What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Firehawk #1
The Ember Stone
A terrible darkness is spreading across Perodia. Thorn, a powerful vulture, is using dark magic (and his dark army of spies!) to destroy the magical land. A young owl named Tag may be the only one who can save it! Tag dreams of one day becoming a brave warrior, but he is small . . .
In this first book, Tag and his best friend -- a squirrel named Skyla -- meet the last firehawk. Together, the three friends learn about a magical stone. Could this stone be powerful enough to defeat Thorn?
This action-packed series makes a great introduction to fantasy and quest stories for newly independent readers. Realistic black-and-white artwork appears on every page!
In this first book, Tag and his best friend -- a squirrel named Skyla -- meet the last firehawk. Together, the three friends learn about a magical stone. Could this stone be powerful enough to defeat Thorn?
This action-packed series makes a great introduction to fantasy and quest stories for newly independent readers. Realistic black-and-white artwork appears on every page!
96 pages, Paperback
First published September 26, 2017
368 people are currently reading
1384 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews
September 15, 2021
Rating given by my eight year old son. He said he liked everything about this book!
April 9, 2020
Easy to read for children who have been reading beginner chapter books.
We have friendship, a quest, an evil intent on power. Lesson of believing in ones self.
We have friendship, a quest, an evil intent on power. Lesson of believing in ones self.
November 13, 2023
This is a good, wholesome series for those looking for early reader chapter books (either as a read aloud or for young readers). This one appealed way more to my kids (especially the 7 year old) than to me as the adult reader.
May 16, 2025
My son picked this up at his school library and couldn't stop reading it, and he immediately wanted me to read it, too!
It's a very fun fantasy quest narrative, with a small barn owl Tag and his squirrel buddy Skyla happening across what appears to be--the last firehawk! Wise owl leader Grey immediately tasks them with finding the Ember Stone and they're on their way! I can see why my son was loving this--it's a simple story for me, yes, but what an exciting intro for young readers. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series with my kid.
But also, confusingly, the birds can pick things up with their wings, and the owls do a lot more walking than I expected? (Not something I'm going to bring up with my kid, I don't even think he knows what "suspension of disbelief" is yet.)
It's a very fun fantasy quest narrative, with a small barn owl Tag and his squirrel buddy Skyla happening across what appears to be--the last firehawk! Wise owl leader Grey immediately tasks them with finding the Ember Stone and they're on their way! I can see why my son was loving this--it's a simple story for me, yes, but what an exciting intro for young readers. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series with my kid.
But also, confusingly, the birds can pick things up with their wings, and the owls do a lot more walking than I expected? (Not something I'm going to bring up with my kid, I don't even think he knows what "suspension of disbelief" is yet.)
January 31, 2024
Great
Read
January 14, 2019This is a great book and i am in love with this series! I can't wait until i read the next one!
December 13, 2017
A new children's series similar to Guardians of Ga'Hoole, but for younger readers. Cute illustrations, and I love anything with owls! My only problem with it is that Tag is described in the text as a barn owl, which he definitely isn't. Other than that, very cute and fun adventure book with more in the series to come.
November 27, 2020
My 6- and 4-year old enjoyed it. We plan to read the next one. Illustrations on every page.
June 21, 2021
Great book!! Read it to my 3 & 4 year old and they were very engaged, the illustrations are good too (although my slightly sensitive 4 year old said they were scary). Excited for the next one
July 1, 2022
First sentence: TA – RAAAA! A horn sounded through Valor Wood. Tag watched as owls of all sizes swooped down from the trees. Training time! Tag thought, excitement bubbling in his tummy.
Premise/plot: The Last Firehawk: The Ember Stone is the first in a new series for young readers. It is animal fantasy packed with plenty of action and adventure. Tag, our protagonist, is an owl who wants more than anything to become an Owl of Valor, a warrior. He wants to help battle against the evil Thorn, a vulture. And quite by accident Tag may have made quite a significant contribution...in an unexpected way. He happens upon an egg that hatches....wait for it, wait for it....the last firehawk. And it is this new friend who may make all the difference in the world. And it starts with the friends--Tag, the firehawk, and Skyla (a squirrel) searching for the Ember Stone.
My thoughts: I liked this one just fine. I wasn't personally on the edge of my seat. But I wouldn't necessarily expect to be. Part of me wishes it wasn't an owl book. Again, that is just me. I do like animal fantasy in general. This is definitely that plus a good old-fashioned quest-to-save-the-world action packed novel. The first books in such series are rarely the best of the bunch--just a fact.
There are illustrations on every page.
