Hi, I’m Sarah, and I write magical stories for misfits.

Sarah J. Mendonca is the Portuguese-American author of inventive and twisty (Anne Ursu, author of Not Quite a Ghost), endlessly imaginative (Tracy Badua, award-winning author of Freddie vs. the Family Curse), sparkling adventures (Diane Magras, the Mad Wolf's Daughter series).

Raised on her father’s bedtime stories, Sarah started writing about monsters at age eight and hasn’t stopped. You can find her haunting dark forests, lurking in bookshops, or buried underneath her enormous tea collection.

Sarah is a 2021 Pitch Wars alum, and winner of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ A. Orr Fantasy Grant. In 2018 she was a finalist for the PNW Association Middle Grade literary contest. She lives in the Midwest.

She is represented by Emily Forney at the Bookends Literary Agency.

View Sarah’s media kit for bio options and downloadable headshots.

Quick Facts

  • Men-don-sza

  • Not at all. Growing up I used to think books magically grew on trees and had no idea people could be authors. It was only after an author visited my school that I realized it was a possibility.

  • My ideas come from everywhere. Whether it’s having a dream about cursed lands, or wondering what it would be like to have magical powers. I get my best ideas when I’m bored. So I often go on long walks to allow my mind to wander.

  • Board games, hiking, and trying new hobbies.

  • Failing is a part of any creative process. Whether it’s needing to throw out a chapter, or having someone not like your story. I try and remind myself how much I love writing, and if the rejection is particularly bad, I’ll eat a tasty treat to help myself get over it.

  • No, Portuguese people are not considered hispanic or latine.

    https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/09/12/who-is-hispanic/

    If you’d like to include me on a list, please consider me for Portuguese Heritage Month in June.

  • Unfortunately, I’m not able to control how my books are categorized. I’ve done my best to reach out and request changes, but it doesn’t always work.

Home state: Michigan

Favorite movie: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Favorite season: Fall

If I could be a magical animal: a Griffin!

Favorite color: Green

Favorite superpower: Teleportation

Favorite chip flavor: Ketchup

Scariest monster: Man-eating Trees

Select Press

July/ August 2025 Kids’ Indie Next List, American Booksellers Association, June 2025

June 2025 (Children) Editor’s Pick, Kirkus Reviews, June 2025

Children's Institute 2025: Authors and Illustrators to Meet, Publisher’s Weekly, May 2025

Summer/ Fall 2025 Indies Introduce Featured Title, American Booksellers Association, May 2025

Starred Review, Publisher’s Weekly, May 2025

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 2025