Meyer, L.A. The curse of the blue tattoo

Kliatt, Sept, 2005 by Claire Rosser

MEYER, L.A. The curse of the blue tattoo. (A Bloody Jack Adventure.) Harcourt. 495p. c2004. 0-15-205459-6. $6.95. JS*

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, May 2004: Nearly 500 more pages of Jacky Faber (aka Bloody Jack) adventures! The time is the end of the 18th century, America is a new country, and Jacky is sent to a school in Boston to become a fine lady (with her share of the pirates' treasure from book one, Bloody Jack, reviewed in KLIATT in September 2002). She is smart, so the studies aren't so hard; but the rigid discipline is confining, and Jacky starts sneaking out, sometimes disguised as a boy. The action is fast and furious and the pranks Jacky dreams up are astounding. She is pursued by a grandson of the Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who already has murdered one girl, accusing her of being a witch. She learns to ride a horse, becoming an expert; one of the major scenes is when she takes over for a jockey who is ill, pretending to be him, and wins a race to save her friend's family from financial ruin. She earns money by playing, singing, and dancing in local pubs near the harbor, without the school knowing, of course. Her antics frequently get her into trouble, and she bemoans her impulsiveness but recovers quickly to start anew.

The author lives "with his wife in a small fishing village on the coast of Maine." He seems to love the sea, ships, and harbors--with a believable re-creation of life in Boston just after the Revolution. Best of all, the humor and wit make this book a treasure. (An ALA Best Book for YAs.) Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.