Premise/plot: The Last Firehawk: The Ember Stone is the first in a new series for young readers. It is animal fantasy packed with plenty of action and adventure. Tag, our protagonist, is an owl who wants more than anything to become an Owl of Valor, a warrior. He wants to help battle against the evil Thorn, a vulture. And quite by accident Tag may have made quite a significant contribution...in an unexpected way. He happens upon an egg that hatches....wait for it, wait for it....the last firehawk. And it is this new friend who may make all the difference in the world. And it starts with the friends--Tag, the firehawk, and Skyla (a squirrel) searching for the Ember Stone.
My thoughts: I liked this one just fine. I wasn't personally on the edge of my seat. But I wouldn't necessarily expect to be. Part of me wishes it wasn't an owl book. Again, that is just me. I do like animal fantasy in general. This is definitely that plus a good old-fashioned quest-to-save-the-world action packed novel. The first books in such series are rarely the best of the bunch--just a fact.
There are illustrations on every page.
November 24, 2024
Read this book together with my 6 year old son. He absolutely loved it! He got excited and started making predictions about what could happen next. We will be continuing to read the series with the next book.
January 21, 2018
3.5 Stars
The story is good but the art really elevates the reading experience.
The story is good but the art really elevates the reading experience.
September 23, 2020
my daughter liked it and stayed pretty engaged with the story.
February 4, 2022
A fun series, full of action & adventure, for young readers.
February 5, 2022
Including books that I read aloud this year…. Rating comes from the person I read it to. :)
August 8, 2023
Lovely story read the first one and couldn't wait to read the next.
April 4, 2024
I liked this book. The ending wasn’t good. You have to read the next books in the series to know what happens.
March 12, 2025
5 stars by my daughter.
February 12, 2023
For Christmas we got the 6yo the first book in several series. We started this one then, and it took a sick day before we finished it.
September 29, 2024
My first grader and i read in one sitting, and then she proceeded to read the next six volumes in the same day. Simple, harmless, no real violence, good for 6 to 9-year-olds.
November 12, 2021
Could not be better. No book I've read is as good as it or better
January 16, 2025
Connor: “I have mixed feelings about this book. I wish there were more characters. But it’s a pretty good book. I can’t wait to read the next one.”
August 12, 2024
I can see why Book 1 of this series is never on the shelf. We even have multiple copies. A truly engaging story for readers of early chapter books. That’s not easy to do. Well done. Definitely putting this book in the mix with our Whiz Kid’s Junior Book Club choices.
February 24, 2020
Good story. My kids were captivated. This is the first series we're reading together
December 3, 2024
If you're looking for an exciting adventure filled with magic and friendship, The Ember Stone is a great book choice. It’s about a small owl named Tag who wants to be a brave warrior, even though he’s tiny. He teams up with his best friend, Skyla the squirrel and the last firehawk to stop a bad vulture named Thorn, who is using dark magic to hurt their world “Perodia”. They find out about a magical stone that might help them defeat Thorn and save their land. What I really like about this book is that it shows even the smallest heroes can make a big difference.
The two main themes of this book are courage and friendship.. Tag reveals that being brave does not necessarily mean you are big or strong, but you do the things you know you should do despite your fear. The book also makes it clear that whatever you do with friends you become wiser and you are able to make it. These ideas help the children learn that they will sometimes feel so small or seem to be so frightened but you can always still be a hero. They also point out how important friends are, especially during the most challenging moments.
This book is a fantasy as characters use magical powers, there are magicians which are certain types of people who have powers to do dark magic and most important it is about going to search for an object in a magical world. This is quite an opportunity for young readers to know what fantasy adventures are all about. This book taught me that courage is not only big and heroic. That is why Tag starts to be afraid but at the same time acts strong in front of strong situations. Children can grow understanding that no matter how small one may be or how scared one is deep inside him, he is capable of doing fantastic things. The book also depicts that in any struggles, it is wrong to fight alone and that is educating children on teamwork with friends.
This is a “wow” book because it’s from a series and the author is Katrina Charman who has successfully published many creative children’s books and she is award wining.. While the book itself has not received big awards, it remains popular because of its wonderful fun, adventure, and characters. It demonstrates that one does not need to be large to be bold. The friendship between tag, skyla and the firehawk is a beautiful thing because it shows how much we all need each other.
The author uses simple language , she takes a good time and employs extraordinary descriptive language on the magical beings as well as the world of Perodua. The characters communicate something about how they feel, which is why one can quickly relate with them. This shows that the book is free of bias. The characters themselves are unique and despite the fact that the audience can learn such values as bravery and teamwork, no stereotype is used. It gives people the message that every individual can transform into a hero character despite their identity. Overall, The Ember Stone is a great book with a strong message about courage and working together. It’s a fun adventure that also teaches valuable lessons. If you like stories with magic and friendship, this book is a perfect read.
