New Releases by Todd Mitchell

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of students who suffered learning loss due to multiple school closures during the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years while attending Bay District Schools (BDS) in Bay County, Florida. The theoretical framework utilized in this study was Weiner’s Attribution Theory (AT). Weiner (1974) posited that the pursuit of understanding the motivation of an individual’s behavior requires attributing one or more causes to the behavior. Using attribution, I engaged participants in their personal narratives in order to understand and interpret their experience, motivation, and dimension of behavior regarding the learning loss they may have endured during multiple school closures within the phenomenon. To address the research problem, I identified a purposive criteria sampling of 12 participants who attended BDS schools during the academic years of the phenomenon. The participants were interviewed using a semi-structured, open-ended questions that allow for supplemental questions by the interviewer or elaboration from the participant. Participants also completed a journal guided by qualitative prompts to expound on their experience. Finally, the facilitation of a focus group was conducted using semi-structured question to discuss the emerging themes from the interviews and the journals. The data was transcribed, compiled, and analyzed using Moustakas’ seven step model. The central research question focused on understanding the students’ metaphorical descriptions of learning loss resulting from the school closures of the phenomenon.

"An Immensely valuable book! There are plenty of books out there on creativity, but none like this... an essential read for anyone who is seeking inspiration about the creative life." —Laura Pritchett, winner of the PEN USA Award for Fiction, author of Stars Go Blue Break free of toxic success myths. Transcend the suffering artist paradigm. Actualize your immense creative potential. If you''ve ever struggled with doubt, fear, procrastination, or disappointment while trying to create, this book is for you. Breakthrough goes where no other books on creativity dare to tread—exposing the toxic success myths that hold people back and revealing radical, perspective-shifting solutions. Through concise, friendly chapters that weave together personal experiences with guidance from research and nondual philosophical traditions, readers are given pragmatic ways to turn potential breakdowns into life-changing breakthroughs.

“A dangerous town carved out of unforgiving forest, a young girl who can name spirits and tame monsters, a race against time to save the natural world: The Namer of Spirits is what readers want and the world needs.” –Eliot Schrefer, New York Times bestselling author In the frontier village of Last Hope, people dismiss twelve-year-old Ash Narro as a flighty child who claims to hear the true names of things. But when enraged forest spirits attack, Ash shows that the names she hears have power. After taming a destructive forest spirit, Ash teams up with Fen, a wild forest boy, and embarks on an unusual journey to save her village. In this steampunk eco-fantasy, the perils of deforestation and the power of friendship are explored through a fantastical adventure involving giant mistcats, tempestuous forest spirits, a supernatural puppy, and a girl with a special gift for shaping what things become.

Enter the world of video game development in this collection of discussions with noteworthy game creators ranging from solo hobbyists to major triple-A veterans. Todd Mitchell--an industry writer, indie developer, and host of the popular development podcast, GameDev Breakdown--speaks to experts about their projects, their experiences, and how they broke into the game industry to do some of the coolest jobs in history. Interviewees include: Michael Hicks of MichaelArts, David Fox of Electric Eggplant (formerly of LucasArts, Rocket Science Games, and more), Paul Nicholas of Liquidream, Richard Rouse III of Paranoid Productions (formerly of Surreal Software, Midway, Microsoft, and more), Ryan Engle of Golf Scope, Jordan Mychal Lemos formerly of Ubisoft, Sucker Punch Productions, Hardsuit Labs, and more, Say Mistage and Michael Silverman of Silverware Games, Joshua Davidson and Ash Lyons of Gearbox Software, Rob Hewson of Huey Games (formerly of TT Games, Dark Energy Digital, and Blade Interactive), and Thomas Kildren of Fletcher Studios Games discussed include: Pillar, The Path of Motus, Maniac Mansion, Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders, Thimbleweed Park, The Suffering (series), The Church in the Darkness, Topgolf with Pro Putt, Assassin''s Creed Odyssey, MatchyGotchy Z, Saints Row (series), Borderlands (series), Battleborn, Lego games, Booper, Get Home! and more.

