Meyer, L.A. Viva Jacquelina! (Bloody Jack Adventure series)

Meyer, L.A.  Viva Jacquelina!  (Bloody Jack Adventure series)  Houghton Mifflin/ Harcourt Brace 360p  $16.99      978-0-547-76350-7     2012  ms  E-BN      Adventure 

Viva Jacquelina! is another rollicking adventure for Jacky Faber.  This time she starts out in the service of Her Majesty as a spy during Spain’s attempt to repel the French under Napoleon.  She makes her way to Barcelona and gets employment in the studio of the artist Goya.  She does nude modelling for him and his students.  She is tortured briefly by the Inquisition, but of course escapes.  On the run again, she joins a band of Roma (Gypsies).  As the book ends, she is seeking to work on a ship headed back to America.

Interspersed with the plot are short chapters representing letters to Jacky from Jaimy, about his progress.  He was sent to Rangoon to recover his mental health and balance after his crazed run as the Black Highwayman.

In typical Jacky fashion, she bumbles into things and either uses her wits or is rescued by friends each time.  There is plenty of rollicking good adventure, and the novel is more suited to middle school than elementary, as she matures and has more encounters verging on the sexual.  There are also the nude scenes in Goya’s studio.  They are well handled, and much is left up to the imagination of the reader.  This is a great fun read for middle school, especially for girls who seek adventure.

Adventure–Fiction, Historical Fiction                 --Joan Theal