Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain Paperback – Illustrated, January 7, 2019

T.X. Troan proves that middle school age girls can solve mysteries and have adventures, even when there’s danger involved in his young adult novel Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain.While the story does follow the adventures of Sophia on the mysterious island her father brought, the author has written a book that will appeal to readers of all ages. Young boys and girls will identify with Sophia and Tim. Parents will also appreciate the small lessons that the author weaves into the narrative.Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain is more than a young adult adventure story. It is also a book with several valuable lessons to teach.Readers learn that having material possessions doesn’t necessarily equal happiness. Sophia’s father just purchased an island but all she wants is for him to spend more time with her. Young boys and girls will also identify with her frustration and sense of curiosity. What is perhaps two of the most important lessons author T.X. Troan is trying to get across is a love and respect for nature, along with a sense of responsibility for your actions.“A burst of energy scattered throughout her body bringing waves of the tree’s memories. She was frozen in shock as the tree revealed the deep suffering of the earth she thought she knew.”The author has an easy and descriptive writing style that will draw readers in and capture their imaginations. It will be easy for them to picture the Guardians along with the islands “demons”. The plot is slightly complex but not too difficult to follow along, and there’s plenty of action to keep everyone fully engrossed until the last chapter.The author does leave readers hanging at the end of the novel but T.X. Troan hints that this is not the end of Sophia Freeman’s adventures.

Sophia Freeman and the Mysterious Fountain is a fantastical adventure story. This story follows 11 year old Sophia to an island that her rich but neglectful father has purchased. Early on their journey Sophia gets separated from her father and ends up on her own, so she thinks. She meets many different kinds of spirits, creatures and even makes a few friends along the way. She learns is more capable and powerful than she could have ever expected.I loved the plot of this book. The premise is so interesting and I like the direction the story is going in so far. The world building done in book one is also strong and makes me curious to learn more as the books come out. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous as well.I did find the writing to be distracting from the story at times. We get info dumped on a lot as readers. The author tells us a lot of information instead of letting the characters show us. For example, on page 1 we are told that Sophia’s mother died. A point where that information could have been given to us more naturally would be at page 56 when Sophia hears her Mom’s voice for the first time. It wouldn’t have changed the story to learn about Sophia’s Mom later in the book.Overall I really enjoyed this book. It’s a wonderful story for anyone who is into magic and fantasy books. The story and characters are so interesting, but the info dumping was distracting, which is why this gets 4 stars from me.

This story is full of adventure,fun, curiosity, and thrill with many moral lessons to be learnt. Also, the interesting pictures and vivid descriptions are commendable. The Main character of Sophia, though depicted as 11 years old, seems to be quite mature in understanding the situations and finding the solutions. She doesn't have a mother and his father is a perfect example of "How NOT to be a Father?". His lack of empathy towards her daughter reflect her snobbish and relentless attitude. It was already known that the island could be dangerous, but he took the risk of the life of the daughter. Island, full of magic and magical creatures( friendly and unfriendly both) put Sophia in all the unpleasant situations where she has to learn magic to save not only her life but the life of others. Another character of Silimon, a tree boy, who helps Sophia, is a very strong and inspiring character. He teaches Sophia numerous lessons to survive on the strange lsland. There is a strong lesson of humanity which awakens the soul to do something for others. However, young minds need far more understanding to grasp the things fully, so a reader like a parent or a teacher can guide them better for certain situations on the story. I found it equally interesting for both young girls and boys since my young nieces and nephews loved to listen to this story. So, I would really appreciate the author for an amazing job of keeping the text engaging and interesting.

To start off, Sophia Freeman And The Mysterious Fountain is a lovely book! It tells a very captivating story in a world that is exceptionally imaginative and deeply mysterious.Even though there are so many fantasy novels out there, it seems like most of them have pretty familiar and cliched worlds. But, Sophia Freeman And The Mysterious Fountain is different, because the world its set in is very distinct, with all kinds of unique creatures and landscapes that feel truly fantastical and unique, rather than being a rehash of tired tropes.The story is very compelling and very fun! None of the language in the book is too complex or elaborate - making it great for young readers - but it always serves a purpose and continues to move the story along while elaborating on the world, characters, and situations. I really loved the simple descriptions and overall conciseness of the writing; it made the book so easy-to-read and, because of that, it’s a real page-turner!In the end, if you’re looking for a wonderful fantasy book that takes place in a unique and distinctive world, then I think you’ll really like Sophia Freeman And The Mysterious Fountain!