Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
by L. A. Meyer
Bloody Jack Adventures (1)
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Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of eighteenth-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life--if show more only she doesn't get caught. . . . show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Caramellunacy Both stories are about an adventurous and headstrong girl disguising herself as a boy for a chance to join the military. Jacky is trying to make a living for herself and escape poverty during the Napoleonic Wars and joins the Navy as a ship's boy in Bloody Jack. Deryn Sharp wants nothing more than to join the Royal Air Corps in Leviathan - a steampunk alternate history of WWI. Both books are packed full of adventure and spunky protagonists.
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Caramellunacy Both of these adventure stories are about a strong girl proving her worth on board a sailing ship. Charlotte shows the crew her mettle despite the fact that she's a girl, and Jacky disguises herself as a boy to escape detection. Both are great stories for those who love nautical stories.
Also recommended by la_librarian
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infiniteletters Also, Star Crossed by Linda Collison (not in the system yet).
SheReads The strong female characters navigating a boy's world.
norabelle414 YA books about girls who want to be pirates.
The Accidental Highwayman: Being the Tale of Kit Bristol, His Horse Midnight, a Mysterious Princess, and Sundry Magical Persons Besides by Ben Tripp
sailorfigment A teenaged boy lands himself in the middle of an adventure, much like Jacky.
Member Reviews
Katherine Kellgren, I love you! K.K. has to be the greatest audio book narrator ever. Her accents are just right, the portrayals of the various characters are specific and memorable, and the sweet tones of her melodious voice charm the ear. After listening to quite a few of the books she has narrated, I'm ready to officially crown her Queen of the Audio Book.
So, about Bloody Jack. I loved it even though it was way, way darker and more mature than I anticipated. There's gruesome death, attempted rape, more gruesome death, murder, attempted murder, and lots of sexual situations. And yet it still manages to seem full of fun. I don't quite know who to recommend it to because it seems a little young for teens, but it's probably too much for show more most kids under 12. So I suppose its ideal reader is 13 or so and a fan of adventure. show less
So, about Bloody Jack. I loved it even though it was way, way darker and more mature than I anticipated. There's gruesome death, attempted rape, more gruesome death, murder, attempted murder, and lots of sexual situations. And yet it still manages to seem full of fun. I don't quite know who to recommend it to because it seems a little young for teens, but it's probably too much for show more most kids under 12. So I suppose its ideal reader is 13 or so and a fan of adventure. show less
It's a YA novel, but it's also great fun. It's one of those books where I'm like, "There should be more of these." (And there are! It's a whole series!) None of the elements are terribly new or original (or realistic), but it's all put together well and has just what (well, I) like to read!
A young girl, Mary Faber, is orphaned on the streets of 18th-century London. She joins a gang of kids and learns begging and even some thieving, but when a ghoulish thug who sells the bodies of dead street kids to medical schools kills the leader of her gang, she realizes it's time to leave. Disguising herself as a boy and calling herself Jack, she gets taken on as a cabin boy on a ship bound to hunt down pirates.
Much nautical adventure ensues...
A young girl, Mary Faber, is orphaned on the streets of 18th-century London. She joins a gang of kids and learns begging and even some thieving, but when a ghoulish thug who sells the bodies of dead street kids to medical schools kills the leader of her gang, she realizes it's time to leave. Disguising herself as a boy and calling herself Jack, she gets taken on as a cabin boy on a ship bound to hunt down pirates.
Much nautical adventure ensues...
Mary's life has never been easy since the day her parents and sister died and left her alone to make her own way on the street. Life gets even more interesting when Mary decides to pretend to be a boy, Jacky, in order to serve aboard the H.M.S. Dolphin. While she loves serving on the sea, Jacky lives in constant fear of The Deception being discovered, leaving her separated from the men and boys she's grown so fond of and the career she's actually good at.
