Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer

Bloody Jack is the nickname given to Jacky (Mary) Faber by her fellow sailors, and bloody, as in bloody good, aptly describes this book. The story of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old girl (she’s not sure of her age) orphaned in 1797 London following the death of her parents and sister from pestilence, Mary has spent the following four years with a gang of street children begging and stealing for sustenance. When the gang is broken up, Mary dresses up as a boy and gets taken on as a ship’s boy in the British Navy. While there, she gets tattooed, learns to play pennywhistle, avoids the unwanted attention of several disreputable sailors, falls in love, kills a pirate (earning her sobriquet), gets stranded following an experiment with a kite gone awry, and nearly hanged. The first book in a series now up to seven, the story ends with Mary safe but discovered as a young woman and put off in Boston for boarding school.

The great strength of this book is the first person narration by Jacky. Meyer gives his lead a jovial, conversational Cockney full of black humor and world-weariness, but Jacky never comes off as whiny despite her tragic life. This is a female character that is strong, resourceful, sharp as a tack, and hilarious to boot, full of gallows humor and salty sea language. Meyer’s attention to nautical detail never comes across as mere instruction, but is slowly introduced through Jacky’s asides and plot movement, making this an ideal first nautical adventure for teen readers. Plenty of bloody action and the blossoming of a sweet but forbidden love between Jacky and a fellow ship’s boy help, too. Try this on teens that enjoyed The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle or are Jack Sparrow fans. Some mildly explicit language throughout, several scenes of moderate violence and gore, and suggestive dialogue throughout including discussions of sodomy and prostitution. Ages 12+.