The two main themes of this book are courage and friendship.. Tag reveals that being brave does not necessarily mean you are big or strong, but you do the things you know you should do despite your fear. The book also makes it clear that whatever you do with friends you become wiser and you are able to make it. These ideas help the children learn that they will sometimes feel so small or seem to be so frightened but you can always still be a hero. They also point out how important friends are, especially during the most challenging moments.
This book is a fantasy as characters use magical powers, there are magicians which are certain types of people who have powers to do dark magic and most important it is about going to search for an object in a magical world. This is quite an opportunity for young readers to know what fantasy adventures are all about. This book taught me that courage is not only big and heroic. That is why Tag starts to be afraid but at the same time acts strong in front of strong situations. Children can grow understanding that no matter how small one may be or how scared one is deep inside him, he is capable of doing fantastic things. The book also depicts that in any struggles, it is wrong to fight alone and that is educating children on teamwork with friends.
This is a “wow” book because it’s from a series and the author is Katrina Charman who has successfully published many creative children’s books and she is award wining.. While the book itself has not received big awards, it remains popular because of its wonderful fun, adventure, and characters. It demonstrates that one does not need to be large to be bold. The friendship between tag, skyla and the firehawk is a beautiful thing because it shows how much we all need each other.
The author uses simple language , she takes a good time and employs extraordinary descriptive language on the magical beings as well as the world of Perodua. The characters communicate something about how they feel, which is why one can quickly relate with them. This shows that the book is free of bias. The characters themselves are unique and despite the fact that the audience can learn such values as bravery and teamwork, no stereotype is used. It gives people the message that every individual can transform into a hero character despite their identity. Overall, The Ember Stone is a great book with a strong message about courage and working together. It’s a fun adventure that also teaches valuable lessons. If you like stories with magic and friendship, this book is a perfect read.
April 18, 2018
{My thoughts} – This is a new series to me through the Branches beginner chapter books that have been released through Scholastic. I wasn’t quite so sure about it because at first glance it appears to be a book geared more specifically towards boys. However, I quickly learned that the story within the pages can be geared towards both boys and girls as long as they are interested in reading about an adventure.
Tag is an owl that dreams to be one of the owls of Valor. He wants to be able to fight for the animals and do what he feels is right and brave. Him and his friend Skyla end up going on a mission to save an egg from some bats that are very bad. They work with a Vulture names Thorn and Thorn is after a stone called the Ember Stone. The egg they rescue happens to hatch and out pops a baby Firehawk, the last of its kind. According to the story the Firehawk, that becomes known as Blaze, is the only animal that can actually locate the stone.
Eventually, Tag, Skyla and Blaze go on an adventure to try and find it before Thorn can. If you’d like to know what happens you’ll need to read the book.
I really enjoyed this story and the illustrations that go along with it. I am sure that and child that enjoys reading about animals and adventures will also enjoy the book and it’s series.
Tag is an owl that dreams to be one of the owls of Valor. He wants to be able to fight for the animals and do what he feels is right and brave. Him and his friend Skyla end up going on a mission to save an egg from some bats that are very bad. They work with a Vulture names Thorn and Thorn is after a stone called the Ember Stone. The egg they rescue happens to hatch and out pops a baby Firehawk, the last of its kind. According to the story the Firehawk, that becomes known as Blaze, is the only animal that can actually locate the stone.
Eventually, Tag, Skyla and Blaze go on an adventure to try and find it before Thorn can. If you’d like to know what happens you’ll need to read the book.
I really enjoyed this story and the illustrations that go along with it. I am sure that and child that enjoys reading about animals and adventures will also enjoy the book and it’s series.
May 29, 2018
Minus one star right away for being written after the Guardians of Ga'Hoole and not even having pictures in color. But the Guardians of Ga'Hoole actually make biological sense, here, on the very first page, we are introduced to our hero, "a young barn owl" with a recognizable picture of a Barred Owl nearby. Come on guys, Tito and Stryx actually do look different. The leader of the owls is an obvious Great Horned Owl named Grey, but he sounds like a Screech Owl. Great Horned wouldn't be caught dead saying SCREE-EEE. And those tiger bats? More like tiger Pteranodons. Why not simply admit that there are still dinosauri around in this forest? The last straw for me was the firehawk itself, which is of course a phoenix, but apparently elementary school children are not supposed to know such words. I wonder how it wasn't "translated out" of Harry Potter.
The plot is just marvelous. If this book was written with 1st-3rd graders in mind, they were given a fabulous role model and a way to implement natural selection with a variety of tools. The book is just brimming with dangerous, stupid, and illogical behaviour of our young heroes. Very educational. Oh! I almost forgot! The Ember Stone is purple! Which of course makes so much sense semantically.
Two stars only because my first grader enjoyed it so much he even talked me into reading it.
