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...
Katherine Kellgren's coarse accents put us on eighteenth-century London streets, where Mary Faber's family has died of "pestilence," leaving the bawling child to scavenge on her own. Kellgren brings out Mary's feisty nature, showing us how she and her mate, Charley, negotiate begging and danger with self-confidence. By the time Mary's protector is killed, Kellgren has us convinced of Mary's gutsy nature, and we're not a bit surprised when, at 13, she takes to the high seas, hiding her female identity on a Navy ship, becoming "brave Jacky." Kellgren portrays the nonstop adventures of this animated character, who deals with everything from pirate attacks to worrying that she's dying when her period arrives. Kellgren's swift and passionate reading increases the story's tension and immediacy. S.W. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
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