Book 1 in the Leigh Botts series

When Leigh Botts was in the second grade, he wrote a thank you letter to Boyd Henshaw, the author of his favorite book, Ways to Amuse a Dog.

In the 6th grade, Leigh writes to Mr. Henshaw again with a list of questions he needs answered for a class assignment on authors.

To Leigh's irritation, Mr. Henshaw not only refuses to answer his questions in time to complete the assignment, but he sends back a list of his own questions instead. That marks the beginning of a very unusual correspondence between a lonely boy trying to cope with his parents' divorce and a wise author who gives him a means of changing his life forever.

Book 2 in the Leigh Botts series

Two years have passed since readers first met Leigh Botts in Dear Mr. Henshaw. Leigh and his mother are still living in a ramshackle cottage in Pacific Grove, California, and Leigh's trucker father shows up once in a blue moon to take Leigh for a ride in his rig.

Lately things haven't been easy for Leigh. He's starting high school in the Fall, and although he's outgrown all of his school pants, his mother treats him as if he's still a kid. And even though he's gotten more accustomed to his father's unreliability over the years, that doesn't make it hurt any less.

Then one day, Leigh discovers a stray dog with sad eyes, abandoned on a lonely beach. Leigh takes the orphan home, names him Strider, and initiates a warm and touching friendship, one that will help Leigh over many of the harder hurdles to growing up.