The plot is just marvelous. If this book was written with 1st-3rd graders in mind, they were given a fabulous role model and a way to implement natural selection with a variety of tools. The book is just brimming with dangerous, stupid, and illogical behaviour of our young heroes. Very educational. Oh! I almost forgot! The Ember Stone is purple! Which of course makes so much sense semantically.
Two stars only because my first grader enjoyed it so much he even talked me into reading it.
June 16, 2025
I got this book for my daughter (5) after she found the second book in the series in a Little Free Library and I had to buy this one immediately as she read it in an afternoon and needed to know more of the story. Within a week I've had to buy up to book 6, which is half the series that's currently out. If that doesn't tell you how captivating this book series is, I don't know what does.
I started reading these book so I could make sure she was actually reading and not scanning, mainly by fan girling and just chatting about the books with her. She's already corrected me on a couple of things when I first started to read to books, so I know she's actually reading them.
I really enjoyed this introductory book to the series. It gets things setup for the rest of the cookie, and Blaze's introduction and strength is fantastic. It sets up the continued adventure in a way that makes things easy for new readers, but the story is interesting enough for older ones as well. I'm quite looking forward to continuing this series with her.
The questions at the end may have been a bit advanced for her, as she's not yet done Kindergarten, but I think they would be great discussion points for us to think about important parts of the book.
Definitely a great series to get your kids started on their independent chapter book reading.
I started reading these book so I could make sure she was actually reading and not scanning, mainly by fan girling and just chatting about the books with her. She's already corrected me on a couple of things when I first started to read to books, so I know she's actually reading them.
I really enjoyed this introductory book to the series. It gets things setup for the rest of the cookie, and Blaze's introduction and strength is fantastic. It sets up the continued adventure in a way that makes things easy for new readers, but the story is interesting enough for older ones as well. I'm quite looking forward to continuing this series with her.
The questions at the end may have been a bit advanced for her, as she's not yet done Kindergarten, but I think they would be great discussion points for us to think about important parts of the book.
Definitely a great series to get your kids started on their independent chapter book reading.
October 22, 2018
I think this is the best Children's English book that I ever read! I'm a student from Hong Kong, China. People at here often read Chinese book instead of English book. It is hard to find an English book for me to read. However, one day, I find this book!
The Last Fierhawk: The Ember Stone is about a powerful vulture named Thorn is using dark magic to destroy the land of Perodia. Only the brightest magic in the magical Ember Stone can beat Thorn. Tag, a small owl who lived in Perodia, and his best friend, Skyla, begin a long journey in search of the Ember Stone. On the way, they met a firehawk baby named Blaze (Tag give this name to her as she was just a baby who doesn't know how to speak). Only the firehawk know where is the Ember Stone. Will the three friends find the Ember Stone and saved Perodia?
I like this book because the story is very exciting. The word in this book is not difficult and easy to understand. Tag is my favorite character in the story because he is helpful, friendly and never gives up. If you never read this book before, I suggest you read it now! Enjoy your reading!
The Last Fierhawk: The Ember Stone is about a powerful vulture named Thorn is using dark magic to destroy the land of Perodia. Only the brightest magic in the magical Ember Stone can beat Thorn. Tag, a small owl who lived in Perodia, and his best friend, Skyla, begin a long journey in search of the Ember Stone. On the way, they met a firehawk baby named Blaze (Tag give this name to her as she was just a baby who doesn't know how to speak). Only the firehawk know where is the Ember Stone. Will the three friends find the Ember Stone and saved Perodia?
I like this book because the story is very exciting. The word in this book is not difficult and easy to understand. Tag is my favorite character in the story because he is helpful, friendly and never gives up. If you never read this book before, I suggest you read it now! Enjoy your reading!
August 13, 2018
In the first book of the Last Firehawk series, friends Tag the owl, Sklya the squirrel, and Blaze the firehawk are brought together to find the first piece of the Ember Stone on Fire Island. They must find all the pieces of the Ember Stone to save their Kingdom of Perodia from the evil vulture Thorn and the henchman he sends after them.
This illustrated beginning chapter book from Scholastic’s Branches line will appeal to newly proficient readers on a second grade reading level who are looking to read adventure stories like the older kids are reading. There are four titles in this series and they are available from Scholastic in paperback which offers a good value for libraries and for purchase by children to own them. Book extras include a question and answer activity page for children to practice their comprehension skills. I would recommend this series for purchase by any school or public library.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraires
This illustrated beginning chapter book from Scholastic’s Branches line will appeal to newly proficient readers on a second grade reading level who are looking to read adventure stories like the older kids are reading. There are four titles in this series and they are available from Scholastic in paperback which offers a good value for libraries and for purchase by children to own them. Book extras include a question and answer activity page for children to practice their comprehension skills. I would recommend this series for purchase by any school or public library.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraires
Displaying 1 - 30 of 209 reviews