Bloody Jack (novel)

Bloody Jack: Being An Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary “Jacky” Faber, Ship's Boy is a historical novel by L.A. Meyer, published by Harcourt Children's Books in September 2002. It is centered on an orphaned girl in London in the early 19th century.
The story is continued in Curse of the Blue Tattoo (2004), Under the Jolly Roger (2005), In the Belly of the Bloodhound (2006), Mississippi Jack (2007), My Bonny Light Horseman (2008), Rapture of the Deep (2009), The Wake of the Lorelei Lee (2010), The Mark of the Golden Dragon (2011), Viva Jacquelina! (2012), Boston Jacky (2013), and Wild Rover No More (2016).
After losing her entire family to disease, eight-year-old Mary Faber joins a gang of orphans led by Rooster Charlie, whom she looks up to as a brother. One day, after stealing some bread, Mary stumbles across Charlie's corpse and realizes that he's been murdered. Donning his clothes, she assumes the identity of "Jack" and joins the crew of HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy.
While serving aboard the Dolphin, she kills a pirate during an attack on an enemy ship. As a mark of honor, her shipmates give her the nickname "Bloody Jack".
Mary Faber is a 12-year-old member of Rooster Charlie's child orphan gang in Cheapside, London, in the year 1801. She joined the gang four years ago in 1797 after her family died from the plague when she was eight years old. After Charlie is murdered by a grave robber, she disguises herself as a young boy of eleven years old and seeks passage on the Dolphin, a man of war ship tasked with hunting pirates.
Because Mary can read, she is assigned to serve as the schoolmaster's assistant, under the male name Jacky Faber. She quickly befriends her fellow crewmates. James “Jaimy” Fletcher, the son of a once-prosperous family, joins the crew at the last second to train as a midshipman.
Over the course of several months, the boys gradually become accomplished sailors. Jacky forms a close bond with Irish seaman Liam Delaney, who teaches her how to play the penny whistle. As Jacky’s body begins to mature, she creates a new uniform to hide the changes. In response to her skill, the captain orders her to make uniforms for all the boys.
While cruising off the coast of North Africa, the captain spots a pirate ship and pursues it. After battering the vessel into submission, a boarding party which includes Jacky and Jaimy is sent aboard. During the battle, a pirate carrying the ship's money chest sneaks up on Jaimy, and Jacky manages to shoot him dead, which earns her the nickname "Bloody Jack".
Disturbed by the experience, Jacky falls further into depression after learning that Benjy was killed in action. With the Dolphin low on supplies, the crew heads to Palma for rest and relaxation. Jacky begins to menstruate, and mistakenly believes that she will soon die.
After landing at Palma, the remaining boys spend their money on tattoos, declaring themselves the Brotherhood of Ship's Boys. Upon having her first menstrual period, Jacky visits a nearby brothel to learn about her condition. Unaware of the truth, the boys assume that she is a "rake" (a womanizer) and taunt her.
Now resupplied, the ship travels to the Caribbean Sea to continue its mission. Bliffil, an abusive midshipman, attacks Jacky in the classroom, putting her in the sick ward with severe injuries. Eager for revenge, she persuades another midshipman, Jenkins, to challenge Bliffil to a fight, which he wins.
Bill Sloat, another sailor who frequently targets Jacky, discovers her secret and tries to rape her in the ship's rope locker. Jacky manages to stab him with her shiv, and Sloat falls overboard and drowns. Liam is charged with the murder and sentenced to death, but Jacky confesses and is subsequently tried in his place, with the court freeing her on account of self-defense.
With peace restored, Jacky begins to fall in love with Jaimy. When he decides to leave the ship out of fear of being ostracized for presumed homosexuality, she reveals her true identity to him.
Soon after, they arrive in Kingston, Jamaica. Jacky puts on a dress and goes on a date with Jaimy, only to be interrupted by the other boys, who don’t recognize her. With Jaimy distracting them, she is able to slip back into her disguise and maintain her cover. Davy convinces them to all get earrings, which Jaimy and Jacky take as symbols of their love.
While hunting for the French pirate LeFievre ("The Fever"), the Dolphin is attacked by a fireship and begins to sink. While serving as a lookout, Jacky spots land and alerts the crew, allowing them to beach the ship safely. Davy catches her sleeping in Jaimy's hammock, and she reluctantly tells him that she is a girl.
Phineas Tilden, the ship's schoolmaster, recruits Jacky to pilot an experimental kite in the hopes of finding help. When the kite breaks free from its moorings, Jacky winds up trapped on a nearby island, where she uses smoke signals to contact the crew.
Unfortunately, LeFievre and his men spot the signals first and set an ambush for the rescue party. Jacky tries to warn them, but is captured and tied to a rope. The pirates try to hang her, but she is saved seconds before death.
In the process, the entire crew discovers her female nature. After being examined by the ship’s doctor, Jacky is declared to be about fifteen years old, having not known her true age during the past two years of service.
Despite earning a promotion to midshipman for exceptional bravery, Jacky is discharged from the navy and sent to Boston, where Tilden has arranged for her to attend Lawson Peabody's School for Girls under her assumed name. Accepting her fate, Jacky embraces her shipmates before stepping off.
Bloody Jack was well received by critics, including starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly.
Publishers Weekly highlighted how "Meyer evokes life in the 18th-century Royal Navy with Dickensian flair", noting that the author "seamlessly weaves into Jacky's first-person account a wealth of historical and nautical detail at a time when pirates terrorized the oceans". Kirkus Reviews also praised how the historical details are "seamlessly knitted into the material".
Kirkus Reviews described the main character as the highlight of the book, referring to Jacky as "an outsized heroine who is equal parts gutsy and vulnerable", as well as "clever and courageous", noting that "Jacky is such a marvelous creation that the other characters feel shadowy in comparison". They also highlighted how the "novel is full of action and derring-do, but the real suspense is generated by maintaining what the heroine calls 'The Deception,' her disguise as a boy".
The audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren also received starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly said Kellgren's narration was "pure magic" as she "creates authentic character voices, switching effortlessly among Mary’s Cockney, the melodic Irish lilt of sailor Liam, the educated American voice of schoolmaster Tilden, the chillingly sinister, leering tone of Jacob Sloat and many other voices without missing a beat". They also called her acting "first-rate". On behalf of Booklist, Pam Spencer Holley similarly highlighted how "Kellgren’s flexible British accent easily captures the seafaring atmosphere and Jacky’s emotions". Holley further noted that "nautical music introducing and concluding the work adds to the mood, as does Kellgren’s impressive singing of a ballad."
Bloody Jack is a Junior Library Guild book. Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) included it on their lists of the Best Books for Young Adults (2004) and Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2012).
The audiobook narrated by Katherine Kellgren was an Odyssey Award honor book. The Association for Library Service to Children included the it on their 2008 list of Notable Children's Recordings, and in 2009, YALSA included it on their list of Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults.