Synopses & Reviews
Jacky Faber, soldier, sailor, spy, and sometime pirate, condemned for life to the English prison colony in Australia for high crimes against the Crown, has once again wriggled out of the grasp of British authorities. Back on her flagship, the
Lorelei Lee, she happily heads back to England in the company of dear friends and her beloved Jaimy Fletcher.
However, due to a typhoon, an earthquake, tidal waves, pirates, and her own impetuous nature, Jacky is cast into a world of danger that extends from the South China Sea to the equally treacherous waters of politics in Londons smoky dens of intrigue, deception, and betrayal.
Can she save herself from recapture and a final trip to the gallows? Can she also save her own dear Jaimy from the madness that seems to be overtaking his tortured mind? Devious Chinese businessmen, willowy Eurasian maidens, fierce Gurkhas, loyal friends, and wildly romantic highwaymen are all involved in this tale of love, courage, and redemption.
Review
Loving Ben -- Delacorte Press 1988 (no paperback edition in the US)Published as Red Sky in the Morning in UK
Reviews include: starred review in School Library Journal Sept 1989
A best book of the year, American Library Association
Kirkus pointed review October 1989
Times Educational Supplement (London) "It is quite simply a wonderfully moving story about the power of love"
Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal
Kiss the Dust -- Dutton Children's Books 1992
Paperback Puffin 1994
Reviews include:
Starred review Publishers Weekly
NCSS-CBC Notable 1992 Children's Trade Book in the field of Social Studies
1993 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults
Nominated Utah Young Adults Book Award 1995
Winner of the Sheffield Book Award
Winner of the Royal Dutch Geographical Society Glass Globe Award
Secret Friends -- Penguin Putnam USA 1998
Winner of The Children's Book Award (UK)
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal
Jake's Tower -- Barrons Juveniles 2002
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Book Award
The Garbage King -- Barrons Juveniles 2003
Winner of the Scottish Arts Council Children's Book of the Year award and the Stockport Book award.
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal, the Blue Peter Award, the Salford Children's Book Award, the Calderdale Children's Book Award, the Lincolnshire Young People's Book Award, the Stockton Children's Book of the Year, the West Sussex Children's Book Award, the Portsmouth Book Award and the Sheffield Children's Book Award.
A Little Piece of Ground -- Haymarket Books 2006
Winner of the Hampshire Book Award
Shortlisted for the Southern Schools Book Award
Oranges in No Man's Land -- Haymarket Books, 2008
Winner of the KS2 Hull Children's Book Award.
Shortlisted for the Sheffield Children's Book Award, the North East Book Award, the Rotherham Children's Book Award, the West Sussex Children's Book Award and the Canadian Surrey Schools Book Award.
Review
"Marvelous. . . . A first-rate read."--
Kirkus ReviewsReview
"A solid adventure tale."—Kirkus
"A colorful addition to Jacky's wildly improbably but wonderfully entertaining adventures."—Booklist
Review
* "This resilient and exuberant heroine deserves a stamp of approval."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review "Delivering the high adventure, good humor, and bits of ballad that the Bloody Jack Adventure series is known for, this historical novel will please avid fans of Jacky."—Booklist
Review
"The finale of the Block Jack Adventures series offers new adventures and a conclusion that's sure to satisfy the series' many loyal fans."
—Booklist
* "A solid and sentimental entry in an underrated series."
—Kirkus, starred review
Review
"This is a beautifully crafted novel to be savored for its symbolic language, historical atmosphere, and vivid characters."—School Library Journal, starred review "Laird celebrates courage, survival, and the spark of independence that carries Maggie through."—Publishers Weekly "Fine and effortless prose, creating instantly gripping characters and setting ."—Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
In this tale of adventure and deception on the high seas, a girl disguises herself as a sailor aboard the HMS "Dolphin."
Synopsis
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 eighteenth-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. . . .
