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Summary
Summary
The infamous pirate, riverboat seductress, master of disguise, and street-urchin-turned-sailor Jacky Faber has been captured by the French and beheaded in full view of her friends and crew. Inconceivable? Yes! The truth is she's secretly forced to pose as an American dancer behind enemy lines in Paris, where she entices a French general into revealing military secrets--all to save her dear friends. Then, in intrepid Jacky Faber style, she dons male clothing and worms her way into a post as galloper with the French army, ultimately leading a team of men to fight alongside the great Napoleon. In this sixth installment of the Bloody Jack Adventures series, love and war collide as the irrepressible Jacky Faber sets off on a daring adventure she vowed she'd never take.
Author Notes
L. A. Meyer was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1942. He received a B.A. in English literature from the University of Florida in Gainesville and soon after, enlisted in the U.S. Navy for a four year-stint. He worked as a social worker and then published two picture books, The Gypsy Bears and The Clean Air and Peaceful Contentment Dirigible Airline, before receiving his M.F.A. in painting from Boston University in 1973.
He taught high school art in Massachusetts for seven years and then left to open art and design shops. His first novel for young readers, Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy, was published in 2002. It became the first book in the Bloody Jack Adventure series. He died from Hodgkin's lymphoma on July 29, 2014 at the age of 71.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Booklist Review
Jacky is captured by an English warship, which is taken in turn by the French. She lands in prison and accepts an unsavory deal to prostitute herself in order to save her beloved Jaimy's life. After becoming a Parisian dancer and spy, she dresses as a man and joins the French army, where Napoleon himself recognizes her valor. Jacky's fans will gladly forgive the plot's overuse of coincidence for the pleasure of watching their heroine use her wits to overcome obstacles and win over nearly everyone she meets. The adventures aboard ship represent a satisfying return the roots of the Jacky Faber series.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist
Kirkus Review
The sixth in the adventures of the spirited heroine, who turns 16 during the course of the novel. At breakneck pace, she's taken from America back to England and pressed into service as a spy, finds herself first a dancer and then a member of the demimonde in Paris and finally, once again disguised as a boy, a messenger for Napoleon's troops. As always, the erstwhile urchin either saves the day or slithers out of trouble thanks to her wits and larger-than-life heroics. Meyer's first-person tale recalls the energy and historicity of Patrick O'Brian's seafaring tales and delights in a variety of sly references (in France, for instance she uses the nom de guerre Jacqueline Bouvier, or Jacques, when disguised as a male cadet). Amusing nomenclature, historical and cultural in-jokes and colorful locales are strewn with abandon throughout the long and tireless narrative. Both the stirrings of love and the horrors of war are as vivid as the descriptions of victuals and raiment. Teens who have followed Jacky will be happy for another ride. (Historical fiction. 12 & up) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.