Flying Through Water

March 15, 2024
A Ghanaian boy finds himself at the mercy of human traffickers. Junior high student Sena lives with his mother, grandfather, and two younger siblings; Ma left Sena's abusive father behind in the town of Sogakope, settling her family in the village of Tovime. Sena loves spending time with his grandfather and hearing tales about his life. As the oldest child, Sena feels obligated to help with farmwork every morning and make sacrifices for the sake of his family. When a flashy, well-dressed man known as Jack of Diamonds visits the village, many of the boys agree to go with him, lured by the promise of wealth in exchange for work. Sena is hesitant at first, but after more difficulties arise, he also agrees to go. He ends up living in wretched conditions on a small island in a lake. The cruel master he works for uses violence to keep the children he's purchased for his fishing business in line. Sena realizes he'll perish if he doesn't escape. During his journey to freedom, he has run-ins with a mysterious water creature. Wolo skillfully sheds light on the horrific practice of the trafficking of children, and the grim situations many are forced to live and work in--but she also tells a story of hope and perseverance. The vividly described settings include imagery that paints the scenes for readers as the story unfolds. A powerful look at human suffering and the will to survive. (map, author's note) (Fiction. 10-14)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 15, 2024
Grades 5-8 Wolo's (The Kaya Girl, 2022) latest novel is divided into three parts. In the first, readers meet 14-year-old Sena, who lives with his farming family in the village of Tovine in Ghana. The second segment recounts his life as a fisher boy kidnapped by human traffickers, while the third shares his life as a castaway. The pace of part one is, for the most part, leisurely as it examines his ordinary daily life, highlighted by his relationship with his beloved grandfather. When the man dies, Sena's life is turned upside down, and he agrees to become a fisher boy, bound to a master for four years. But Sena discovers too late how hideous that life on the banks of the vast, remote Lake Volta will be. The unspeakably cruel master is interested in only one thing: the amount of fish Sena and the other trafficked boys can catch. Sena determines to escape, and part three records the results. While it requires a willing suspension of disbelief, Wolo's novel is agreeable and always engaging. Readers will enjoy it.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from May 17, 2024

Gr 3-7-This gripping tale follows Sena, a teenager in Ghana, through three equally compelling adventures. First, Sena transports readers into everyday life in a Ghanaian village, balancing school and work on the family farm with excursions to the river, where his Togbe (grandfather) teaches him family stories and traditional fishing techniques. This section illuminates how the artificial creation of Volta Lake and the Akosombo Dam to provide electricity in cities devastates rural communities. Sena also learns about Mami Wata, a goddess who saved Togbe in childhood. While Togbe is a strong, loving mentor, the boys at school cluster around the flashy but disreputable gangster, Jack of Diamonds, who promises a fast route out of rural poverty. Second, after a family tragedy, Sena decides that he can save his family by finding work through Jack of Diamonds. He ends up a victim of child trafficking when he becomes a fisher boy on Lake Volta. This section is an intense and unsentimental portrayal of modern slavery. Third, Sena's perilous escape leads to a restorative island adventure where his Togbe's teaching becomes key to the boy's survival. The mystery of Mami Wata is also revealed in a manner that is compelling and realistic. The novel makes no false promises, and readers are left with an urgent hope that Sena will be able to complete his journey home and fulfill his new destiny as a guardian of the environment. VERDICT Searing and eye-opening, readers will devour Sena's story in a day.-Katherine Magyarody

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2024
Seven years ago, Sena's mother moved their family from a big city -- and an abusive husband -- to Tovime, a remote village in Ghana, where Sena's grandfather, Togbe, resides. A positive male presence, Togbe works the land to provide for the family, with Sena helping as much as possible in between his studies. Togbe educates, encourages, and entertains Sena through stories about his childhood, teaching his grandson about the geography and history of the land; one memorable tale concerns the time he was saved from the river by Mami Wata -- a water goddess who "only comes to the rescue of good people." While rich in love and support, the family struggles financially, and when tragedy strikes, Sena feels it is up to him to provide for his mother and two younger siblings. An immediate solution seems to present itself in a charismatic visitor who promises riches to those who come to work for him. Accepting the offer, Sena finds himself in a situation more dire than ever before, and it will take everything in him to survive -- and possibly the divine intervention of Mami Wata herself. Intertwining the historical tradition of West African storytelling with the very present issues of environmental injustice and child trafficking, Wolo brings a vivid and intense narrative to life. Eboni Njoku

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Seven years ago, Sena's mother moved their family from a big city -- and an abusive husband -- to Tovime, a remote village in Ghana, where Sena's grandfather, Togbe, resides. A positive male presence, Togbe works the land to provide for the family, with Sena helping as much as possible in between his studies. Togbe educates, encourages, and entertains Sena through stories about his childhood, teaching his grandson about the geography and history of the land; one memorable tale concerns the time he was saved from the river by Mami Wata -- a water goddess who "only comes to the rescue of good people." While rich in love and support, the family struggles financially, and when tragedy strikes, Sena feels it is up to him to provide for his mother and two younger siblings. An immediate solution seems to present itself in a charismatic visitor who promises riches to those who come to work for him. Accepting the offer, Sena finds himself in a situation more dire than ever before, and it will take everything in him to survive -- and possibly the divine intervention of Mami Wata herself. Intertwining the historical tradition of West African storytelling with the very present issues of environmental injustice and child trafficking, Wolo brings a vivid and intense narrative to life.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)