Second in the series, in this story Jacky Faber finds herself in a proper school for young ladies in Boston. Not too surprisingly, she doesn't fit in. Life as a beggar on the streets of London, England then as a ship's boy doesn't exactly prepare a girl for a school like the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls. But Jacky's prize money has gotten her a place at this prestigious and select institution.
Well, it doesn't take her long to run afoul of the school's and Boston's strict requirements for the behavior of a young lady. After being arrested for dancing in the streets, Jacky is demoted by the head mistress from student to servant. Now instead of sharing in with the other girls and their studies, Jacky has to fetch and carry for them. However, life as a servant is pretty soft compared to life as a ship's boy and Jacky quickly makes herself to home with downstairs contingent. She even finds she has more freedom to explore Boston as she runs errands around town. She joins up with a drunken fiddler and sings and plays at a local tavern, earning herself a little spending money. As soon as she has enough, she plans to buy passage on a ship to England in search of her love, the boy she meant on board the Dolphin, Jaimie, who hasn't answered the many letters she has sent him. Of course, Jacky being Jacky and as prone to trouble as can be, nothing works out the way she plans.
The setting of this story, Jacky in proper Boston, was not as interesting as the first novel where she was a ship's boy on the Dolphin. For one thing, as Jacky finds out, life at the school is very controlled and restricted, with little opportunity for hijinks. So the author makes her a servant, giving her more freedom to move about on her own and more scope for mischief. I think the author gave her more freedom than servants of her day and gender were really allowed. So I found her activities as a servant rather unbelievable. I just don't think a young girl her age would have been given the freedom she had, even if she was just a servant. I also found the misadventures she got herself into unlikely. The minute the race horse was introduced to the story, I knew Jacky would end up riding it in the big race. Oh, and winning of course, even though riding a race horse is a highly skilled occupation and Jacky just learned to ride a few months previously. Frankly, I found Jacky Faber more than just a little tiresome in this story. Maybe she has more appeal for a young adult reader who can embrace her shenanigans more easily than I could.
Review by Kirkus Reviews.
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