Danny and Life on Bluff Point by Mary Ellen Lee

A reviewer
m j hollingshead, teacher, parent, writer, reviewer, 03/22/2007

Readers will enjoy meeting Clara the cat, Buster the collie, sisters Ruthie, Mary and Carolyn, Ma and Pa, Uncle Jerome and Aunt Liz, Uncle Henry and Aunt Mertie, and Cousin Jay. Readers will come to know something of Cousin William Fenner, bully Billy Marshall, Doc and Uncle Ed, and Belgians Kit and Bess, or Jim and Dan draft horses hitched to wagons or bobsleds. Cooking and heating the house with wood is not often found in homes today. Stoves downstairs, stove pipes and register carry heat to the rooms upstairs. Eggs and butter to sell, machine threshed beans sold by the bushel, cows getting loose, Christmas shopping and the whole community meeting at the school for a community Christmas social will enthrall middle grade readers. No TV, no video games, and few ‘store bought’ goods all speak of a time and place now all but forgotten. That these anecdotes are based upon true events and real people are a delight for teachers as they endeavor to bring ‘social studies’ alive in the classroom. Some situations offered in the story solving conflicts, dealing with bullies in a positive way, overcoming challenges, cooperation within family and community, old time family fun and caring are values valued then and valued today. This is a book I will use in my classroom. I know the children will enjoy hearing it read aloud and will want to read it again for themselves. Pencil drawings sprinkled throughout the work add to reader understanding and enjoyment.

Written in first person from Danny, enjoyable for adults too.
A reviewer (debrazgalaxy@yahoo.com), A reviewer, 10/01/2006

I bought this series for my son as we live near Bluff Point. I pre-read them for content. 'Life on Bluff Point' books are great reading on many levels. There is a bit of history, as well as daily life and lessons to be learned with in these pages. You do not have to be a local person to enjoy Dannys journals. My son liked the family dynamics of this era, with its joys and conflicts and I liked the many subtle lessons on good behavior. Reading about the daily chores and responsibilities of the children was an eye opener for my ten year old, as was the fact that all these years later, boys will STILL be boys.

Also recommended: Historic novels of many titles.

Danny and Life on Bluff Point
Tami Brady (info@tcm-ca.com), author and reviewer, 06/28/2006

Danny and Life on Bluff Point is a story based upon the real life accounts of her grandfather in 1894. The author’s father, Danny, is an average ten year old boy who yearns to become a man and make his parents proud. The only son in the family with three sisters who try his patience. A boy who does okay in school but has a bully that makes his life miserable. Basically, Danny is a pretty typical boy who finds himself in not so ordinary situations- like coming face to face with a cougar. Danny and Life on Bluff Point is reminiscent of the truly timeless historical fiction accounts about the old west and life in early America that continues to intrigue every new generation of readers. That the stories are based upon true events and that the characters are realistic helps add a fresh aspect to this traditional type of literature.

A Boy's Story of Home and History
A reviewer (Halltek@aol.com), A reviewer, 11/09/2000

Reading Danny and Life on Bluff Point I was amazed to find between its covers a story warm with sincerity and innocents. The rich word pictures produced by the author unfolds a story in the life of ten year old that is delightful reading for young and mature alike. The authors simplicity in writing to produce her main character is a pleasant reading break in today's super paced techno society. I read every word in deligthful anticipation of the next.