Sofia Ruiz lives with her hardworking mom in this first part of the lively series ‘Sofia’s Story’. This is a series for girls who love horses. As Sofia is aged nine, she does not have a lot of control over her life, nor do the adults tell her everything. We can admire the girl’s thinking and follow her determined adventure in SOFIA’S SURPRISE.
Back to the small family. Sofia and Mom live in a trailer park and share the trailer with another lady to cut costs. Heather may be a bit scatterbrained but she is someone else to be there if Mom has to work. However, the heating bill doesn’t get paid, they can’t afford a Christmas tree, and the snow on the ground requires warm boots and jacket which they can’t afford. Reluctantly Sofia’s mom sends her to stay over Christmas with her grandmother.
Gramma Lisa seems kind and the best part is, she owns a Morgan mare named Delilah. Sofia, a wistful horse lover, is instantly hooked, and learning to care for a full-sized horse helps her get over the upset of not having her mom for Christmas. Adults can read between the lines, but kids will just see that Sofia has nobody to talk to and needs to feel that she can achieve and grow. A gift of riding lessons at a nearby school, introduces Sofia to discipline and a handsome palomino Quarter Horse called Sundance, and she begins a new journey.
While Sofia needs to encounter and overcome more than one unpleasant person during the story, we can see that more importantly, perhaps, she is starting to overcome her self-doubts and childish clinginess, and thrive as an individual. If I have a complaint, it is that the resolution of the horse thread comes a little too easily, but I’m sure this does happen sometimes. Through the tale we learn facts about riding and stable management, so young readers can start lessons equipped with basic knowledge.
Laura Holt-Haslam has previously written two books about Sofia’s further adventures, including the tale of miniature horses, A Place For Sofia, set in Sofia’s eleventh year. I have not found stories about mini horses, which Laura explains are so small, they are measured in inches instead of hands, so this looks like a great read. YA readers can start with the prequel SOFIA’S SURPRISE and get to know her from the beginning of her horsey career.
Nine-year-old Sofia Ruiz has just one Christmas wish—a horse of her own. But without winter boots or fuel to heat their run-down trailer, she would settle for just being warm.
With Christmas only days away, Mom arranges for Sofia to spend two weeks with her grandmother, a stranger she hasn’t seen in six years. A painful rift separates Mom from Gramma Lisa, but neither will talk about what happened. Sofia dreads being left alone.
Sofia’s dread becomes delight when she discovers Gramma Lisa owns a Morgan horse named Delilah. Sofia learns about caring for the mare and eagerly volunteers to do the chores, hoping Gramma Lisa will allow her to ride Delilah.
As Sofia and Gramma Lisa pursue their shared passion for horses, Sofia feels increasingly conflicted. She wishes she and Mom could move in with her grandmother, but Mom’s strained relationship with Gramma Lisa stands in the way. If they cannot forgive, will they force Sofia to choose between them?
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