I can thoroughly recommend this book written by Carol Birch. It is set in the 19th Century.
' Young Jaffy Brown never expects to escape from the slums of Victorian London. Then, aged eight, a chance encounter with Mr Jamrach changes Jaffy's stars. and before he knows it, he finds himself at the docks waving goods ye to his beloved Ishbel and boarding a ship bound for the Indian Ocean. With his friend Tim at his side, Jaffy's journey will push faith, love and friendship to their utmost limits'c

'An imaginative tour-de-force encompassing the sights and smells of 19th-century London and the wild sea...Gripping, superbly written and a delight'. The Times

There...that should have wetted your appetite.