Dear Mr Kilmer

Synopsis
The Knight family, which consists of Mr Knight (Pa)
and his three children Gus, Angie and Richard, is a
family living in a small district in Turtle Lake, Iowa,
USA in 1917. The novel is centred on Richard, a
fifteen-year-old boy, who begins a correspondence
with a poet, Joyce Kilmer, while Mr Kilmer is serving
the country during World War I.

Richard is a budding poet himself but is unable to get

the encouragement he needs from his family.
Richards father is a good, hardworking farmer but he
is very reserved and hardly shares his feelings with
his children. Furthermore, Gus and Angie do not
understand poetry and think that Richard is odd.

One day, Mrs Hansen, Richards English teacher, reads

a poem by Mr Kilmer in class. While the other boys
feel that poetry is boring and meant only for sissies,
Richard is inspired by the beauty of the poem. Mrs
Hansen further explains that Mr Kilmer is a brave and
patriotic man as he has volunteered to be a soldier to
fight in the war. Richards admiration for the poet
compels him to write a letter to Mr Kilmer and thus
begins their correspondence.
In the meantime, as the war against the Central
Powers (Germany, Austria and Hungary) rages on, the
other students begin to pick on Hannah Schermer,
their classmate, whose parents come from Germany.
The family, tavern in vandalised and they are shunned
by some members of the community. During this
difficult time, Richard is very supportive of Hannah
and becomes a good friend to her. His friendship with
Hannah leads him to be a victim of bully too as most
of the students regard him as a traitor.

Richard is shocked to see such prejudice in his

community. In his opinion, the Schermers are as
American as any of them. Mr and Mrs Schermer have
been living in America for many years and Hannah
and her brother Otto are born in America. In fact, Otto
has also joined the army and is on his way to France
to fight the Central Powers although his ancestor were
Germans.
During the war, Richard takes solace in his friendship
with Hannah and the letters from Mr Kilmer. Through
his letter, Mr Kilmer encourages Richard to continue
writing poems and not to keep this talent a secret.
Richard finally manages to read his poem in class,
gaining the admiration and respect of most of his
fellow classmates.
One day, Richard hears the dreadful news that Mr
Kilmer has been killed in the battle. In his grief,
Richard writes a poem in Mr Kilmers memory. The
Schermers, who have always been supportive of his
talent, suggest that Richard send his poem to The
Turtle Lake Weekly, a local newspaper, in the hope
that it gets published. Later, the paper carries an
obituary for Mr Kilmer along with a special section
with Richards poem.

After reading the poem, Richards father is finally able

to open up and share his sadness of having lost his
brother, Roland, in the war several years ago. The
poem, enables father and son to have a closer bond.