Reviewed by Elizabeth Abena Osei
Review Source: Africa Access
Book Author: Mamle Wolo
Sena thinks he is helping his poverty-stricken family when a man calling himself Jack of Diamonds promises him a job and a better life, but he ends up in the clutches of human traffickers and must use all his resolve to escape and survive.
Mamle Wolo is rapidly establishing herself as one of the premier voices in Ghanaian young adult literature. Her novel, Kaya Girl, left an indelible impression on me, and I am not surprised that her latest work, Flying Through Water, is equally compelling.
In Flying Through Water, Wolo crafts a poignant and thought-provoking tale centered on Sena, a 15-year-old boy and elder brother to Mawuli and Kekeli. The story begins on a somber note: Sena’s mother returns to her ancestral village to live with her father, Togbe, after enduring domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. The family’s life in the village is far from easy. Sena helps sustain the household by working on Togbe’s farm each morning. Despite their financial struggles, Sena finds joy in the simple pleasures of life and treasures his relationships — with his best friend, his crush, and especially his grandfather, Togbe. Continue reading on Africa Access.
For more recommended books on this topic, see our Africa and Nature booklists.
Flying Through Water by Mamle Wolo
on May 14, 2024
Genres: Africa, Nature
Pages: 224
Reading Level: Grades 6-8
ISBN: 9780316703956
Review Source: Africa Access
Publisher's Synopsis: An NPR Best Book of the Year
"A must-read!"—Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee
For fans of A Long Walk to Water and Hatchet, this boy’s gripping journey from poverty to empowerment transports readers to modern-day Ghana, into the throes of an extraordinary survival story.
Sena treasures his life in rural Ghana — playing soccer, working the family farm, striving to do his best at school — but he is increasingly aware of his family's precarious security in the face of poverty. When an alluring gentleman comes to town to befriend local teenagers, offering promises of a better future, it only takes one more unsettling turn of events to send Sena into the clutches of human traffickers. Sena's ordeal, escape, and remarkable survival makes for a page-turning adventure of self-discovery and empowerment.★ “A powerful look at . . . the will to survive.” ― Kirkus, starred review
★ “Readers will devour Sena’s story.” — School Library Journal, starred review
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