''Strider'' is an

epistolary novel An epistolary novel () is a novel written as a series of letters between the fictional characters of a narrative. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse other kinds of fictional document with the letters, most commonly di ...

by children's author

Beverly Cleary Beverly or Beverley may refer to: Places Australia * Beverley, South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide * Beverley, Western Australia, a town * Shire of Beverley, Western Australia Canada * Beverly, Alberta, a town that amalgamated with the City ...

, the sequel to her

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

-winning novel '' Dear Mr. Henshaw''. It was first published in 1991; and like ''Dear Mr. Henshaw'', it was illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Plot summary

''Strider'' takes place two years after the end of '' Dear Mr. Henshaw'', and Leigh Botts has grown a lot. At age 14, he writes in his diary about his experiences with his parents' divorce, starting

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

, his friend Barry, a red-haired girl named Geneva, and a dog named Strider, whom he and Barry find abandoned on a beach. Leigh and Barry decide to share custody of Strider, in the same way divorced parents share custody of their children. However, as time goes on, Barry doesn't seem to take good care of Strider, which causes trouble for Leigh. Finally, feeling desperate, he winds up taking custody of him. He is a dog that loves to run, so they run every morning. Because of Strider, Leigh finds himself running well enough to join the school track team. He also develops a crush on Geneva, who is on the track team.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it a "comforting picture of a dear old friend thriving while continuing to work out his problems" and praised Zelinsky illustrations as an "excellent bonus." Jim Burke of the ''

San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...

'' wrote that the novel opined that the novel "reinforces the values of responsibility and devotion without being preachy" and stated that Clearly "gently and invisibly demonstrates how daily events reveal our true emotions."

Penelope Lively Dame Penelope Margaret Lively (née Low; born 17 March 1933) is a British writer of fiction for both children and adults. Lively has won both the Booker Prize (''Moon Tiger'', 1987) and the Carnegie Medal (literary award), Carnegie Medal for ...

of ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...

'' called it "brisk, undemanding, conventional but plausible enough" and wrote that "if there is a whiff of therapy, maybe only the curmudgeonly adult reader will be perturbed."

References

{{Beverly Cleary books 1991 American novels 1991 children's books Sequel novels Novels by Beverly Cleary Books illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky HarperCollins books Children's novels about animals Epistolary novels