Synopsis
In seventeenth-century Scotland, saying the wrong thing can lead to banishment—or worse. Accused of being a witch, sixteen-year-old Maggie Blair is sentenced to be hanged. She escapes, but instead of finding shelter with her principled, patriotic uncle, she brings disaster to his door.
Betrayed by one of her own accusers, Maggie must try to save her uncle and his family from the kings men, even if she has to risk her own life in the process. Originally published in the UK, this book has a powerful blend of heart-stopping action and thought-provoking themes.
Synopsis
While disguised as a boy, Jacky Faber experiences adventure and romance on the high seas.
Synopsis
Jacky Faber embarks on another rousing adventure to delight her ever-growing legion of fans. The irrepressible Jacky Faber, condemned for life to the English penal colony in Australia for crimes against the Crown, has once again wriggled out of the grasp of British authorities. Back on her flagship, the Lorelei Lee, she eagerly heads back to England in the company of friends and her beloved Jaimy Fletcher. But when the voyage is waylaid by pirates, storms, and her own impetuous nature, Jacky is cast into a world of danger that extends from the South China Sea to the equally treacherous waters of London politics. With the help of her loyal friends, Jacky meets her enemies head-on in this tale of love, courage, and redemption.
Synopsis
Just when it looks like Jacky Faber and her beloved Jaimy will finally find their romance, Jacky is accused of treason and must flee Boston while her friends attempt to clear her name. Of course that means wild adventures for our fun-loving heroine, who manages to secure a job as a governess…and run away with the circus. The highly anticipated grand finale of the Bloody Jack Adventures.
Synopsis
Jacky Faber is framed as passing confidential U.S. information to the British. Forced to flee Boston, she goes undercover as a governess for a prominent Puritan family. When outed by a nosy postmaster, she deserts the respectability of her position, dons a leotard and slippers, and poses as a Russian tightrope walker in a traveling circus.
But the law soon catches up with her, and prospects do not look good. Through her many adventures, Jacky has always found the ingenuity to escape dire situations, but this time it looks like Puss in Boots has run out of lives . . . and her happily-ever-after will be cut short at the foot of the gallows.
Synopsis
In the tenth book in the bestselling Bloody Jack Adventures series, the irrepressible Jacky Faber leads raids against Napoleons forces with guerilla freedom fighters, poses for artist Francisco Goya, is kidnapped by the Spanish Inquisition, and travels with a caravan of gypsies as she collects intelligence for the Crown, always with one eye on reuniting with her beloved Jaimy.
Synopsis
The vivacious Jacky Faber returns in the tenth tale in L. A. Meyers Bloody Jack Adventures, a rip-roaring young-adult series applauded for its alluring combination of adventure, romance, history, and humor. Once again under the thumb of British Intelligence, Jacky is sent to Spain to spy for the Crown during the early days of the nineteenth-century Peninsular War. She finds herself in the company of guerilla freedom fighters, poses for the famous artist Goya, runs with the bulls, is kidnapped by the Spanish Inquisition, and travels with a caravan of gypsies…all while hoping to one day reunite with her beloved Jaimy Fletcher.
Synopsis
Humor, drama, and adventure abound as the irrepressible Jacky Faber finds herself back in Boston—and in trouble with the law!
Synopsis
Jacky Faber makes waves, even when docked in her adopted city of Boston to attend to the business of Faber Shipping Worldwide. With big dreams and perhaps too much exuberance for the Puritan populace, she quickly finds herself at odds with the Womens Temperance Union and a town roiling over the arrival of hundreds of Irish laborers, brought in on Jackys Lorelei Lee. Thwarted at every turn by her enemies, Jacky is forced to acknowledge her shortcomings—and possibly lose her beloved Jaimy Fletcher. In this new installment in the ever-popular Bloody Jack Adventures, will the impulsive Jacky Faber finally get her comeuppance?
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Maggie, accused of being a witch in treacherous seventeenth-century Scotland, escapes imprisonment but brings disaster to her uncle's door. After she is betrayed, she must try to save her family from the King's men at all costs.
About the Author
L. A. Meyer (1942andndash;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 belo