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Bloody Jack Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber Ship Boy Bloody Jack Adventures L A Meyer Books

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Bloody Jack Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber Ship Boy Bloody Jack Adventures L A Meyer Books

The full title of this book is meatier than its shorthand version: "Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy." The title, plus the cover illustration on the HMH trade paperback edition, offers exactly the bait to draw a young boy into a reading adventure.

Alas if our young reader (as this older one did) should miss the clue in that title; Jacky is a girl. A plague orphan masquerading as a boy to be safe on the mean streets of London in the 1790s, Jacky has learned how to cope on her own. Joining a street gang, she has learned to fight to keep herself and her comrades safe and fed.

For youngsters like her, the life of a ship's boy presents a shining promise. Imagine being fed each day, having a place to sleep out of the weather. Imagine not having to fight rival gangs for your right to exist. As for the dangers, well, Jacky is philosophical: "It's just as dead you get from starvation, muggin', or bein' stepped on by a horse, as you get from drownin'. which is, of course, the seagoin' option. And I hears they'll feed us, even. ... [Besides,] a girl what's born for hangin' ain't likely to be drowned."

At first the pleasures of her new position far outweigh the duties. Jacky is astounded to be served meat at her meals, and isn't worried about weevils in the biscuits. She sleeps soundly in unaccustomed peace, and is allowed to replace her brother's cast-off trousers with a hand-made uniform, so long as she makes it herself.

The dangers Jacky finds on board are nothing she can expect from life in London's streets: sadistic sailors and pederasts, strict preachers and officers, and a growing attraction to one of the other ship's boys are the least of her worries. Hot-cannon battles with pirates and the careful choice of where to have a tattoo and how to handle a visit to a brothel loom larger for Jacky and her mates. They take a young boy's perspective on all these perplexities, even religion: "No, Jesus ain't the King of Heaven," counters Davy. "His dad's the King of Heaven and there'd surely be hell to pay if Jesus come to dinner all covered wi' tattoos, 'specially with 'I loves you, Mary Magdalen' all over His Sainted Belly."

I first read "Bloody Jack" after reading the trilogy "The Hunger Games" ] and the first book of another dystopian trilogy, "Divergent" ]. It struck me then that Jacky was just as valorous, struggling every bit as hard against a world that did not welcome her, and as much—or more—challenged by her unorthodox nature as either Katniss Everdeen or Dauntless Tris. Yet the worlds Jacky inhabits are real. Her history is fiction, but only in its details; the broader picture Meyer paints reveals a true image of life in 1790s London, work on board a merchant vessel, and the struggles of those who live in the British Colonies of the time.

At the end, Jacky's sex has little to do with her courage, or her adventures. Young male readers can squint one eye and look past it to see the rollicking adventure it is.


Tags : Amazon.com: Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy (Bloody Jack Adventures) (9780152050856): L. A. Meyer: Books,L. A. Meyer,Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy (Bloody Jack Adventures),Hmh Books for Young Readers,015205085X,Action & Adventure - General,Family - Orphans & Foster Homes,Historical - Europe,Europe,Orphans,Orphans;Fiction.,Pirates,Sea stories,Sea stories.,Seafaring life,Seafaring life;Fiction.,Sex role,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),England,English literature: fiction texts,Fiction,Girls & Women,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Action & Adventure General,Juvenile Fiction General,Juvenile Fiction Girls & Women,Juvenile Fiction Historical Europe,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Monograph Series, 1st,Orphans,Orphans;Fiction.,Pirates,Sea stories,Sea stories.,Seafaring life,Seafaring life;Fiction.,Sex role,TEEN'S FICTION - ACTION & ADVENTURE,TEEN'S FICTION HISTORICAL,United States,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Action & Adventure General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family Orphans & Foster Homes,YOUNG ADULT FICTION General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical Europe,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance General,Young Adult FictionGirls & Women,Young Adult FictionHistorical - Europe,Young Adult FictionRomance - General,Girls & Women,Juvenile Fiction Action & Adventure General,Juvenile Fiction General,Juvenile Fiction Girls & Women,Juvenile Fiction Historical Europe,Juvenile Fiction Love & Romance,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Action & Adventure General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family Orphans & Foster Homes,YOUNG ADULT FICTION General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical Europe,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance General,Young Adult FictionGirls & Women,Young Adult FictionHistorical - Europe,Young Adult FictionRomance - General,Fiction,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),YOUNG ADULT FICTION,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),English literature: fiction texts

Bloody Jack Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber Ship Boy Bloody Jack Adventures L A Meyer Books Reviews

I eyed this book in libraries for years before I checked it out. For all of two seconds, I worried I wouldn't be able to get past the cockney language of the first couple chapters, but the colorful Jacky's language quickly improves as she learns more. Throughout the whole series (all 12 of them), Jacky's spirit near jumps off the page. The books are even better if you listen to the audiobooks too--Katherine Kellgren is a master at accents and gender.

