- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (Sep 10 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0152167315
- ISBN-13: 978-0152167318
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 422 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #210,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
"I prays for deliverance," confides Mary Faber, orphaned at eight years old by a pestilence that relegates her to a life of begging and petty crime on the streets of London. After her gang's leader is killed, she dons his clothing, trading in the name Mary for Jack, and takes to the high seas aboard the HMS Dolphin. Meyer evokes life in the 18th-century Royal Navy with Dickensian flair. He seamlessly weaves into Jacky's first-person account a wealth of historical and nautical detail at a time when pirates terrorized the oceans. Interspersed are humorous asides about her ongoing struggle to maintain "The Deception" (she fashions herself a codpiece and emulates the "shake-and-wiggle action" of the other boys when pretending to use the head, for instance), she earns her titular nickname in a clash with pirates and survives a brief stretch as a castaway before her true identity is discovered (the book ends as she's about to be shipped off to a school for young ladies in Boston). The narrative's dialect occasionally falters, but this detracts only slightly from the descriptive prose ("He's got muscles like a horse and looks to have a brain to match") and not at all from the engine driving this sprawling yarn: the spirited heroine's wholly engaging voice. Her budding sexuality (which leads to a somewhat flawed plotline involving a secret shipboard romance) and a near-rape by a seaman mark this one for older readers, who will find the salty tale a rattling good read. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8-With the plague running rampant in London in 1797, Mary's parents and sister are soon counted among the dead. Left alone and penniless, the eight-year-old is taken in by a gang of orphans and learns survival skills. However, when their leader is killed, Mary decides to try her luck elsewhere. She strips the dead body, cuts her hair, renames herself Jack Faber, and is soon employed as a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin. When the vessel sees its first skirmish with a pirate ship, her bravery saves her friend Jaimy and earns her the nickname "Bloody Jack." Told by Mary/Jack in an uneven dialect that sometimes doesn't ring true, the story weaves details of life aboard the Dolphin. Readers see how she changes her disguise based on her own physical changes and handles the "call of nature," her first experiences with maturation, and the dangers to boys from unscrupulous crew members. The protagonist's vocabulary, her appearance and demeanor, and her desire to be one of the boys and do everything they do without complaint complete the deception. This story also shows a welcome slant to this genre with an honorable, albeit strict Captain, and ship's mates who are willing and able teachers. If readers are looking for a rousing, swashbuckling tale of pirates and adventures on the high seas, this title falls short. However, it is a good story of a brave ship's "boy" with natural leadership abilities and a sense of fair play and humanity.
Kit Vaughan, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Kit Vaughan, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Rooster Charlie allows as how today he's goin' to see Dr. Graves himself, the bloke what sends Muck around to pick up dead orphans for the di-seck-shun and for the good of science and all, to see if Charlie his ownself can get paid for his body before he goes croakers so's he can have the pleasure of it himself, like. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Rooster Charlie allows as how today he's goin' to see Dr. Graves himself, the bloke what sends Muck around to pick up dead orphans for the di-seck-shun and for the good of science and all, to see if Charlie his ownself can get paid for his body before he goes croakers so's he can have the pleasure of it himself, like. Read the first page
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to put down!,
By Joey Ouellette (Windsor, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bloody Jack: Being an Account Of the Curious Adventures Of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship`s Boy (Paperback)
Excellent for kids and grown ups! Well written, fast paced, delightful! We appreciate very much the well researched historical information, and have learned much about the times, events, etc. Highly recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning, perfect for the rebelious girl,
This review is from: Bloody Jack: Being an Account Of the Curious Adventures Of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship`s Boy (Paperback)
Bloody Jack is a good book. Mary "Jacky" Faber was orphaned as a child, left to fend for herself on the streets of London. Jacky decides to leave London in search of a better life after a terrible tragedy. She disguises herself as a boy and gets picked to be a ships boy on the HMS Dolphin, a ship in the royal navy. For those who are wondering, no, this is not a slash 'em and bash 'em up book, more like it details the struggles of being a girl in a boy dominated world, no offence. I would not recommend this for boys, but if you're a girl that likes to be defiant, this might be for you.Great book, real good.
5.0 out of 5 stars
For sailing lovers...,
This review is from: Bloody Jack: Being an Account Of the Curious Adventures Of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship`s Boy (Paperback)
For anyone who loves books/movies that take place on boats like Master and Comander, Stowaway, Swallows and Amazons, etc. you will love this book. It is a book i couldnt put down. It dose have a few parts that weren't exactly PG, so no one under 12 should read it. Overall it will make you want to board your own British war ship and head for the high seas!!
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