Meyer, L.A. Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy. 2002. 278p. ISBN 0-15-216731-5. FIC MEY on the library shelves and available as an audiobook from Overdrive.
Following the death of her parents, little Mary Faber lived underneath the Blackfriar bridge in London’s Cheapside where she learned to deceive and steal in order to survive with other orphaned children in the Charlie Rooster’s gang. But when Charlie is stabbed and killed, the gang falls apart and Mary realizes it’s time to leave before life becomes too dangerous.
She heads down to the dock, and quickly finds employment aboard one of his Majesty’s Royal Navy ship, the HMS Dolphin. To secure her position, however, she has to lie and pretend to be a boy, which for a 12 year old girl is no small feat.
On board ship, she meets James Fletcher, another ship’s boy destined to be an officer. They strike a quick friendship, and, along with the other boys on board, form the Brotherhood. Now going by the name Jacky, she becomes a skilled sailor and participates in several naval engagements. But as time passes, Jacky’s hiding of her gender is becoming more and more of an issue. She will need to use all of her wits to avoid discovery, for once she is revealed as a girl, she will surely be put ashore. At the same time, she’s in love with Jaimy but, as a boy, can’t express those feelings.
Follow Jacky’s high-seas adventures as she attempts to remain one step ahead of everyone in this swash-buckling and riotous book. Jacky's adventures continue in The Curse of the Blue Tattoo. For a more serious look at a girl alone aboard a ship in the early 1800s, read The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
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