Sofia's Surprise

<p><strong>All Sofia wants for Christmas is a horse.</strong><br><strong>What she needs is warmth belonging and a family that can heal.</strong></p><p>When her mother runs out of ways to keep their trailer warm nine-year-old Sofia Ruiz is sent away to spend the holiday with a grandmother she barely knows. The silence between the adults in her life goes unexplained and Sofia has learned not to ask questions she can't bear the answers to.</p><p>Sofia's unease turns to cautious wonder when she discovers a horse in her grandmother's old barn. Taking on daily chores and learning to keep going-even when things feel uncertain-gives Sofia something steady to hold onto.</p><p>But as Sofia starts to feel at home old hurts resurface. The adults she loves are trapped in the past and Sofia is caught in the middle-wanting peace fearing loss and discovering that some wishes come with impossible choices.</p><p><em>Sofia's Surprise</em> is a tender middle-grade novel about loneliness resilience and the quiet courage it takes to hope for healing when forgiveness feels out of reach.</p><p><em>Winnie Award: Reserve Champion Young Adult Fiction 2021 Equus Film & Arts Festival</em></p>