Danny and Life on Bluff Point: The Conflict, Book Six in the Danny and Life on Bluff Point Series by Mary Ellen Lee

• 12/18/2013
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Danny and Life on Bluff Point: The Conflict, Book Six in the Danny and Life on Bluff Point Series
Mary Ellen Lee
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595448081
Reviewed by Ben Weldon (age 10) for Reader Views (3/08)

“Danny and Life on Bluff Point: The Conflict” by Mary Ellen Lee is the story of a ten year-old farm boy, Danny Lee.  His story takes place in May of 1895 in Bluff Point, New York.  All is not well when a white Southerner named Robert Overhouser moves to the area.  Many people, who 30 years after the Civil War still harbor resentment, are very hostile to this new resident.  Will the people on Bluff Point see their folly and stop the conflict?

Danny Lee, the main character, is a hard-working farm boy who milks cows, cares for his horse Sally, and treks far and wide running errands for his parents.  Once, when returning from an errand, the steamboat he was on nearly sank! He is in the third grade and has to pass a geography test (geography is his least favorite subject) in order to move on to fourth grade.  His favorite activities are playing ball with his friend Stan and riding his horse.  From reading about Danny, I could almost imagine what it would be like if I were living in 1895.

Danny’s community of Bluff Point was a peaceful place until Mr. Overhouser moved in.  Mr. Overhouser moved to New York from Virginia – the rebel South!  Many people still harbored resentment against the South, even though the Civil War ended about thirty years before.  Some people had so much hatred that they even left church early in order to avoid their new neighbor from the South.   Because Danny was friendly and spoke to Mr. Overhouser, he was shunned by some kids at school.  Will Mr. Overhouser ever be welcome in Bluff Point?  Will people ever overcome their prejudice?

I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction.  Once you pick up “Danny and Life on Bluff Point: The Conflict,” you will really want to keep reading it.  Readers will be happy to know that this is the sixth book in the “Danny and Life on Bluff Point Series.”  Also, readers who like illustrations will enjoy the child’s drawings scattered throughout the book.  I hope you will like this book as much as I did.