Sara Axelbaum (she/her)

#UnhingedPit finally allows me to comp the aspirational comps!

Neurodivergent MC meets mythical creature mashup like PERCY JACKSON
+
empathy is the super power to save the creatures in HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
+
your-closet-is-a-portal delight of THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE.

#mg #f

Book cover that is made to resemble the Fourth Wing cover (in black and gold), but for kids. The dragons are cartoony, the title is "Fourth Grade Wing", the series is called "THE ELEMENTYREAN SERIES" (instead of "the empyrean series"), and the tag line is "Graduate or cry" (instead of "graduate or die").

Now for something totally #UnhingedPit, when I was reading Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, I thought about how much my elementary school aged child would love the story if not for all the sexy bits and jaw ticking. So I wrote The Mythical Creature Conservatory for him. #mg #f #querying

Background: pale rainbow colored flowers and fantastical creatures Text: "1 Anxiety is so normalized that you might realize that you are like so many other people"

Background: pale rainbow colored flowers and fantastical creatures Text: "2 Characters with neurodiversities and physical differences are part of the story, but the story is not about their differences”

Background: pale rainbow colored flowers and fantastical creatures Text: "3 All the kids and creatures come from all over the world and all heritages and cultures are celebrated”

Happy #unhingedpit. Let's get a little unhinged, shall we?

Here are the top three reasons you might not like my book:

#mg #fantasy

Child's sketches of unicorn, Loch Ness monster, and phoenix trophies with stars to show they are magical.

Jack Allen was pretty great at everything he tried, the problem was that he tried very few things. He was trapped in an endless loop of one thought: "What if something terrible happens?"...
But, what if something magical happened? Like saving mythical creatures from extinction. 🐉
#questpit #q #mg

Intriguing!

Oo intriguing!

Interesting promise! I want more

This story must be heard

Great logline!

THE MYTHICAL CREATURE CONSERVATORY is a #MG #F, co-imagined with my 10yo son. Like The Mysterious Benedict Society, it tests exceptional children for entry into a secret institution, set within an endangered magical world like Impossible Creatures, with nods to the Greeking Out podcast.
#Q #questpit

"Jack's Journal": locked leather journal with stickers and items taped to it, including: Stickers ("dream big" in a smiling cloud, "you got this", a dragon, and a guitar), a kneeling boy in a red shirt, sunglasses, and a red streak in his long wavy brown hair, a piece of tape with the words "KEEP OUT", and a hand drawn dragon.

Mythical creatures are going extinct, & the only one who can save them is known as the biggest wimp in 5th grade. 10yo Jack must outsmart poachers, unite segregated worlds, & stop a collapsing ecosystem. He learns courage is not fearlessness, it’s being scared & still doing it. #Q #MG #F #questpit

Gotta enter and spread the word about this free contest for writers of Middle Grade Fiction — tinyurl.com/wdwcontest4 — Judged by Agent Morgan Hughes of Fineprint Literary, via @writingdaywksp.bsky.social. Winners get an agent critique of their work. 🤞

If you're here, let's meet! #scbwiNY26

Thank you!

Aww thank you 🥰

I love this so much!

Jack is based on my IRL son who was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder. His favorite coping mechanisms are woven through the book. Readers go on a magical adventure with their favorite mythical creatures, while learning to trust themselves & their own courage. #BluePit 📖 #MG #F #Q #OV #DIS #ND

Thank you!!!

This rings so true for me! I also feel so fortunate that I now have coping mechanisms I can teach my son so he doesn't have to suffer silently like I did!

Graphic of cork board with 9 images tacked to it with post-it notes shown that have hand written messages on them. 1st row: From left to right, the images are a magical old book in turquoise and yellows, a vibrantly colored (blue, purple, pink, red) landscape with trees and the setting sun, a meadow filled with colorful flowers with a setting sun. In the top left corner the notes says "Breathe", then "Choose calm", then "Do it scared". 2nd row: image of a colorful meadow in the foreground with a foggy building behind it, then a stone building with a tall central turret on a bright green field and a setting sun over water behind the building, then a purple, blue, and pink cloudy sunset. The notes say "what if it all works out?" And then "make it a great day" and "don't let anything get in your way." 3rd (bottom) row: a fire with rainbow flames, then a river in a green meadow with a tree and sunset in tht back with bright pink clouds in the sky, then a green hilly meadow with mountains in the background. All of the images have an ethereal feel somewhere between photography and art.

10yo Jack’s anxiety is so bad that he can’t even make it through gym class without puking. So when the very existence of mythological creatures depends on him, he has to learn that bravery is not about being fearless; it’s about being scared and doing it anyway. #BluePit 📖 #MG #F #Q #OV #DIS #ND

Can't wait to read more!

This is so fun! I love the reimagining of the classic monsters. So much to work with.

Thank you! It's based on my real life 10yo. <3

What happens when the survival of mythological creatures is in the hands of the most anxious kid in 5th grade? Can he stop poachers at the gates, unite segregated worlds, and save a collapsing ecosystem before multicultural legends are lost forever?
#BluePit 📖 #MG #F #Q #OV #DIS #ND

Thank you! ❤️

I still can't post. Which tag is censored? Critiq**?