Why does Dill leave Maycomb? Where does he go?

Dill makes regular appearances throughout the story. He visits Maycomb each summer to visit his aunt, Miss Rachel. He spends a lot of time with Scout and Jem during the school holidays, playing games and getting up to all kinds of mischief. As well as his aunt, Dill has other family connections to the area; his mother is originally from Maycomb County. Dill's mother is a single mom, and so we gather that his aunt is helping out her sister by looking after him during the summer.
But one summer Dill doesn't come to stay with his aunt. He sends Scout a letter in which he tells her that he has a new father. He's going to spend the summer with him back home in Meridian, helping him build a boat. Scout is pretty devastated at the news. Dill is always great fun to hang out with, forever coming up with exciting new games. There's never a dull moment with Dill around. But just as Dill's family life is responsible for his spending time in Maycomb, it also leads him to stay at home that summer, depriving Scout of so much fun.

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