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... *Starred Review* Living on the streets of London with a gang of street urchins, orphan Mary decides she’ll have an easier time of it if she poses as a boy. Following the murder of her friend Charlie, Mary steals his clothes, collects his “shiv,” calls herself Jacky Faber, and signs on as a lowly ship’s boy on a Royal Navy frigate. Kellgren’s flexible British accent easily captures the seafaring atmosphere and Jacky’s emotions as she tries to hide her true identity from her mates and superiors. She consistently maintains Jacky’s Cockney accent, Irish sailor Liam’s brogue, and a Jamaican seaman’s Caribbean lilt, excellently reflecting the varied nationalities and personalities onboard. Jacky’s appearance attracts the attention of a slimy pedophile, portrayed by Kellgren in sinister, suggestive tones. Jacky eventually falls in love with a boy on the ship who learns of Jacky’s true gender, and in a memorable scene onshore, Kellgren’s high-pitched tones easily mimic Jacky’s successful attempt to imitate the voice of an island girl to deceive her shipmates. Nautical music introducing and concluding the work adds to the mood, as does Kellgren’s impressive singing of a ballad. Populated with wicked sailors, midshipmen, and a close-knit group of ship’s boys, this rousing historical tale is an appealing choice for fans of adventures, sea stories, and gutsy girls. Grades 6-9. --Pam Spencer Holley Marvelous... A first-rate read. --Kirkus Reviews L.A. Meyer received a master of fine arts from Boston University, and is currently the curator and exhibitor at the Clair de Loon Gallery in Bar Harbor, Maine. He lives in Corea, Maine. Katherine Kellgren has recorded over sixty audiobooks including Bloody Jack, which was the winner of an Audie Award, a Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, and ForeWord Magazine s Audiobook of the Year. Both Bloody Jack and its sequel Curse of the Blue Tattoo were named Odyssey Honor Titles by the American Library Association in 2008 and 2009 respectively. She has appeared onstage in London, New York, and Frankfurt. Her recent work includes everything from the role of Laura in a regional production of The Glass Menagerie to appearances on Comedy Central. She is a graduate of The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 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-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine