Todd Mitchell
Todd Mitchell is the author of several award-winning middle grade and YA novels including The Last Panther (Penguin Random House), The Traitor King (Scholastic), The Secret to Lying (Candlewick), and Backwards (Candlewick). He has two new books coming out in fall 2021—one for writers, artists, and creators titled Breakthrough: How to Overcome Doubt, Fear, and Resistance so that You Can Be Your Ultimate Creative Self, and a middle grade novel that's recently been optioned for film/TV development titled The Namer of Spirits.
He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, where he kayaks, mountain bikes, and teaches creative writing at Colorado State University. He loves speaking with young readers and writers. You can visit him (and learn about his squirrel obsession) at www.ToddMitchellBooks.com
About THE NAMER OF SPIRITS:
“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.”
—New York Times bestselling author Eliot Schrefer
About THE LAST PANTHER (winner of the Colorado Book Award, the Green Prize for Sustainable Literature, and a Green Earth Honor Book Award):
"BRILLIANT! 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, author of the Merlin Saga
"A powerful tale." —KIRKUS
"Difficult to put down. An important addition on a timely subject." —SLJ
About THE SECRET TO LYING (winner of the Colorado Book Award, for ages 14 & up):
"Engrossing and entertaining... a great read."
—PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY
About BACKWARDS (winner of the CAL Award, for ages 13 & up):
“[A] suspenseful paranormal novel. …at once thought-provoking and satisfying.” —School Library Journal
About THE TRAITOR KING (Scholastic Press, for ages 8 & up):
"Humor, menace, and mystery suffuse this fast-paced tale... This well-written tale is a must for most fantasy readers."
—School Library Journal
Other projects:
I co-wrote a graphic novel that came out with Vertigo Comics (part of D.C.), called A FLIGHT OF ANGELS (selected as a YALSA Top Ten Pick for Great Graphic Novels for Teens).
BROKEN SAVIORS, an alien invasion graphic novel series for ages 13 and up. You can read the first few issues of BROKEN SAVIORS on my website for free. Or find it in full HD on ComiXology!
http://www.toddmitchellbooks.com
“That's the gap," I said . Then I held out my hand and reached across.Ellie reached back, wrapping her slender fingers around mine. "So are you disappointed that I'm not the perfect girl you thought I was?""No. I like you much better now - bed-head and all.”
“There's just this empty shell, pretending to be human.""That's not true." I wished she could see herself the way I saw her- not some cold, distant model, but the girl who'd IM'd me and kept me from being alone. You're the most sincere, passionate, real person I've ever met.""I don't think that person exists anymore""She does," I said. "I'm talking to her”
“ghost44: And if the person doesn't reach back?johnnyrotten: Then they don't reach back. Only you have to believe they will, or you're not really reaching.”
“ghost44: It's only when it's dark out that we can see the stars shine.”
“ghost44: Guess you don't think I'm Jessica Keen anymore.johnnyrotten: No. Definitely not.ghost44: What makes you so sure?johnnyrotten: Because the only time I don't get that empty feeling is when I'm messaging you.”
“In order to know that you're dead, you have to be conscious. . . but if you're conscious, then you're not dead. the only thing you can know is being alive, so that's eternity.”
“And because a human heart is flawed, her heart moved on.But an angel's heart is an entirely different thing. Once it loves someone it never stops.”
“Most people would call me incompetent, clumsy, flawed...""A pearl is a flaw. A diamond is an accident of nature. In all of creation, there's nothing more precious than the unexpected deviation.”
“It was the people who tried to seem normal all the time who were really messed up”