BLOODY JACK

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. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 07]