A fun bit of historical fiction

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

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.

I actually listened to the book on cd of this novel because we had a patron who wanted us to move the audio from the young adult area into the adult area due to some of the situations that young Jackie finds herself in. I have to say I was not excited to read the book but found myself sitting in the car to find out what happens next and I really enjoyed the story. Jackie is quite a character and I was rooting for her to survive all of the interesting scrapes she seemed to get into. I have now finished the next two books in the series and find that they are exciting and fun to read as this one. It is meant for older teens ( 11 and up) due to the fact that Jackie and the other ships boys are all entering into puberty and there is a near rape towards the end of the book. Not many pirates but still a fun adventure story of a young lady doing what she needs to survive. Loved her sense of humor and fun.