Kofi Amouzou

Kofi doesn’t care for the back breaking work of the farm. He would rather be back in the village of mud huts, Lavié, building cars from tin cans, dancing to the rhythms of the nightly drum circle or bathing in the town’s stream. But every day when he is not in school, he and his six siblings must make the two-hour trip in flip flops to clear the African soil and plant the crops his family needs to eat.

Kofi would also prefer to be in school, learning about the great African kings of the past. But school in the country of Togo is not free. It costs one dollar a year per student. Kofi’s parents try everything they can think of to pay those fees for their seven children: turning unsold cassava into more marketable gari, doing logging work, and even, taking a turn as a magician.

When Kofi turns thirteen, the worst happens. There is no more money to pay the fees. Out of school and facing a future of working on the farm, he despairs. What happens next will tug at your heartstrings as Lavié comes to the rescue in an unexpected way.