A flat-out adventure book, this book has great appeal for everyone. With a cross-dressing main character, high seas adventure, pirates, and other threats, the pages fly by quickly. While I was a bit worried that Jacky's Cockney narrative voice might drive me crazy, it actually allowed show more for deeper immersion in the tale and the time period. Of course, it also slowly disappears as Jacky spends more time aboard the Dolphin and learns proper English. A fun and quick read, I will definitely be picking up other books in the Bloody Jack series. show less
A flat-out adventure book, this book has great appeal for everyone. With a cross-dressing main character, high seas adventure, pirates, and other threats, the pages fly by quickly. While I was a bit worried that Jacky's Cockney narrative voice might drive me crazy, it actually allowed show more for deeper immersion in the tale and the time period. Of course, it also slowly disappears as Jacky spends more time aboard the Dolphin and learns proper English. A fun and quick read, I will definitely be picking up other books in the Bloody Jack series. show less
Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Jacky Faber is an orphaned girl scrapping out survival in London with a gang of street kids. She gets a job as a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin (disguised of course). She loves life on the seas, the regular meals, hard work and knocking about with her fellow ship boys, not to mention the occasional run-ins with pirates. She doesn't figure on falling for Jamie, one of the other ship boys. Kellgren narrates this story with all the lusty bravado demanded by the sailing life, and is very adept with British and Irish accents. Her Jacky is sturdy, unflagging, and fierce, but still keeps her head as Jamie captures her heart. This would be a great adventure story for families to share except for the descriptions show more of Jacky's sexual awakening and the boys cracking jokes about prostitutes, pederasty and body parts. Best suited for teens with a love of adventure stories. show less
This was pure fun, wonderfully narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Mary "Jacky" Faber is a street waif in 18th century London, before winning a place on the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy. She disguises her true identity and sets out to see the world. Her friendship with the other ship's boys, blossoming womanhood, and participation in battles against French pirates all make for a winning story, liberally sprinkled with humor and a lot of heart.
Bloody Jack; Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy by L.A. Meyer is a fun and fascinating story of a young orphan girl who goes to sea disguised as a boy on the HMS Dolphin. The Dolphin is first off to the Mediterranean and then the Caribbean to fight pirates.
Mary has lived the last few years on the streets of London but when the leader of her gang is killed she decides to strike out on her own and when the opportunity to go to sea presents itself, the safety of being fed, clothed and sheltered lures Mary on board. Taking the name, Jacky, she quickly settles in with the rest of the ship’s boys and her "Big Deception" starts.
This is a wonderfully entertaining story, with lots of adventure and show more plenty of heart. Jacky delivers the right amount of sass. She is courageous and smart, an original main character that one can’t help but root for. Bloody Jack is a rattling good yarn and I look forward to continuing on with her adventures. show less
Mary has lived the last few years on the streets of London but when the leader of her gang is killed she decides to strike out on her own and when the opportunity to go to sea presents itself, the safety of being fed, clothed and sheltered lures Mary on board. Taking the name, Jacky, she quickly settles in with the rest of the ship’s boys and her "Big Deception" starts.
This is a wonderfully entertaining story, with lots of adventure and show more plenty of heart. Jacky delivers the right amount of sass. She is courageous and smart, an original main character that one can’t help but root for. Bloody Jack is a rattling good yarn and I look forward to continuing on with her adventures. show less
First Line: My name is Jacky Faber and in London I was born, but, no, I wasn't born with that name.
It's 1797 in London, and little Mary Faber's family has just died of the plague. In order to survive, she takes up with a gang of street urchins, but it's a rough, dangerous life, and Mary hopes for something better. She disguises herself as a boy, changes her name to Jacky and signs on as a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin. Life at sea is adventure indeed, and Jacky has just the voice to tell us about it all.
I'm not an audio book fan, but I can see the books in this series being perfect for it because Jacky has such a strong, unique voice. The plot moves right along as Jacky gets herself out of one scrape after another. She tells us what show more it's like the first time a landlubber finds herself on the open sea; she philosophizes about dresses; she deals with peeing standing up; and she voices her opinion on tattoos:
" I agree with all my heart, thinking about how I'd have some real explainin' to do if I grow up to be a lady and get married and on my wedding night my husband discovers a naked dancing girl tattooed on my tail. Course, I'd rather not get a tattoo at all."
