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The Firebird Chronicles #1.5
The Gell
Stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Threatened by avalanches, storms and mist. Can Apprentice Adventurers, Fletcher and Scoop, make a bid for freedom with the stars as their only escape?
Join the young Adventurers in their Beginning Year at Blotting's Academy - the place where all story characters are trained - as they encounter The Gell, a mythical bird with fantastical powers, and learn one of the basic lessons of stories – risks must be taken.
This short story is part of The Firebird Chronicles, alongside the full-length books Rise of the Shadow Stealers (2013), The Nemesis Charm (2016) and Through the Uncrossable Boundary (2018).
"Echoes of C.S. Lewis...a thoroughly absorbing read" John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds (2000-2014)
Join the young Adventurers in their Beginning Year at Blotting's Academy - the place where all story characters are trained - as they encounter The Gell, a mythical bird with fantastical powers, and learn one of the basic lessons of stories – risks must be taken.
This short story is part of The Firebird Chronicles, alongside the full-length books Rise of the Shadow Stealers (2013), The Nemesis Charm (2016) and Through the Uncrossable Boundary (2018).
"Echoes of C.S. Lewis...a thoroughly absorbing read" John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds (2000-2014)
ebook
Published July 7, 2018
5 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Ingram-Brown
16 books36 followersDaniel Ingram-Brown is an award-winning, middle-grade author based in Yorkshire. He lives in a house built from the stones of a ruined castle with his wife, son, their bearded dragon and one-eyed cat!
His book, Bea’s Witch: A ghostly coming-of-age story (Collective Ink Books, 2021), draws on his experience as an adoptive father to create a “bildungsroman of a journey that captures the vulnerability of a child in care” (Yorkshire Times). The third book in his Firebird Chronicles series, Through the Uncrossable Boundary (Collective Ink Books, 2019), received the Taner Baybars award for original fiction in the field of science fiction, fantasy and magical realism, awarded by the Society of Authors, Authors’ Foundation.
Daniel works extensively in education. He has a doctorate in creative writing and education (2024) and received the Dean’s Prize for academic achievement at master’s level from Leeds Beckett University (2018). He is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow based at the University of York and has been a First Story writer-in-residence for primary and secondary schools across Yorkshire, editing eight anthologies of young writers’ work. Daniel is part of Leeds Beckett University’s Story Makers Company, a group of artists and educators delivering creative, child-centred learning opportunities. He works as a consultant for story-based approaches to teaching and regularly undertakes author visits to primary and secondary schools across the country.
Daniel’s background is in theatre and performance. He has written over twenty plays, specialising in journey-based performance, children’s theatre and large-scale community productions. He is co-artistic director of Suitcase and Spectacles Theatre Company and a trustee for Alive and Kicking Theatre Company.
From 2013-16 he chaired The Leeds Big Bookend Festival, and he co-organises events and retreats for the Society of Authors.
Daniel is interested in exploring the big questions of life in fun and engaging ways, inspiring children and adults to think, to wonder and to grow in wisdom.
His book, Bea’s Witch: A ghostly coming-of-age story (Collective Ink Books, 2021), draws on his experience as an adoptive father to create a “bildungsroman of a journey that captures the vulnerability of a child in care” (Yorkshire Times). The third book in his Firebird Chronicles series, Through the Uncrossable Boundary (Collective Ink Books, 2019), received the Taner Baybars award for original fiction in the field of science fiction, fantasy and magical realism, awarded by the Society of Authors, Authors’ Foundation.
Daniel works extensively in education. He has a doctorate in creative writing and education (2024) and received the Dean’s Prize for academic achievement at master’s level from Leeds Beckett University (2018). He is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow based at the University of York and has been a First Story writer-in-residence for primary and secondary schools across Yorkshire, editing eight anthologies of young writers’ work. Daniel is part of Leeds Beckett University’s Story Makers Company, a group of artists and educators delivering creative, child-centred learning opportunities. He works as a consultant for story-based approaches to teaching and regularly undertakes author visits to primary and secondary schools across the country.
Daniel’s background is in theatre and performance. He has written over twenty plays, specialising in journey-based performance, children’s theatre and large-scale community productions. He is co-artistic director of Suitcase and Spectacles Theatre Company and a trustee for Alive and Kicking Theatre Company.
From 2013-16 he chaired The Leeds Big Bookend Festival, and he co-organises events and retreats for the Society of Authors.
