Bloody Jack

Can you figure out what these women have in common?

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce “I did this because I wanted to become a knight.”

Shadowbridge by Gregory Frost “I did this because I needed to protect myself.”

The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted “I did this because I wanted an education.”

A Soldier’s Secret: The Incredible True Story of Sarah Edmonds, a Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss “I did this because I wanted to escape from my previous life and fight for a cause.”

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare “I did this because I needed a way to live.”

Disney’s Mulan “I did this because I needed to protect my family.”

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer. “I did this because I wanted to sail around the world.”

Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent “I did this because I wanted to learn about how men live.”

Rowan Hood: Outlaw Girl of Sherwood Forest by Nancy Springer “I did this because I was searching for my father.”

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori “I did this because I was in debt.”

Did you guess? Women disguised as men. They were disguised so they could fight for themselves or their families, protect themselves when they were all alone in a man’s world, and earn an education, which they would have been denied otherwise. Each and every one of these is absolutely fascinating. Do yourself a favor and work your way through this list!

Do you have any favorite books/movies/plays with this subject that did not make this list?

It was quiet in the Children’s Room. The preschool crowd had gone home for lunch and the after school crowd had not yet arrived. As I wandered around, picking up books to reshelve, I spotted a copy of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle.

How I loved (and still love) that book! It was one of my favorite’s from childhood. I wanted to be Meg Murry and travel to other worlds. I still know the story by heart.

This got me to thinking about the books my daughter loved as a child. Yes, A Wrinkle in Time was one, but she also loved The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede, featuring Cimorene, the princess who ran away to live with the dragons. Like my love for Meg, my daughter wanted to be Cimorene.

When it came to historical fiction, I loved Laura Ingalls in the Little House on the Prairie series. My daughter also enjoyed the tales but had new heroines such as Patience Goodspeed (The Education of Patience Goodspeed) and Jacky Faber (Bloody Jack).

Same thing for mysteries. Nancy Drew was my detective. My daughter had Enola Homes, Sherlock Holmes’s younger sister in the Enola Holmes mystery series.