About the Author

Hey There!

I'm Sarah! A former zookeeper, current teacher, mother, sister, daughter, and apparently now... Author!

I was a struggling reader as a kid, and I wanted to create a book series that my former 8-year-old self would actually want to read... no matter how much she despised reading! Her obsession with animals would have trumped any hard-to-read book. Thus began Animal Allies.

My years working with animals also shaped the heart of this series. I wanted to create adventures that would satisfy kids' curiosities about wildlife while showing them that caring about animals doesn't require you to be an expert or even an adult. I've always believed animals have a way of bringing people together, sparking curiosity, and reminding us that we all have a role to play in protecting the world around us.

Animal Allies is a culmination of my struggles with reading, my experiences as a mother, zookeeper, and teacher, and the little bit of GRIT I have inside me, too.

When I began writing, I thought I'd have a fun story that I could share with my students and children. I never imagined I'd actually publish it, but here I am! I know my 8-year-old self would be amazed at the progress I've made since she was running the show.

Whether you love reading, detest reading, are 8, or 80, I hope you find some joy in the adventures of these four stubborn, caring, and oh-so-lovable characters!

Behind the Characters

I drew inspiration from real life to create Manatee Mayhem, and I knew before I finished brainstorming the book that I wanted Animal Allies to become a series.

Nolan is based on someone I love more than life itself. Quinn is accidentally a combination of my sister and me (a happy accident, though!). Mr. Zamora, Quinn's dad, and Ms. Henderson, Nolan's mom, were created from my experiences as a parent and working in zookeeping. Micah has my sense of humor. Kali's life was inspired by experiences a few people close to me went through in real life.

It was important to me that the characters have differences that make them unique, because guess what... we're all different!

And just like the characters in Animal Allies, I believe a little bit of GRIT can take you a long way.

Happy reading!