds up really well. We need more books that feature 14 year-olds like this one since it hits that older middle grade/younger YA reader that we don't often see represented. PS Pedro Pascal did the audio book for this one!
October 27, 2025
One of the things I like best about Beverly Cleary is that she savors small, seemingly mundane things--accomplishments, pleasures, irritations, insecurities--with such understanding; but she doesn't dramatically exalt them or self-consciously over-freight them. It's beautiful how she does that.
December 10, 2024
I loved this more than Dear Mr. Henshaw. And Strider is a heeler like Bluey! Fun.
August 1, 2025
Beverly Cleary is unparalleled. She writes brilliant children's book with a strong air of complexity for all of the adult characters as well.
Amazing stuff.
Amazing stuff.
January 2, 2024
I’m so bummed these are the only two juvenile books Pedro has narrated bc he is SO good at it!! Reading anything Cleary writes is gonna help tho tbh.
November 7, 2022
Good material for ad lit. Beverly Cleary does a great job on this one. I think it's better than Dear Mr. Henshaw. Original and covers a good number of tween-style conflict and resolution.
March 3, 2025
I remember being incredibly pumped when this book first came out when I was 11, a follow up to my then favorite Dear Mr. Henshaw. I stayed up through the night reading it, unable to tear myself away. I found myself having the same experience again and relating to the characters just as much reading now.
May 30, 2023
I thought it was good so..
September 28, 2015
* antennae-waving cockroaches
* “Mom, I have a sore throat and I think I have a temperature.” Mom laid her hand on my forehead and said, “Everybody has a temperature. You have a fever.”
* For some reason I thought of Barry’s grandmother’s beautiful needle-art knitting with soft, colorful yarns. Without thinking, I said,“Your hair would look nice knit into a sweater.”
* “There is too much fat in the prose written in this class. Too many adjectives and adverbs. Your compositions are to be written using only nouns and verbs.”
* “Funny, your sudden interest in weeds.” I knew she was teasing. I teased her back. “Yeah, this uncontrollable urge comes over me. Maybe it’s seismic vibrations or the position of the moon but I can’t help myself.
HAHAHAHAHAH XDDD
oh about Salinas, it was John Steinbeck got the idea for his story from fields like that, dear Leigh :)))
* “Mom, I have a sore throat and I think I have a temperature.” Mom laid her hand on my forehead and said, “Everybody has a temperature. You have a fever.”
* For some reason I thought of Barry’s grandmother’s beautiful needle-art knitting with soft, colorful yarns. Without thinking, I said,“Your hair would look nice knit into a sweater.”
* “There is too much fat in the prose written in this class. Too many adjectives and adverbs. Your compositions are to be written using only nouns and verbs.”
* “Funny, your sudden interest in weeds.” I knew she was teasing. I teased her back. “Yeah, this uncontrollable urge comes over me. Maybe it’s seismic vibrations or the position of the moon but I can’t help myself.
HAHAHAHAHAH XDDD
oh about Salinas, it was John Steinbeck got the idea for his story from fields like that, dear Leigh :)))
December 10, 2018
Confession - I swiped this from my son when he took it home from his school library and read it in an evening. I have always counted Dear Mr. Henshaw as one of my favorite books, so I was excited to find there was a sequel. It was fine. I think Leigh getting older made me miss some of the sweet, earnestness of his voice from the original. Still a cute book, and still showing Cleary dealing so well with heavy issues.
April 21, 2023
If you love Dear Mr. Henshaw, this book is a must! Leigh is now a teenager and still keeping a diary. This book follows along the same style as Dear Mr. Henshaw but is all diary entries instead of letters to Mr. Henshaw. Leigh and his friend find an abandoned dog and share custody of him. As they share the dog, Leigh grows in many ways and learns some valuable lessons about sharing, friendship, and responsibility.
January 18, 2018
This one is better than the first, but still lacks something significant . It just feels flat and mundane. There is no interesting story to it, just everyday routines. I guess if a child likes dogs, this book might be appealing but I doubt anybody would say that this book changed their outlook on life or inspired them in any way. I did not like it enough to recommend to my kids.
March 17, 2008
I hated this book more than I did Dear Mr. Henshaw, which is saying something huge. If Mrs Lehman is out there, may she know that her taste in books is the shittiest that I have ever had the displeasure in encountering.
September 24, 2015
I liked this story better than its prequel, probably because of the dog. :-) Leigh Botts is a well-drawn fourteen-year-old boy with flaws and strengths that ring true. I don't think I've yet read an unlikable book by Beverly Cleary. :-)
March 22, 2017
One of Beverly Cleary's more serious stories about growing up, friendship, dealing with divorce, and the love of a good dog.
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