Welcome!
I’m Sarah. I write stories that teach physics concepts.
Specifically, I write fantasy adventure books, fairy tales, and interactive puzzle stories for ages 10-12 where the physics and math are an integral part of the story.
My stories might be a good fit for you if:
You remember things best when they’re presented through stories
You like magic, fantasy, and fairy tales
You like things that are cute, quirky, and whimsical
You’re curious about physics and you liked things like The Phantom Tollbooth, Anne of Green Gables, or the Hayao Miyazaki movies
You’re looking for a fun introduction to some concepts, or some fun supplemental activities to go along with an existing class you’re taking or teaching
You know an 8-12 year old who is curious about physics and into quirky adventure stories and you’d like to get them some fun things to read
You like to understand concepts before you do the math
My stories might NOT be a good fit for you if:
(And, as a side note, these things are all awesome, they’re just not what my stuff is for)
You like to start with math and equations rather than big picture concepts
You’re looking for a traditional physics class (Check out Khan Academy, Phet Physics Simulations, and Crash Course)
You know a super advanced 10-12 year old who is already working through physics textbooks and you’re looking to get them advanced material. (I’d recommend the Fenyman Lectures, Stephen Hawking’s books, Leonard Susskind’s books, or the MIT OpenCourseware classes for them!)
You’re ready to dive into rigorous physics problem solving
You’re looking for an engineering and building-based approach (Check out Crunch Labs/ Mark Rober and Smarter Every Day)
You’re looking for something very hands-on (Check out Spintronics and Kiwico subscription boxes)
You want traditional physics labs and experiments
You’re looking for something that will prep you for AP Physics exams (I’d recommend the Princeton Review books, the MIT packet of previous AP test problems, and Khan Academy for this!)
You’re looking for a full, complete physics curriculum
You’re wanting something that goes into the full math of every concept covered
Is this just sugar coating and oversimplification?
Sometimes people see what I do and their reaction is ‘stop making cutesy things that oversimplify reality’. In some ways I share this feeling. I do agree that fully understanding physics requires being able to work with the math involved, and I do think it’s a good thing to consider places where we gloss over complexity in a harmful way.
However, even though my stuff is really cute and simple-looking, there’s a lot of conceptual complexity and thought that goes into it. I work really hard to make it look this adorable and non-intimidating.
Everything has some level of simplification. I make intentional choices to go as in-depth as possible, including all the real terms and focusing on the counterintuitive abstract concepts that I know people typically have trouble with.
My goal is to engage students, help them feel confident and curious, and pave the way for later more advanced work with all the math.
For example, in the circuits game, we don’t go through calculating all the voltages and currents in various parts of a circuit, but when I talk about parallel and series circuits, I focus on the counterintuitive fact that adding resistors in parallel actually decreases the total resistance, because it adds more pathways for the current to flow. These are conceptual anchors that I find really helpful when I’m solving circuit problems, and I personally like having that understanding before I do the math. Other people like doing the math first, and that’s totally fine, too!