Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary 'Jacky' Faber, Ship's Boy
By L.A. Meyer
The very title of this book is enough to grab you by the lapels and throw you into the fray of life aboard a ship in an era of high-seas adventure. How could I leave this on the shelf with keywords like "bloody" and "curious" and "adventure" applied to a girl identified as a Ship's Boy?
Before she became "Jacky," Mary Faber lived a comfortable life with her parents and sister. We meet her after disease has killed her family, and we watch as the local corpse seller carts away their bodies. Eight years old, orphaned, and homeless, she is taken in by a gang of London street urchins, which functions as a family under the leadership of an older boy called Rooster Charlie.
How she winds up on a ship, and the wit (and luck) it takes to maneuver around sticky situations, makes this a fun and youthful read. Want to know how she earns the moniker of "Bloody Jack"? Sail with this scrappy girl to find out!
And if you like this book, the adventures don't end there. There are eleven more books in this series by Maine author L.A. Meyer!