Basically, there's a reason this series became a cornerstone of my relationship with my sister, and we reference it to this day. 100% recommend.
I have read and listened to all the books in this series. I totally love them! Even though these books were written with young adults in mind, at 50+ years ago I still loved them. I got hooked on them by listening to them on audio books. The narrator brings the stories to life with her inflections and wonderful accents. I can still hear Jackie saying, "but I try to be good, really I do" in my head. It makes me smile when I think of it. I recently gave the first book to my granddaughter who is 12. These books are not 100% PG. You will have to use your own judgement as to the appropriate age for these stories. The later books go get a bit racier, but I am perfectly comfortable with my granddaughter reading them at 12. The books are full of adventure, drama, humor, and just plain fun.
For all of you who are missing a bit of adventure these days, take heart, Bloody Jack Faber is here to save your day. This is a wondrous tale of a young orphan living in the streets of 1800’s London. Her chances are near zero, but she manages to align herself with a group of resourceful street urchins. When she finds her group leader Charlie dead she suspects the corpse dealer Mung. With reluctance, Mary strips Charlie of his cloths and put them on. They are far better than the ones she had. Mary is afraid she might be next and makes arrangements for another group leader to take over her small remaining troop. She has no plans on staying and comes to the conclusion that she is better off disguising herself as a boy. Using the knife she took from Charlie she cuts her hair short and makes her way to the docks. Life is easier being a boy she finds. Mary spots a great ship the Dolphin and thinks about going to sea. The ship’s Master is looking for Ship Boys. Why not try? What skill could she have that would be of value? She yells out, “I can read.” Welcome aboard matey. When asked what her name is, Mary says Jacky Faber, and so begins the adventure of the new ship’s boy. I can’t say enough about how brilliantly this book is written. It is full of wit, charm, sadness, and longing. The characters are dynamic, complex and delicious. You will come to love or hate them and remember their courage, fears, and their unbaiting will to survive against great odds. I recommend this book to everyone, young and old. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
The full title of this book is meatier than its shorthand version "Bloody Jack Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy." The title, plus the cover illustration on the HMH trade paperback edition, offers exactly the bait to draw a young boy into a reading adventure.

Alas if our young reader (as this older one did) should miss the clue in that title; Jacky is a girl. A plague orphan masquerading as a boy to be safe on the mean streets of London in the 1790s, Jacky has learned how to cope on her own. Joining a street gang, she has learned to fight to keep herself and her comrades safe and fed.

For youngsters like her, the life of a ship's boy presents a shining promise. Imagine being fed each day, having a place to sleep out of the weather. Imagine not having to fight rival gangs for your right to exist. As for the dangers, well, Jacky is philosophical "It's just as dead you get from starvation, muggin', or bein' stepped on by a horse, as you get from drownin'. which is, of course, the seagoin' option. And I hears they'll feed us, even. ... [Besides,] a girl what's born for hangin' ain't likely to be drowned."

At first the pleasures of her new position far outweigh the duties. Jacky is astounded to be served meat at her meals, and isn't worried about weevils in the biscuits. She sleeps soundly in unaccustomed peace, and is allowed to replace her brother's cast-off trousers with a hand-made uniform, so long as she makes it herself.

The dangers Jacky finds on board are nothing she can expect from life in London's streets sadistic sailors and pederasts, strict preachers and officers, and a growing attraction to one of the other ship's boys are the least of her worries. Hot-cannon battles with pirates and the careful choice of where to have a tattoo and how to handle a visit to a brothel loom larger for Jacky and her mates. They take a young boy's perspective on all these perplexities, even religion "No, Jesus ain't the King of Heaven," counters Davy. "His dad's the King of Heaven and there'd surely be hell to pay if Jesus come to dinner all covered wi' tattoos, 'specially with 'I loves you, Mary Magdalen' all over His Sainted Belly."

I first read "Bloody Jack" after reading the trilogy "The Hunger Games" ] and the first book of another dystopian trilogy, "Divergent" ]. It struck me then that Jacky was just as valorous, struggling every bit as hard against a world that did not welcome her, and as much—or more—challenged by her unorthodox nature as either Katniss Everdeen or Dauntless Tris. Yet the worlds Jacky inhabits are real. Her history is fiction, but only in its details; the broader picture Meyer paints reveals a true image of life in 1790s London, work on board a merchant vessel, and the struggles of those who live in the British Colonies of the time.

At the end, Jacky's sex has little to do with her courage, or her adventures. Young male readers can squint one eye and look past it to see the rollicking adventure it is.