Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack Adventures) [Hardcover]

L. A. Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bloody Jack Adventures | Publication Date: June 1, 2004

After being exposed as a girl, Jacky Faber is forced to leave the Dolphin and attend the elite Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston. But growing up on the streets of London and fighting pirates never prepared Jacky for her toughest battle yet: learning how to be a lady.

Everything she does is wrong. Her embroidery is deplorable, her French is atrocious, and her table manners--disgusting! And whenever Jacky roams the city in search of adventure, trouble is never far behind. Then there's the small matter of her blue anchor tattoo. . . .

So will Jacky ever become a typical lady? Not bloody well likely! But whether she's triumphing over her snobbish classmates, avenging a serving girl's murder, or winning over a stubborn horse that's as fast as the wind, one thing's for sure: Jacky's new life in Boston is just as exciting as her old one on the high seas.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–In this sequel to Bloody Jack (Harcourt, 2002), Meyer continues the adventures of the wild and wanton Jacky, who sailed aboard HMS Dolphinas a crewmemberuntil it was discovered that he was really a girl. Here, she must leave her true love, Jaimy, when she is put ashore in Boston for a new start at an elite girls' school. She describes her snobbish classmates and the failed attempts of the headmistress to make a lady out of her. A natural show-off, Jacky loves to play her pennywhistle and dance on the streets. When she is arrested and jailed for showing some knee, she is demoted to serving girl. She hooks up with a drunken violin player to perform in taverns to earn money to get back to England and her Jaimy. With her propensity for plunging headfirst into trouble, the irrepressible Jacky rolls quickly from one adventure to another. As the story ends, she signs onto a whaler bound for England, leaving an opening for a third volume. Meyer does an excellent job of conveying life in Boston in 1803, particularly the rights, or lack thereof, of women. Jacky's headstrong certainty that she's in control and her cocky first-person account make her a memorable heroine. The narrative is full of lecherous men, and Jacky herself is free in her ways. This fact and the sometimes-strong language make this book more appropriate for older readers. Sure to please fans of the first title, this adventure-packed historical novel also stands on its own.–Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 6-9. Taking up where the original story of Bloody Jack (2002) left off, this early-nineteenth-century adventure story begins with Jacky Faber, no longer disguised as a ship's boy, leaving the Dolphin and going to her new home, the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls. There Mistress Pimm takes on the formidable task of transforming the indomitable scamp into a young lady. Good-hearted but spirited and unconventional, Jacky tries to learn, but finds it impossible to conform to an ideal of womanhood that does not include "lewd" exhibitions of singing and dancing, dressing in men's clothing, consorting with drunkards and prostitutes, and using language as salty as any sailor's. Though her boldness puts her in situations dangerous to her safety and her virtue, Jacky manages to bring the complete downfall of a detestable preacher and good fortune to her many friends. The characterizations are undeniably broad, but one of the riches of this entertaining novel is the large, Dickensian cast of colorfully named figures--e.g., the enigmatic theatrical duo Mr. Fennel and Mr. Bean. Happily, the book's conclusion promises a sequel with Jacky at sea once more. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1 edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152051155
• ISBN-13: 978-0152051150
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

L. A. MEYER is the author of Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy. He also has been a designer and an art teacher, and is currently the curator and exhibitor at the Clair de Loon Gallery near his home in Corea, Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Curse of the Blue Tattoo- an excellent book, November 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack Adventures) (Hardcover)

Curse of the Blue Tattoo continues the adventures of Jacky Faber after she is sent from the HMS Dolphin after her true gender is disclosed. Jacky is forced to leave her love, Jaimy for a boarding school in Boston, where she is taken to become a "lady".
Jacky soon, on one of her secret trips out of school, shows her knee while dancing for a group of sailors. She is arrested and sent back to her school in disgrace. Miss Pimm, the headmistress demotes Jacky to a serving girl.
Jacky's exploits continue, including many trips to her friend Amy's farm, a murderous Reverend, and entertaining at an inn. Her numerous adventures kept me reading late at night, and although I cannot promise that it will interest you, I would highly recommend this book (after reading its prequel, Bloody Jack).

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bloody" Terrific, October 14, 2004

By 

The Lady Washington "Alyssa" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack Adventures) (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books for young adults (and up!) to come around for a long time. Though the plot is, at times, not exceptionally unique, Jacky's plucky narrative voice smooths all ruffles. At the end of "Bloody Jack," the prequel to "Curse," autor L.A. Meyer left our heroine standing on a dock in Boston, waiting to be taken to finishing school. This book picks up precisely where the last left off, and as we might expect, Jacky does not even begin to fit in with the priveleged, proper girls at Mistress Pimm's School for Fine Young Ladies. Woven into the story line is a disguised suicide that turns out to be an unsolved murder, a strained young love, and of course, heaping helpings of Jacky's charming wit and innocent naivete that we loved from the first book. (This one's even better.) The ending is a big surprise, even though in hindsight we realize we should've been expecting it - and until that point, you won't be able to put it down. Well worth the read!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Done, once again, July 8, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady (Bloody Jack Adventures) (Hardcover)

Let me tell you something: Creating a sequel to such a great book like "Bloody Jack", is a hard task. But, Mr. Meyer has done it, and he has done it very well. Although the second book does not have as much action as the first, it has just as good of a plot, story and theme. When i found out Mr. Meyer was to make a sequel, i asked myself, "How can he write a sequel and not have the same story line? Obviously she cannot hide the fact that she is a girl any longer, which means she cannot sail the seas. How will Mr. Meyer accomplish the task of writing a second chapter in the Bloody Jack tales? And if he does, will he be succesful?"

The Answer is, yes, this story is equally good, no, equally GREAT as the first one. Nice work Mr. Meyer.