Sara Axelbaum (she/her)
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bysaraaxelbaum.bsky.social
Sara Axelbaum (she/her)
@bysaraaxelbaum.bsky.social
Aspiring published author of Middle Grade children's novels. Mom. Fan of inclusion and kindness. Doer of all the things. Lover of all the life.
Always tired. Never bored.
www.MythicalCreatureConservatory.com
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
January 31, 2026 at 6:45 PM
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
January 31, 2026 at 5:58 PM
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
January 31, 2026 at 5:55 PM
If you're here, let's meet! #scbwiNY26
January 17, 2026 at 1:03 PM
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
January 13, 2026 at 6:40 PM
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
January 13, 2026 at 5:06 PM
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
January 13, 2026 at 3:54 PM
#hopepit : if you like a story about a misfit kid with a huge heart, combined with magical worlds and mythical creatures, with hopeful environmental and science-as-the-solution themes, plus tools to help with anxiety, this will be the book for you. Join me on my journey to get it published! #q #mg 🤞
November 9, 2025 at 11:40 PM
I wrote this book for every anxious kid out there who needs to know that their empathy is a super power. And it all started with this kid. Hear it right from the source!
#hopepit #q #mg
November 9, 2025 at 10:16 PM
In honor of #hopepit, my why:
At the beginning of 4th grade, Hudson came home from school and said that he didn’t really like writing. As someone who has written dozens of first chapters, opening scenes, and poem drafts over the years, I set out to show him just how amazing writing could be. #mg #q
November 9, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Agent Guide for The Mythical Creature Conservatory in four images for #QuestPit! #q #mg (full agent guide video pinned to my profile if you want to see more) #amquerying
November 5, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Written with an anxious kid, by an anxious former kid, for anxious kids, about an anxious kid who turns his empathy into his super power to save mythological creatures from extinction.
🐉Multicultural myths
🌱Hopeful Ecofiction
🧠Neurosparkly
🫶Empathy+Belonging
🧰Tools for anxiety
#QuestPit #MG #F #ND
November 5, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Jack’s anxiety has kept him on the sidelines for his entire life, until the very things he is most self-conscious about get him recruited to the MCC, where he must save mythical creatures from extinction before poachers cause their stories to vanish forever. #QuestPit #MG #F #Q
November 5, 2025 at 3:18 PM
WITCHLINGS and A TASTE OF MAGIC + globe-trotting mythology of NatGeo’s GREEKING OUT podcast

Anxiety-ridden Jack must outsmart poachers, unite legendary worlds, and prevent an ecosystem from collapsing to save mythological creatures before they go extinct.

#DVpit #MG #F #MH #ND #CI #DIS #OWN
October 8, 2025 at 9:50 PM
#DVParty Day 5: Story's playlist.

Making a playlist for this book was one of my favorite activities!
It follows the emotions of the story arc and ends with songs I like to write to (the Wingspan soundtrack), because they are magically calming.

open.spotify.com/playlist/3n4...

#booksky #writersky
October 6, 2025 at 1:07 PM
#DVparty Day 4: your story as a meme

Had to bring in some classics.

#WriterSky #mg #middlegrade #anxiety #BookSky
October 5, 2025 at 6:23 PM
#DVparty Day 4: your story as a gif

Main character Jack brings a lot of anxious baggage wherever he goes, but he tries to come into every situation with a cautiously hopeful smile.

#WriterSky #mg #middlegrade #anxiety #BookSky
October 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
#DVparty Day 4: your story as a meme

Moo Deng is super cute, but not even close to as adorable as baby dragons playing like puppies.

#WriterSky #mg #middlegrade
October 5, 2025 at 2:56 PM
#DVparty Day 4: Opening lines

The Mythical Creature Conservatory begins with a very bewildered Jack and a collision with a baby dragon. Jack still isn't sure if this can possibly be real, nor if it's a place he could possibly belong.

#mg #middlegrade #writersky #own #nd #dragons
October 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Hi Journal. This is weird. My school counselor told me to do this. She says it will help with my anxiety. I have no idea how writing boring stuff and recording my dreams is gonna help with that. This is just how I am.

(See thread below for more entries)
#DVparty #MG #MiddleGrade #BookSky #WriterSky
October 3, 2025 at 8:14 PM
MC intro for #DVparty:
10yo Jack has spent his life on the sidelines, excluded for his anxiety and fears. He doesn’t feel like he belongs in school, nor does he think he has what it takes to be a Keeper at the Mythical Creature Conservatory, where kids must save mythical creatures from extinction.
October 3, 2025 at 7:14 PM
#DVparty Day 1: Art- MC Jack is based on real-life Hudson, my 10yo who THRIVES with anxiety (as do I). In the novel, Jack sketches the creatures and the Mythical Creature Conservatory in his sketchbook, and Hudson did the sketches himself IRL. Here is a sampling of Hudson's art!
#mg #MH #ND #OWN
October 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM