Flying Through Water: Chapters 1-6

by Mamle Wolo
In this novel, Sena, a 15-year-old boy from Ghana, tries to help his family get through a difficult time, but when he falls into the clutches of human traffickers, he must do everything he can to escape and return home.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Part 1: Chapters 1-6, Part 1: Chapters 7-12, Part 2, Part 3
15 words 125 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. reconcile
    bring into consonance or accord
    Coaxing the buttons through their holes was like reconciling warring friends, but I finally secured all five of them over my flat chest and belly, a task that was growing harder every day.
  2. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
    For me it was more about getting the work done on the farm than about athletic prowess, but I wasn’t complaining about the fandom, or the fact that all that sprinting was making me better on the football field too.
  3. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    After that Klenam happily took his other hand, skipping along with her purple plastic doll clutched to her chest, while Ma and I loaded our things together with the driver of the rickety taxi Togbe had hailed.
  4. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
    A sense pervaded the boat like a breeze that made you tingle, raising goose bumps on your skin.
  5. impertinent
    improperly forward or bold
    I knew inquisitive children were considered impertinent, but Togbe’s smile was as kind as always, so I continued, “Please, Togbe… Where is that village by the river—where the boy lived?”
  6. taper
    diminish gradually
    Then, as fishing and farming seasons tapered off, many ventured upstream to find seasonal work along the wider stretches of the river.
  7. distraught
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
    But the next day people began arriving in dozens, then in droves, some from Trokorpe and nearby villages, disheveled, distraught, grown men sobbing like babies.
  8. wend
    direct one's course or way
    The light filtered through, a shaded green, and the sound of water wended its way imperceptibly into our consciousness.
  9. hapless
    unfortunate and deserving pity
    It was an oval basket, woven with an interior funnel into which a hapless river prawn had swum.
  10. rapture
    a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
    Auntie Kafui, our next-door neighbor, was sitting on the sofa next to Ma in a TOVIME PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH T-shirt and wrapper cloth, hands raised heavenward, rapture on her face.
  11. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    We settled on the low wall of the snack corner under the shade of the mango tree, the best vantage point, chewing roasted groundnuts and popcorn and talking above the din of other children sitting on the wall, buying food, running around.
  12. enthralled
    filled with wonder and delight
    Everyone was just enthralled by the tales of his riches, especially the fancy cars.
  13. cadence
    the rhythmic rise and fall of the voice
    I listened drowsily to the soothing cadence of Togbe’s voice taking me back out onto the Volta, where the boy was fishing with his father, exploring a small creek in their canoe.
  14. tamper
    play around with, alter, or falsify, usually dishonestly
    “And bilharzia spread, and water weeds came—when they started messing with the river! There’s always a price for tampering with nature.”
  15. tepid
    moderately warm
    This was so different from the tepid bottles of water with which we usually refreshed ourselves.
Created on Thu Sep 18 08:17:45 EDT 2025 (updated Mon Nov 10 10:18:09 EST 2025)

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