Sarah's latest novel for young readers is Run, a pacy, thrilling survival story. She’s also written Big Magic and its sequel Magic Awry - all published by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing. 

Run is the story of Cas, a twelve-year old boy who finds himself lost in the tangled Australian bush. Alone and afraid, Cas has given up all hope of rescue when he stumbles upon a strange family hiding out in the wilderness. It turns out they are on the run, but from something so big, they won’t talk about it. It’s proving a hit among those readers who love a page-turning, gritty, high-stakes story (that’s also not violent nor too gritty). It features moral dilemmas and gripping twists and turns - as well as exploration of meaningful themes for discussion: forgiveness, second chances, resilience and loyalty.

Sarah’s Run presentations (suitable for years 4 – 8) are highly interactive and engaging. She talks about the craft of writing suspense and leads the students in brainstorming a plan for a suspenseful scene. She also discusses the inspiration for Run and survival strategies in the bush.

‘This is everything I’ve been wanting to see in middle grade fiction. A straight up adventure story. It has a survival element, a great character arc for Cas, a boy with a troubled family situation, and lots of really interesting ethical discussions for a book club. I absolutely loved it. Great for @tristanbancksbooks fans, you could definitely give it to readers anywhere between year 5 and year 8’.
Erin Wamala, teacher-librarian and bookseller.

‘If you want to know what will solve the reading crisis for young males, it’s books like [Run].’
School teacher @middlegrademusings

Sarah’s two Big Magic books are modern-day, magical adventures set in a travelling circus.  Eleven-year-old Tulsi shares a rare, secret ability with her mother – they both have Big Magic in their veins. When her mum gets trapped in a parallel universe, Tulsi sets off on a race against time to save her. She has to learn a lifetime of magic in a flash, voyage through alternate worlds, magic-battle her evil grandmother and change the course of destiny. This duology explores found family and our connection to nature. 

Her Big Magic presentations include the business of writing spells, and some audience participation circus tricks.

Before writing for young readers, Sarah was an ABC journalist and wrote fiction for adults. She has been working as a highly regarded writing teacher for nearly twenty years. She works with primary and secondary students, mentors teen and adult writers, and teaches classes and workshops for adults, at Southern Cross University and the Byron Writers Festival’s Novel Intensive course and Residential Mentorship.

Her presentations and workshops are dynamic and very practical, her goal is to get children excited about writing and reading. She shares the writing tools she uses in her own books, explains her own writing process from first idea to published book, and takes the students behind the scenes of a writer’s life with stories and photos. In her workshops, Sarah emphasises the importance of rewriting, and demonstrates how helpful brainstorming is for planning.

She lives with her partner, the writer Alan Close, and their daughter in the northern NSW town of Mullumbimby (which features in most of her novels, albeit slightly disguised!).