Terrible Times by Philip Ardagh
In the third installment of the Eddie Dickens saga, our poor hero Eddie finds himself on the way to America aboard the sailing ship Pompous Pig, along with a cargo hold full of left shoes, the world-famous Dog's Bone Diamond, and some of the most dangerous traveling companions anyone might have the misfortune to share a ship with. A mysterious stowaway and some familiar faces from Eddie's past only complicate matters, as does being tied up and set adrift in a leaky rowboat. (Don't you hate it when that happens?)Will Eddie ever reach America?