For animal lovers and fans of The One and Only Ivan and Hoot, this is the uplifting story of a girl who discovers a family of panthers that were thought to be extinct, and her journey to save the species. Eleven-year-old Kiri has a secret: wild things call to her. More than anyone else, she’s always had a special connection to animals. But when Kiri has an encounter with the last known Florida panther, her life is quickly turned on end. Caught between her conservationist father, who wants to send the panther to a zoo, and the village poachers, who want to sell it to feed their families, Kiri must embark on a journey that will take her deep into the wilderness. There has to be some way to save the panther, and for her dad and the villagers to understand each other. If Kiri can’t figure out what it is, she’ll lose far more than the panthers—she’ll lose the only home she’s ever known, and the only family she has left. 2018 Green Earth Book Award Honor 2018 Colorado Book Award Winner CAL Book Award Winner Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Award Winner A Bank Street "Best Children''s Book of the Year" A National Geographic Giant Traveling Map of Florida Selection "A powerful tale of a future to be avoided." —Kirkus Reviews "An eerie cautionary tale about the dangers of not protecting the environment, tackles an important theme in a compelling way...a fantastical tale with roots in real-world issues." —Booklist "Earnest, heartfelt, and passionate, this book will likely inspire new environmentalists." —Bulletin "A boldly original, profoundly wise, deeply moving book. It’s a rare gift to any reader, as well as to our planet.” —T. A. Barron, best-selling author of the Merlin Saga

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe the lived experiences of students who graduated from modern classical Christian schools. The theoretical framework utilized is Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (SLT) as it relates to his concept of academic self-efficacy (ASE). Bandura (1986) posited that there are four constructs that serve as predictors in the development of ASE: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological response. To address the research problem, I identified a purposive criteria sampling of 8 participants who graduated from accredited and member ACCS schools having experienced all three components of the trivium. Of the eight participants, five maintained a journal entering qualitative responses that described their respective ACCS school experience. All eight participants were interviewed using semi-structured, open-ended questions that allowed for follow-up discussion and elaboration. Finally, I facilitated a focus group interview with four of the eight participants, which was guided by semi-structured questions designed to elicit discussion on the emerging themes from the interviews and journals. The data was analyzed using Moustakas’ (1994) seven step model of transcendental phenomenology. The research resulted in a Kingdom-oriented, composite, metaphorical description of student experiences in trivium-based education within ACCS schools.

The sampler includes chapters from Ursula Dubosarsky’s The Golden Day, Patrick Ness’s More Than This, and Todd Mitchell’s Backwards. The Golden Day When their teacher goes missing during an outing, eleven girls grapple with the aftermath in this haunting, exquisitely told psychological mystery. More Than This From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel chronicling the life — or perhaps afterlife — of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world. Backwards An edge-of-your-seat thriller asks: Is it possible to fix a tragic future by changing the past — while experiencing life backwards?

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An edge-of-your-seat thriller asks: Is it possible to fix a tragic future by changing the past — while experiencing life backwards? At the moment Dan’s life ends, the Rider’s begins. Unwillingly tied to Dan, who seems to be shuffling through life, the Rider finds himself moving backwards in time, each day revealing more of the series of events that led to Dan’s suicide. As the Rider struggles to figure out what he’s meant to do, he revels in the life Dan ignores. Beyond the simple pleasures of a hot shower and the sun on his face, the Rider also notices the people around Dan: his little sister, always disappointed by her big brother’s rejection, and his overwhelmed mom, who can never rely on Dan for help. Most of all, the Rider notices Cat with her purple hair, artistic talent, and misfit beauty. But Cat doesn’t want anything to do with Dan, paying attention instead to popular football player Finn. As the days move in reverse and Halloween looms, Cat becomes the center of the Rider’s world — until the Rider finds out the shocking reason why Cat is so angry with Dan. Can the Rider make things right before it’s too late?

A variety of images from San Diego''s Laguna Mountains. There are images from throughout the year depicting numerous and beautiful changes to the landscapes and plants of the area.

A mysterious angel plummets to earth and lands deep in a dark forest, where his dying body is found by the mystical denizens of this strange place. As the gathered fauns, faeries, hags and hobgoblins debate what to do with him, each tells a different story of who they imagine this celestial creature to be - a hero, a lover, a protector or a killer. Once all the stories have been told, a final verdict is rendered and the outcome will leave you breathless.

A teenage boy''s self-reinvention gets out of control in a sharp, funny, poignant, and compulsively readable novel that gives a familiar theme a surprising twist. James was the guy no one noticed -- just another fifteen-year-old in a small town. So when he gets into an academy for gifted students, he decides to leave his boring past behind. In a boarding school full of nerds and geeks, being cool is easy. All it takes is a few harmless pranks to invent a new James: fighter, rebel, punk. Everyone’s impressed, except for the beautiful "Ice Queen" Ellie Frost and the mysterious ghost44, an IM presence who sees through his new identity. But James is riding high, playing pranks and hooking up with luscious Jessica Keen. There’s just one thing awry: he’s starting to have vivid dreams of being a demon-hunting warrior, a thrill that is spilling over into dangerous and self-destructive acts while he’s awake. As he’s drawn deeper into his real-life lies and his dream-world conquests, James begins to wonder: What’s the price for being the coolest guy around?

When ten-year-old Darren and his family show up at their family reunion and find their Uncle Will missing, Darren and his sister go in search of clues to discover what happened.