Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer, 2002 Harcourt Publishing

     Mary Faber was abandoned as a child when her family died of disease, she joins a gang of other orphans, but when their leader is murdered Mary has no where to go. She takes her dead friend's clothes and disguises herself as a ship's boy under the name Jacky. Aboard the HMS Dolphin, a British warship, Jacky befriends the other ships boys and finds her place among the men. 

     She adopts one of the sailors, Liam Delaney, as her sea-dad and he teaches her the fine art of the pennywhistle and helps her gain her sea-legs. She is finally fitting in when pirates are spotted and a battle begins. When one pirate is poised to kill her friend, whom she is starting to have feelings for, Jacky saves Jaimy's life, but their brotherhood of ships' boys loses a member. 

     Not long after Jacky experiences her first menses, but unaware of the female body's maturation she believes she is dying. When the ship puts into port for repairs Jacky visits a brothel hoping for a woman to explain her body's changes. Her friends only know one reason to visit a brothel and rib Jacky mercilessly for her rakish ways. It isn't long before the rumor spreads aboard ship that young master Jacky is actually Miss Jacky and the men begin to act out of place. Jacky even kills one of the men in self-defense when he assaults her. 

     Jacky reveals her secret to Jaimy when he believes his feelings are socially inappropriate--until Jacky confesses to similar feelings. The two begin a courtship and secret engagement while ashore in Jamaica. They return to ship and the crew of the HMS Dolphin begins hunting pirates. They meet and do battle with LeFievre and his crew, who escape and later capture Jacky for ransom. Jacky manages to survive, but the entire crew of the HMS Dolphin discover her female identity and she is carted off to a Boston Finishing School for her own betterment. 

     Jacky Faber is independent, clever, and somewhat ruthless in her deception. Though she lives a very world-weary life, she is innocent of some of the most basic things in life. Her charm and wit earn Jacky friends in unlikely places and save her life more than once, but along with them come a recklessness that could get not only her neck, but the necks of her friends in more danger than they can withstand. With spunk and a bright outlook on the future, Jacky sails the seas with her friends and adopted family, living life and having fun. Readers of all ages will enjoy this saucy girl and her mischievous ways.