Bloody Jack: A Bloody Jack Adventure
Written by L. A. Meyer
Narrated by Katherine Kellgren
4/5
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About this audiobook
Audie Award Winner, Children's Titles - Ages 12+, 2008.
Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of 18th-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas.
There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret. This could be the adventure of her life...if only she doesn't get caught.
Listen to the sequel, Curse of the Blue Tattoo.
©2003 L.A. Meyer; (P)2007 Listen and Live Audio, Inc.
L. A. Meyer
L. A. Meyer (1942–2014) was the acclaimed writer of the Bloody Jack Adventure series, which follows the exploits of an impetuous heroine who has fought her way up from the squalid streets of London to become an adventurer of the highest order. Mr. Meyer was an art teacher, an illustrator, a designer, a naval officer, and a gallery owner. All of those experiences helped him in the writing of his curious tales of the beloved Jacky Faber. Visit www.jackyfaber.com for more information on the author and his books.
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Titles in the series (12)
Under the Jolly Roger: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild Rover No More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bloody Jack: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Curse of the Blue Tattoo: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Bonny Light Horseman: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In The Belly Of The Bloodhound: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rapture of the Deep: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mississippi Jack: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mark of the Golden Dragon: Bloody Jack, Book 9 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boston Jacky: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Viva Jacquelina!: A Bloody Jack Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Bloody Jack
721 ratings79 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My daughter has been after me for years to read this series. She has read it many times over. We found it on audio CD and listened with my son in the car.
The story is so well written and the person who reads it is so entertaining with her accents and different voices she gives the characters. I was sad when it was done but happy that there are a number of books in this series. Read or listen to it. You will love it! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've read this, but have been hearing how good the audio versions were. So far so great :)
Oh! so annoying when the very last file was corrupted - am getting from library again with the next book. Mmph. Also, the reading was great - she is as over the top as Jacky is.
I got another copy from the library to listen to the last file - also (a little less) corrupted!!! I wonder if the CD publisher was trying to cram it on the end without enough room... - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5More of an "it's ok"
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5LOVED it on tape.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It's a YA novel, but it's also great fun. It's one of those books where I'm like, "There should be more of these." (And there are! It's a whole series!) None of the elements are terribly new or original (or realistic), but it's all put together well and has just what (well, I) like to read!
A young girl, Mary Faber, is orphaned on the streets of 18th-century London. She joins a gang of kids and learns begging and even some thieving, but when a ghoulish thug who sells the bodies of dead street kids to medical schools kills the leader of her gang, she realizes it's time to leave. Disguising herself as a boy and calling herself Jack, she gets taken on as a cabin boy on a ship bound to hunt down pirates.
Much nautical adventure ensues... - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Jacky Faber is an orphaned girl scrapping out survival in London with a gang of street kids. She gets a job as a ship's boy on the HMS Dolphin (disguised of course). She loves life on the seas, the regular meals, hard work and knocking about with her fellow ship boys, not to mention the occasional run-ins with pirates. She doesn't figure on falling for Jamie, one of the other ship boys. Kellgren narrates this story with all the lusty bravado demanded by the sailing life, and is very adept with British and Irish accents. Her Jacky is sturdy, unflagging, and fierce, but still keeps her head as Jamie captures her heart. This would be a great adventure story for families to share except for the descriptions of Jacky's sexual awakening and the boys cracking jokes about prostitutes, pederasty and body parts. Best suited for teens with a love of adventure stories.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was pressured for a long time by a very good friends od mine, to read the Bloody Jack series. I remember picking them up and putting them back. I remember turning my nose up at them, because every pirate story I tried always fell flat.
This was the rare exception.
Bloody Jack is a book that will satisfy your inner adventurer...or pirate. Not only is the plot amazing, but the technical aspects of the book are spot on. I love it when an author actually does their research on what they're writing about. L.A. Meyer made sure he knew the types of jobs for men on a ship, and what each job entailed, and all the terms used by sailors. (No, I'm not talking about the cheesy phrases used in old pirate movies.)
Character wise, Bloody Jack (Mary) was amazing! There really are no words to describe her, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book with her as the main character. The other characters were diverse and interesting though not nearly as awesome as Bloody Jack.
There is a little romance of sorts in the book, and that too was awesome. It wasn't overdone and it fit the characters nicely.
Would I recommend this book? Most definitely. Its a great adventure book and it's sure to entertain readers of all ages. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Faber is orphaned at a very young age when the rest of her family dies in the plague. Set in the 1700s, she tells her story as a street urchin desperately trying to survive. When she ends up on the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy, the adventures really begin.Mary is a lively and personable girl. She charms her way right into your heart. The story is told in strong London urchin dialect, which I thought I wouldn't enjoy, but Katherine Kellgren does an Excellent Job! This was enjoyable to the very end, and I can see why so many girls love this series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a fun book to listen to although the narrator needs to work on her Caribbean accents. Mary Faber was orphaned and surviving on the streets of London when she decided to see if she could pass as a boy and get taken on as a ship's boy on a British naval ship. She succeeds, getting picked out of a crowd of boys because she can read and write. There are five other boys on the HMCS Dolphin and the six of them form a close-knit group. Mary gives her name as Jacky and becomes known as Bloody Jack when she gets covered in blood during a skirmish with pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. With the substantial amount of food being served onboard, Mary starts to put on weight and develop. She knows it is only a matter of time before she is discovered but she wants to stay on board as long as she can. She has fallen in love with one of her fellows, Jaimy, and can't completely hide her feelings. Of course, the other boys think she is a homosexual and shun her. In due time she reveals her true gender to Jaimy and he admits to feelings for her.This book is the start of a series. I don't think I will necessarily seek the rest out but they are rather fun.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The "pirate accent" of the audio narrator was initially grating, but as I began to inure it, I came to enjoy the adventure, but lost interest again towards the end.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Great narration, as per usual with Katherine Kellgren. I've noticed that almost every year in the past few years a book from this series has been on the Top Ten Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults list, which isn't surprising. Kellgren has so many accents it's incredible, and I've only just discovered that her normal accent is American.
The book itself didn't really grab me, but that is most likely just because of my personal taste. I will continue on with the series because I'm interested to see what happens with Jacky, but definitely in audio. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read the majority of this while waiting for my car at the dealership. It starts with Mary first having to leave her home b/c of the death of her family due to plague. She joins a group of orphans in a similar situation, until things go wrong. This takes up a chunk of the book and while I was impatient and wanted to get to the boat part, I do have to admit that it was very interesting. It was detailed and I liked the relationship between the children. I also felt like it gave a good basis for understanding Mary's decision to go pretend to be a boy on a ship. You see how hard the other options are and have a better understanding of why this really is the best choice.
Then Mary goes on to join the ships boys and the detail of how their days ran and how she's feel is just incredible. There is a lot of humor, sadness and honor in this book and that made me happy too. The variety of experiences and emotions make it a good adventure story that is more then one note. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mary Faber's parents died when she was 8, leaving her an orphan on the streets of London. When she was 13, she disguised herself as a boy to obtain a positions as a ship's boy on an English warship in search of pirates.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mary's life has never been easy since the day her parents and sister died and left her alone to make her own way on the street. Life gets even more interesting when Mary decides to pretend to be a boy, Jacky, in order to serve aboard the H.M.S. Dolphin. While she loves serving on the sea, Jacky lives in constant fear of The Deception being discovered, leaving her separated from the men and boys she's grown so fond of and the career she's actually good at.A flat-out adventure book, this book has great appeal for everyone. With a cross-dressing main character, high seas adventure, pirates, and other threats, the pages fly by quickly. While I was a bit worried that Jacky's Cockney narrative voice might drive me crazy, it actually allowed for deeper immersion in the tale and the time period. Of course, it also slowly disappears as Jacky spends more time aboard the Dolphin and learns proper English. A fun and quick read, I will definitely be picking up other books in the Bloody Jack series.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great fun, first in Dickensian London streets for this newly orphaned girl, and then on the high seas as she (disguised as a he) joins as a ship's boy on HMS Dolphin. Wonderful reader (Katherine Kellgren)
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loving the imagery, the danger, and adventure. Jacky is a great protagonist. I fell in love with her from page one!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bloody Jack by LA Meyer is the first of the Mary "Jack" Faber books. Mary, having been orphaned when her parents and sister die during an epidemic, is forced out on the streets. There she learns boys are being hired as ships boys on the burgeoning British fleet. She decides to don men's clothes and join up if they'll have her.Jack takes a while to settle into a convincing voice. The opening chapters, especially, while still in London, have dialog akin to the Mary Poppins movie version of cockney.For the most part, the book settles into a blow by blow of Jack learning her place on the HMS Dolphin. There are fascinating details of how she has to disguise herself to look more boyish and the problems she faces especially when having to take care of her day to day needs. Later on she's further confused by her first period.Bloody Jack is an okay start to a series (but it could have been better). It was good enough to warrant putting the second book, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, on my wishlist. But I wasn't blown away by it as some reviewers were.