She is one of six cabin boys - mostly street kids who are thrilled to have a chance to eat regularly. They can't believe their luck to be paid as well. During their three year voyage - a mission to chase down pirates, they learn to climb rigging, work as powder monkeys in sea battles with pirates, do all kinds of work on deck and hope to improve their lot by becoming able-bodied seamen and regular members of the crew.

At the same, Jacky has to figure out how to keep her secret while her breasts are developing and she starts her period. She also develops a serious crush on the oldest of the cabin boys - a quiet lad who is the younger son of a real family.

In the process she has all kinds of adventures. The crew battles pirates. (She gets her nickname from shooting a pirate during a battle.) The boys have to learn to handle the discipline of the British Navy where they are junior to everyone including the 14 year old midshipmen - one of whom is a complete bully. They get shore leave in exotic ports like Jamaica. Their conversations about religion and education as they puzzle out the ways of the world are hilariously funny.

Jacky has to use all her ingenuity to keep her secret and survive on board ship. She is courageous, smart, strong and a natural born leader. And she has a sharp, funny voice of her own that tells the story in the manner of a girl who has learned to express herself from London street talk, ballads, newspapers and cheap novels.

One of the best aspects of the book is its portrayal of an adventurous girl who likes being a girl - not a girl who has always wanted to be a boy. There are too many stories where femininity is a synonym for weakness and the girl prevails by adopting male behavior. Not this one.

Jacky acts like herself and - because everyone THINKS she's a boy, they simply deal with it. She likes to sew and decides to make herself a uniform when she starts growing out of her clothes. Do the officers and crew think she is a weak sissy? Nope. Sailors had to sew. The captain issues her more fabric and gives her the job of outfitting the rest of the cabin boys.

In one of the battles, the ship takes a cannon shot that blasts a hole in the side of the vessel. The whole crew is put to manning the pumps. Jacky simply doesn't have the strength to manage. Is this a problem? Nope. Some boys are smaller than others, so they send her up to the top of the rigging because she is smaller and lighter and can get a better view farther up.

In fact, there is no problem with her being a girl - until they discover she is a girl. This is a subtly political point which Meyer makes over and over again - but without preaching or politics. Instead he has created a brilliant character and put her in a hugely entertaining tale and lets the story speak for itself.

This is a fabulous book. Don't start it late at night. You won't want to put it down until you are finished.


One terrific swashbuckler! One amazing Ship's Girl!   October 10, 2005
 8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I'm not normally a reader of sea stories, though I have read a few. All that technical ship information about mizzens, and fo'c's'les, and spankers, and such caused my eyes to blur and my head to hurt; however, not so in this wonderful novel. I can easily follow her duties around the HMS Dolphin and her simple explanations about the ship's rigging. Jacky is a dear girl and her daily observations about life on land and aboard the HMS Dolphin and her "Deception" are informative, entertaining, and humorous. She's a gutsy young woman who somehow survives the many scrapes and dangerous situations she manages to get herself into. While Jacky is tough on the outside, she is still all girl on the inside, which makes her also tender when she needs to be. She's loyal to her mates and cheerful no matter what. We share in her love of life and cheer her on. We also feel her sadness...as when, after having fallen deeply in love with Jaime, she is separated from him at the end. I'm sure this part brought a tear to many a reader's eye. I'm currently reading book two: CURSE OF THE BLUE TATTOO. It's even more packed with misadventures than the first book. Keep writng Mr. Meyer! I can't get enough of Jacky Faber.


4 1/2 stars really   February 28, 2005
 7 out of 8 found this review helpful

Bloody Jack is the story of the 12 year old orphan Mary, who, desperate to escape the poverty stricken life on the streets, disguises herself as a boy, renames herself Jack, and joins the HMS "dolphin" as a ship's boy for many curious adventures!

The novel speeds along at a satisfying pace as you follow "Jack's" exciting life at sea and see how she struggles with hiding her secret.

I think that it is really a coming-of-age story as you see how Jack copes with the confusing, sometimes frightening, and downright irritating aspects of growing into a woman. Especially as this is something she is determined to hide.

I loved the way it was told in first person as you feel that you are really growing along with Jack, especially as her language and dialect improves and changes throughout.

With lovely relationships, exciting pirate adventures, a near rape, and a charming heroine this page-turner is well worth it!



If you want Adventure, then read this book   January 4, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

One of the best action-adventure books that I've ever read. It was really hard for me to put this book down and I recommend this book to anybody that liked Huck Finn.
The story puts the reader right into the text, along with any of the unforgetable characters that you come across in this YA novel.
I recommend this book to any Middle School teacher that wants to spice up his/her classroom.