Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy

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Summary: Bloody Jack
Review: This book is a very, very good book. It is about this girl named Mary and the girl wanted to be sailor. She wanted to be a sailor. People on a ship came and took her family away because they where very sick and they had to be moved away from people and they had to go get treatment. They had to go get treatment because they where very, very sick. She wants to find love and her loving family to see if they are alive. She changes her self-Just so she could live her life the way she wanted. She changed her self into a boy so she could make it as a sailor. But in the end love always wins!!!!! I would recommend this book because it was an adventurous good book that I would read again if I could.

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Summary: This is one fast read
Review: This is an absolutely terrific book. It's a fast-paced adventure story, with some humor and (interesting) history thrown in for good measure. Wish I had been "forced" to read it in high school, instead of the other drivel that I was assigned. I'd have read a lot more.

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Summary: Finally, Horatio Hornblower and Captain Blood for girls!
Review: This is an excellent book. It is especially valuable as it presents a capable, resourceful GIRL as the main character in a marvelous swashbuckling adventure. It is well written, although the mild 19th century street cant and nautical terms might present a stumbling block for younger readers with limited vocabularies. These kids should slog their way through the book anyway, because the read is great fun and certainly worth a trip or two to the dictionary. This is the sort of book that helps young girls develop and maintain self-esteem, and helps young boys realize that girls are more like them than they might have expected . . . Bravo to Mr. Meyer for showing us in the best way possible that gender stereotypes are for the birds.

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Summary: RATED PG13 +!!!
Review: Ugh, I am twelve years old and have read many, many books. The story of this book is kind of crappy, and easily predicted. 5 star book? FAT CHANCE. Some of this book was a little innapropriate, and many of the people at my school agree. Some referances were a little adult, and some of the scenes were not very pretty to picture, no offence. The climax was, iffy, and I'm still not quite sure what is was anyway. If the author decides to write another book, take it up a notch ok?

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Summary: WOW!
Review: What a great book! I could not put it down... Its one of the most exciting books I have ever read. Bloody Jack starts strong and doesn't let up 'til the end. Meyer does a brilliant job at capturing the feel of life on the sea. The characters are memorable, and the story flows smoothly. I haven't read a book this good in a long, long, time.

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Summary: Another Jacky (My first Amazon.com review! :D)
Review: When I first saw this book, I was looking for sea adventures and pirate tales in my library. I was bored, and on one of my usual trips with roving eye and plucking hand; it is not strange for me to bring home five or six books that catch my eye and bring them back a week later, finishing them usually in less than that time. I practically ignored my other books to read Bloody Jack at least once more. I took it out again and again to reread it, and I desire it for my very own....precioussss book...

In any event, I emailed the author almost immediately to congratulate him and thank him and ask about a sequel. When he told me there was already one in the works, I was beside myself. And when my mother pushed me to get an Amazon.com wish list, I made sure to check out the title, and lo...there is a sequel.

Since, however, I have not read it, I will simply review the first. It is a magnificent tale, with sorrow and drama and comedy. It is supposedly for younger children, but it most definitely ageless, and, in fact, a bit dark. I do not see the cross dressing to be a "sensitive" area...she is disguised for good reason. The fact that she is nearly raped, and her blooming thoughts as she grows into puberty are something to watch for. There is language, as well, usually mild. I do not agree with the editorial review that speaks of the dialect "faltering": Jacky receives an education, and so speaks in her older, "Cockneyed" speech only when extremely excited or emotional. As she says, she "slips".

This book is a fantastic, educational historical read, and I recommend to everyone who loves sea adventures and cocky little heroines who "aren't very brave."

<3<3<3<3<3

Rating:
Summary: Bloody Horrible
Review: Where do I start?
I picked up this book at the library, and checked it out. I got it to entertain me through the Holiday Vacation. This is a book about a british girl, roughly 13, who has had a rotten life uptil she enlists aboard the HMS Dolphin. Although her name is Mary, that name becomes lost and she and everyone around her believe her to be Jack, as a ships boy. She keeps this duisguise until of course, a crazy thing happens, and everyone knows shes a girl. She herself seemed kinda surprised. To let you know the kind of books I like, I enjoyed Redwall, Pirates, The Life of Pi, and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. BUT I didn't like this book. I love reading books where you are able to play out the scenarios in your mind, and I just couldn't do that with this book. It wasn't too funny in my opinoin and some of the things that happened in the story were ridiculous, if not impossible. If you are a boy, I suggest you read the small note underneath the title. it reads, "Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy" OF MARY "Jacky" Faber. Anywho, I didn't like this book, and YEA I'm a girl.

Rating:
Summary: A mini-epic with a big heart
Review: With all the elements of a good swashbuckling tale - and more - this is a book about coming of age and finding a niche, however unconventional, in the world. Mary "Jacky" Faber is a frightened, hungry little girl on the streets of London, and in desperation signs onto the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy, where she knows she will at least be fed. She disguises herself as a boy to accomplish this, which has been done quite often in this genre - but the twist is this: she LOOKS like a little boy, and until she hits puberty the deception is quite simple. However, her hormones take over and she must try increasingly harder to keep her gender a secret, or be thrown to the streets again forever. Jacky grows up aboard the ship, learning to work, to stand up for herself, and accidentally falling in love with another ship's boy. The plot is predictable, but all is forgiven: Jacky's narrative is frank, funny, and undeniably wise, and she will entertain you to the very last page.