Daniel is interested in exploring the big questions of life in fun and engaging ways, inspiring children and adults to think, to wonder and to grow in wisdom.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 30, 2016
Original review posted on my blog From Ink to Paper
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have read the second book in this series and this short story takes place between the first one and the one I read. I thought it was a fun read, I did miss hearing all of the different fun named places. I do get though it was a short story so they can’t all be named. I still think the idea behind this series is fun and that it appeals to all ages, although I would say to the younger crowd, but I still enjoy reading it. I like that there are little life lessons that you learn along the way with Fletcher and Scoop and that there is still humor between them.
I still like that there are stories from other places that are thrown in, this one was a lot of Peter Pan references like Hook and Pixie Dust, and even Scoop and Fletcher talk about how it is second star to the right and straight on till morning. I thought the Gell was an interesting character and I liked his back story and how he was just silly even when they were in a tough situation. The one thing I did not like about the writing of the Gell was that he would caaa caaa a lot during his sentences and was kind of distracting. Besides that I think this was a good book and was a fun quick read. It kept in line with the other story and I am still interested in what is going to happen next with Fletcher and Scoop.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have read the second book in this series and this short story takes place between the first one and the one I read. I thought it was a fun read, I did miss hearing all of the different fun named places. I do get though it was a short story so they can’t all be named. I still think the idea behind this series is fun and that it appeals to all ages, although I would say to the younger crowd, but I still enjoy reading it. I like that there are little life lessons that you learn along the way with Fletcher and Scoop and that there is still humor between them.
I still like that there are stories from other places that are thrown in, this one was a lot of Peter Pan references like Hook and Pixie Dust, and even Scoop and Fletcher talk about how it is second star to the right and straight on till morning. I thought the Gell was an interesting character and I liked his back story and how he was just silly even when they were in a tough situation. The one thing I did not like about the writing of the Gell was that he would caaa caaa a lot during his sentences and was kind of distracting. Besides that I think this was a good book and was a fun quick read. It kept in line with the other story and I am still interested in what is going to happen next with Fletcher and Scoop.
January 31, 2017
This was really good at introducing the story again, but not going into too much depth. It's annoying sometimes when you read a short story and half of the word count is taken up by a huge recap of the previous book. This one did really well at recapping as much of the story as you need to know without boring you.
I liked the short adventure, and the elements of Peter Pan! It's cool getting a glimpse into the extra little adventures that Scoop and Fletcher get up to outside of the main books. It's only short (and free), so you've got nothing to lose by downloading it! I read the whole story in about 10 minutes.
I liked the short adventure, and the elements of Peter Pan! It's cool getting a glimpse into the extra little adventures that Scoop and Fletcher get up to outside of the main books. It's only short (and free), so you've got nothing to lose by downloading it! I read the whole story in about 10 minutes.
September 9, 2017
I received this short story from the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Gell is a fun adventure of a short story featuring the two main characters from the author’s first two books in the The Firebird Chronicles series (Rise of the Shadow Stealers and The Nemesis Charm). (So spoiler alert if you haven’t read either of the books yet!) Scoop and Fletcher are two students and Apprentice Adventurers at Blotting’s Academy and in The Gell they learn a lesson about a very important element in a story, thanks to a large white bird known at the Gell (hence the title of the book). While the story may only be about 29 pages long, it’s a great way to spend time back in this magical world and mix of grammar, English, and literature before the third book in the series comes out!
The Gell is a fun adventure of a short story featuring the two main characters from the author’s first two books in the The Firebird Chronicles series (Rise of the Shadow Stealers and The Nemesis Charm). (So spoiler alert if you haven’t read either of the books yet!) Scoop and Fletcher are two students and Apprentice Adventurers at Blotting’s Academy and in The Gell they learn a lesson about a very important element in a story, thanks to a large white bird known at the Gell (hence the title of the book). While the story may only be about 29 pages long, it’s a great way to spend time back in this magical world and mix of grammar, English, and literature before the third book in the series comes out!
August 11, 2016
Fletcher & Scoop meet The Gell! I won't tell you who or what that is but this is a short story packed with fun and adventure that all ages will love. I've not read The Rise of the Shadow Stealers or The Nemesis Chronicles yet in which Fletcher & Scoop are the central characters but I am really looking forward to doing so and finding out more about them and their time at Blotting's Academy (where all story characters go to be trained!)
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews