Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

Left orphaned on the streets of London by the illness that took her mother, father, and little sister, Mary Faber joins up with a gang of street urchins under Black Friar’s Bridge, begging, borrowing, and stealing to put scraps in their bellies. Until one night, when little Mary finds her gang’s leader murdered, she suddenly sees a way out. She takes his clothing, gives herself the new name “Jack,”  and heads to the docks where she is hired on to the H.M.S. Dolphin—A Royal Navy ship—as a ship’s boy. Life is bliss aboard the Dolphin. It’s hard work, but there’s plenty of food and a warm place to sleep… as long as she can keep up the deception!

But the seas aren't always warm breezes and shore leave, and Jacky has to use her street skills, quick thinking, and wit see her through the toughest of scrapes and earn herself the nickname, “Bloody Jack.”

The first in an ongoing series, L. A. Meyer skillfully builds a story of adventure on the sea using Jacky’s bold and engaging personality; Meyer adds a healthy dose of trouble that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat and thinking, “Oh Jacky, you've done it again!”

If you love Bloody Jack, then continue the story in Curse of the Blue Tattoo and Under the Jolly Roger. Or if you’re looking for other heroines on the high seas, look for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.

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