What makes Jacky so different from so many of the other women-disguised-as-men is that she isn't mannish at all. She makes it quite clear that her disguise is a matter of survival and nothing more. She has dreams of wearing dresses, falling in love, getting married, and having children. Me having had a much more tomboyish outlook for most of my life, I found that the only thing that drove me nuts about Jacky was her tendency to screech and cry whenever she got in trouble. Fortunately it drove the captain mad as well; there was a time or two I was ready to throw 'er overboard!
If you or someone you know is in the mood for something fast-paced and fun that gives a real feeling for the time period, by all means give Bloody Jack a try. Chances are you'll be cheering Jacky on just as much as I did. Now I've got to get out me spyglass and find the rest of the books in this series. show less
It's 1797 in London, and little Mary Faber's family has just died of the plague. In order to survive, she takes up with a gang of street urchins, but it's a rough, dangerous life, and Mary hopes for something better. She disguises herself as a boy, changes her name to Jacky and signs on as a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin. Life at sea is adventure indeed, and Jacky has just the voice to tell us about it all.
I'm not an audio book fan, but I can see the books in this series being perfect for it because Jacky has such a strong, unique voice. The plot moves right along as Jacky gets herself out of one scrape after another. She tells us what show more it's like the first time a landlubber finds herself on the open sea; she philosophizes about dresses; she deals with peeing standing up; and she voices her opinion on tattoos:
" I agree with all my heart, thinking about how I'd have some real explainin' to do if I grow up to be a lady and get married and on my wedding night my husband discovers a naked dancing girl tattooed on my tail. Course, I'd rather not get a tattoo at all."
What makes Jacky so different from so many of the other women-disguised-as-men is that she isn't mannish at all. She makes it quite clear that her disguise is a matter of survival and nothing more. She has dreams of wearing dresses, falling in love, getting married, and having children. Me having had a much more tomboyish outlook for most of my life, I found that the only thing that drove me nuts about Jacky was her tendency to screech and cry whenever she got in trouble. Fortunately it drove the captain mad as well; there was a time or two I was ready to throw 'er overboard!
If you or someone you know is in the mood for something fast-paced and fun that gives a real feeling for the time period, by all means give Bloody Jack a try. Chances are you'll be cheering Jacky on just as much as I did. Now I've got to get out me spyglass and find the rest of the books in this series. show less
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Author Information
14 Works 7,959 Members
L. A. Meyer was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1942. He received a B.A. in English literature from the University of Florida in Gainesville and soon after, enlisted in the U.S. Navy for a four year-stint. He worked as a social worker and then published two picture books, The Gypsy Bears and The Clean Air and Peaceful Contentment Dirigible show more Airline, before receiving his M.F.A. in painting from Boston University in 1973. He taught high school art in Massachusetts for seven years and then left to open art and design shops. His first novel for young readers, Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy, was published in 2002. It became the first book in the Bloody Jack Adventure series. He died from Hodgkin's lymphoma on July 29, 2014 at the age of 71. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
- Original publication date
- 2002
- People/Characters
- Jacky Faber; Benjy; Willy; Davy Jones; Tink (John Tinker); Jaimy Fletcher (show all 9); Captain Stephen Locke; Liam Delaney; Mr. Tilden
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Jamaica; Atlantic Ocean; Caribbean Region
- Important events
- Napoleonic Wars
- Dedication
- As always, for Annetje
- First words
- My name is Jacky Faber and in London I was born, but, no, I wasn't born with that name.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Come on, girl. Up the ladder and out now. Head high, flags flyin', that's the way we does it, but I knows it ain't gonna wash 'cause I'm half blubberin' already and I knows that soon's I steps out they'll be hollerin' Hooray, Jacky, and Give 'em Hell, Jackeroe, and yes, Bloody Jack, too, and I'll see Tink and Davy and Willy and Liam, and they'll have to pry me off Jaimy whose face I may never see no more -- Dear God, please -- and I'll try to be brave but I never was really very brave...
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- Fiction and Literature, Teen, Tween, Young Adult, Historical Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 813.6 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .M9795 .B — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
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