Flying Through Water

In sun-baked rural Ghana, fourteen-year-old Sena dribbles a threadbare soccer ball across red clay fields, dreaming of scholarships even as hunger nips his heels and Economic Justice feels as distant as the cool Gulf breeze; then a smooth-talking stranger arrives, promising city jobs and computer classes, and one desperate night propels Sena onto a rickety bus bound for the shadowy routes of human traffickers—a modern scourge that turns hope into currency. Shackled to back-breaking labor, he plots a daring escape through mangrove swamps where crocodiles lurk like silent loan sharks, each step a wager that courage can outrun chains. His journey—hailed by NPR, Kirkus, and School Library Journal—slingshots readers into bustling market towns, secret safehouses, and a courtroom where Sena’s own testimony sparks Immigrant Rights debates hotter than midday asphalt. Alan Gratz calls it “a must-read,” yet the fiercest endorsement may be Sena’s grit as he rebuilds life, farm, and future one seedling at a time, proving that survival is a first draft of change. Tap the blue ➕ to Save to List for later inspiration, or hit the bold arrow to Learn More and connect your classroom, youth group, or congregation to Sena’s pulse-pounding fight for freedom.