Description

By (author) Julie Pike

Short /annotation:
All Ember wants is to fly with the golden flamebirds who stop over at Bright Beacon every year before heading west across the seas. The birds, whose glowing tail feathers grant the finder a wish, are also eagerly awaited by the Flame Chasers in the harbour below. But then Pa tells Ember he is chasing without her…

:
All Ember wants is to fly with the golden flamebirds who stop every year at Bright Beacon before heading west across the seas to their mysterious home. Their fiery arrival is also the signal for the waiting Flame Chasers in the harbour below to prepare to follow the birds, whose glowing tail feathers grant the finder a wish. But when Pa tells Ember he is chasing without her, she is devastated. Can she find a ship”s captain to help her save her father, and the flamebirds secret home?

Review quote:

The Times
Children”s Best Books of the Year 2024: ”Impossible Creatures was the hit that everyone was chasing last year, but this magical adventure feels like a sparky younger sibling to Katherine Rundell”s bestseller. It sizzles with imagination. Every year the flamebirds crackle through the night sky like fireworks, to stop and rest in Ember”s harbour town before continuing their mysterious journey west. Anyone lucky enough to touch a golden tail feather is granted their heart”s desire, But the birds are fragile and greed has consequences. An exquisite story that burns brightly.” Lucy Bannerman, The Times

Biographical note:
Julie Pike grew up on a council estate in Neath, nestled in the Welsh valleys. This inspired her debut novel The Last Spellbreather (OUP 2019), longlisted for the Waterstones Children”s Book of the Year. Julie now lives in the Forest of Dean where she works as an environmental consultant.