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This sea faring tale of street urchin turned ship's boy is a fun and exciting romp aboard the HMS Dolphin. Mary aka Jack Faber shaves her head and masquerades as a boy to escape the dangerous streets of London. Mary lost her family after a cholera outbreak and has been pan handling to survive. Now that she is aboard the Dolphin, she is well fed and safe for the most part. However, she has to keep her wits about her though so her deception isn't discovered.This is among my favorite audio books. The narrator gives a rousing performance and sucks you in to the story. Bloody Jack has some adventure but it also focuses a large part of the book on the relationships between the people on the ship. The author gives a detailed and well written account of life on the sea. If you are looking for an excellent work of historical fiction I recommend you add Bloody Jack to your to be read shelf.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was pure fun, wonderfully narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Mary "Jacky" Faber is a street waif in 18th century London, before winning a place on the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy. She disguises her true identity and sets out to see the world. Her friendship with the other ship's boys, blossoming womanhood, and participation in battles against French pirates all make for a winning story, liberally sprinkled with humor and a lot of heart.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The adventure filled start to an amazing book. Jacky (I just can't call her Mary) is orphaned at a young age and after some time in the streets, she joins His Majesty's Royal Navy. Hilarity and high adventure ensues.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I actually read this on the recomendation of my 20 year old daughter who is studying to be a writer at Pratt in Brookylyn; she liked it so much she got a tattoo inspired from it; It is a very easy read but does flow nicely with an excellent female hero and does capture you at the end to want to continue the series IF you are into that kind of series
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It gets an extra star because I heart all things Naopleonic Sea Battles. Its like the Hornblower series only less realistic. Some things happen to Jacky that I'm like, naw, I don't buy it. But an entertaining and quick read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the start to one of my favorite series. Jacky is a great protagonist, from her spunk to her own life. There are few characters I have loved as much for as long. The setting is perfect and original: it changes in every book. Here, the Dolphin, has vividly drawn characters and and exciting plot that carries though for the rest of the series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listened to Listen and Live audio edition narrated by Katherine Kellgren. Really enjoyed this and I think I'll try at least the next one as well. Hearing the circumstances that the street kids and even the ship's boys lived with was a little horrifying at times, but manageable because Jacky treats it as normal. I also found the whole concept of the romance between Jacky and Jaimy a little disconcerting once I did some math and realized Jacky was about 13 or 14 - I know this is historical fiction and that Jacky's been through enough that she's more mature than typical, and yet...it still struck me oddly - I buy that Jacky thinks this is the love of her life, but it wasn't clear to me if I was supposed to buy into "Jacky and Jaimy forever" as well - and I don't, at least not yet.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I don't know why I didn't read this sooner. Adventure on the high seas! Street urchins make good! Having to hide one's gender even though you clearly can do the exact same work! I could have done without the romantic subplot, and I'm betting that most boys who read this could do without it, too, but it's exciting enough all the same that I think I could sell this to nearly any kid, particularly when the dreaded historical-fiction book report rolls around.
The narrator for the audio version was fantastic, so I'm sad that my library consortium doesn't have the rest of the series on audio, too. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Really impressive. The author obviously really knows this time period and nautical history, and you can truly feel the difference in the quality of the historical details. One of my pet peeves with historical fiction - especially YA historical fiction - is that there's a tendency to make all the characters sound and act very modern, with a few Masterpiece Theater sort of colloquialisms thrown in for color. Lack of familiarity with the time period or a fear that too much strangeness will lose their audience? At any rate, Meyer totally goes for it, moving smoothly between gutter-urchin slang to sailor talk to the polished speech of high society, and the result is a book that feels more layered and believable. Jacky is a great creation in her own right - Meyer gets her teenage high spirits and melancholy lows exactly right.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5- Audiobook - Really good. A young orphan girl pretends to be a boy and joins a Navy ship to escape some unsavory characters on the streets of London.I had a few small issues with the gender roles and sexuality, but I just chalked it up to being a YA novel and enjoyed myself. Considering how tricky those subjects can be, it didn't do that bad a job of simplifying them. The narrator was especially good. I enjoyed her voices a lot. My library's OverDrive has the first 8 books in this series, and there's no waiting list for any of them, so I will probably continue with the series until I get tired of it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the first book in an amazing series of LA Meyer. It's so good that I actually own both the books and the audios, read by Katherine Kellgren who got awarded for her performance. No wonder, she sings, reads in different languages and accents and give each character their own voice. She is Jacky. Me 20+ and my teenage sister both love the series, we have heard it so many times that we know the lyrics to the songs and can't help ourselves quoting our favorite funny parts.The series have it all: History, adventure, romance, humor to name a few. I'm a big fan of learning while reading fiction and these books are good in that way, history and geography. So come away with little orphan Mary who turns herself into Jacky Faber shipsboy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5First, let me just say that I loved this book! I've always enjoyed adventure books, and this is my new favorite one. Before I actually talk about the book, I have to say that this was the best audio performance that I've ever listened to. The narrator (Katherine Kellgren) is simply amazing and just brings the characters to life. The story itself was incredible as well. In the beginning, we meet little Mary Faber who is newly orphaned and taken into a street gang in London. She learns to beg and sometimes steal in order to survive. From there we follow her from sticky situation to dangerous situation as she tries to "make her mark in this world" all the while with a cheerful outlook on life.Bloody Jack was such a sweet, fun, heartwarming story, and I absolutely loved it. I'm also super excited that it's the first in a series of nine books!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Adore this series. It's awesome to see a girl pirate for once!