Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Little, Brown and Company
Pages
214
Description
Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.
Description
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon. Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb?
Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons--and becomes a hero. This action-packed, hilarious, and perfectly illustrated novel is a modern classic beloved by millions across the globe.
Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons--and becomes a hero. This action-packed, hilarious, and perfectly illustrated novel is a modern classic beloved by millions across the globe.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2003
Physical description
214 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0316085278 / 9780316085274
Similar in this library
Lexile
930L
User reviews
LibraryThing member nmhale
The novel that inspired a popular movie franchise is quite different from its theatrical presentation, as is often the case. In this story, Hiccup is a Viking. Not only that, he is the son of the chief of his tribe, a vast and loud man named Stoick the Vast. When the book opens, Hiccup is a part of
The novel is told from Hiccup's first person perspective, and he quickly reveals that he has not lived up to his tribe's expectations for him. He is small and scrawny, and not any good at yelling at all. He is nothing like his worthy father. Hiccup is sarcastic, observant, and clever. He faces frightening situations with resigned intention. He stands up for his friends. These traits make him likable to the reader, and unrelatable to his fellow Vikings.
Nonetheless, he does manage to trap a dragon, even after giving his first one away to his friend, Fishlegs, who botches the whole adventure. Hiccup's dragon is the smallest, most ordinary dragon anyone has ever seen. Hiccup and Fishlegs manage to convince Hiccup's father that this is because it is one of a rare and most violent species of dragon, but no one else is fooled. They call his dragon Toothless, to perfectly rhyme with Hiccup the useless.
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a group of boys aged ten who are about to undergo their ritual passage into manhood. For the Viking tribes that means stealing and training a baby dragon. According to the story, Vikings had an antagonistic relationship with dragons. They avoided or fought the grown wild ones, but also captured many when they were still babies to use as pets and servants. All Viking boys are expected to claim their personal dragon when they are ten, or face banishment from the tribe. The reader immediately learns that Hiccup fears banishment is his inevitable fate. The novel is told from Hiccup's first person perspective, and he quickly reveals that he has not lived up to his tribe's expectations for him. He is small and scrawny, and not any good at yelling at all. He is nothing like his worthy father. Hiccup is sarcastic, observant, and clever. He faces frightening situations with resigned intention. He stands up for his friends. These traits make him likable to the reader, and unrelatable to his fellow Vikings.
Nonetheless, he does manage to trap a dragon, even after giving his first one away to his friend, Fishlegs, who botches the whole adventure. Hiccup's dragon is the smallest, most ordinary dragon anyone has ever seen. Hiccup and Fishlegs manage to convince Hiccup's father that this is because it is one of a rare and most violent species of dragon, but no one else is fooled. They call his dragon Toothless, to perfectly rhyme with Hiccup the useless.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
This is the first book in the How to Train Your Dragon series. At this time there are nine books in this series with the most recent one being the ninth book in the series, How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword. This was a fun and heartfelt read; full of adventure and, of course, dragons.
I read this book
In this book we follow Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tries to capture and train a dragon in order pass his test to become part of the Harry Hooligan Tribe.
Hiccup is not your typical viking; he is not good at yelling or being scary...but he can speak Dragonese and he is good at strategy. When he ends up with a scrawny and uncooperative garden variety dragon Hiccup despairs of things ever going right.
This book is much much different from the movie. Hiccup has the same sarcastic sense of humor, but Toothless is pretty much an obnoxious brat. There is no riding of dragons; the baby dragons are too small for that. Hiccup isn’t an inventor of strange devices; but more of a strategist with spurts of bravery.
It is a very cute story though, even if it isn’t quite as dramatic as the movie. Watching Hiccup move from outcast, to a leader of sorts who is respected for his ideas and action is great and very well done.
This is a story about friendship and respecting people for their differences. Of course there is also a lot of action and a lot of humor throughout as well. Much of the humor is slapstick type but there is some witty banter in there as well.
There are some sketches throughout the book too; they aren’t all that great...basically scribbles. But these illustrations are funny and do add humor to the story.
Overall an excellent story. One of those ones that both kids and adults will find humor in. This would be a great series for kids five and up; either to read on their own or with their parents depending on age. Very different from the movie; so don’t go into this series expecting a replay of the movie. Recommended to children/YA who are into dragons and adventure and love some humor in there too.
I read this book
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with my 5 year old son and he enjoyed it immensely.In this book we follow Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tries to capture and train a dragon in order pass his test to become part of the Harry Hooligan Tribe.
Hiccup is not your typical viking; he is not good at yelling or being scary...but he can speak Dragonese and he is good at strategy. When he ends up with a scrawny and uncooperative garden variety dragon Hiccup despairs of things ever going right.
This book is much much different from the movie. Hiccup has the same sarcastic sense of humor, but Toothless is pretty much an obnoxious brat. There is no riding of dragons; the baby dragons are too small for that. Hiccup isn’t an inventor of strange devices; but more of a strategist with spurts of bravery.
It is a very cute story though, even if it isn’t quite as dramatic as the movie. Watching Hiccup move from outcast, to a leader of sorts who is respected for his ideas and action is great and very well done.
This is a story about friendship and respecting people for their differences. Of course there is also a lot of action and a lot of humor throughout as well. Much of the humor is slapstick type but there is some witty banter in there as well.
There are some sketches throughout the book too; they aren’t all that great...basically scribbles. But these illustrations are funny and do add humor to the story.
Overall an excellent story. One of those ones that both kids and adults will find humor in. This would be a great series for kids five and up; either to read on their own or with their parents depending on age. Very different from the movie; so don’t go into this series expecting a replay of the movie. Recommended to children/YA who are into dragons and adventure and love some humor in there too.
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LibraryThing member Lymsleia
First things first, I bought the book after watching the movie of the same name, so this thing's half book review, half film comparison. I say "movie of the same name" because these two have so little in common that calling one an adaptation of the other doesn't seem to be terribly accurate. The
The dragon himself wouldn't recognise the other version of himself as himself if it bit him in the nuzzle: Movie!Toothless is a very rare, big black dragon (big enough for Hics to ride on) with catlike behaviour while book!Toothless is the most common kind of dragon (and looks very much like the most stereotypical green dragon that you can think of when you hear "a Western dragon out of legend"), very small (the book makes a huge deal out of this for a while) and with the behaviour of an extremely bratty, ungrateful child who can still be charming every now and then. Also, book!Toothless and all other dragons in the book can talk, while the ones in the movie can't.
Now, the basic plot of the movie is this: it's about a Viking boy who lives in a village where everyone thinks that dragons are vicious monsters that need to be killed, but he discovers that they are quite friendly, makes friends with Toothless and Saves The Day when the other Vikings get themselves in danger hunting dragons.
The book is about a Viking boy who lives in a village where everyone tames dragons by yelling at them, but because he is not strong and can't yell at all, and because he is Reasonable, he talks to his dragon, Toothless, instead, and Saves The Day when a big bad evil dragon comes to the island to eat all the Vikings.
Personally, I prefer the movie by far, even though it's hard to compare the two. Sure, it doesn't tell a new story, but it tells it well and managed to make me *feel*: The characters, especially Toothless, are charming, the different kinds of dragons well-presented and compared to the book it has one big advantage: It has female characters. Two of them, even. (Yeah, be grateful for the little things...) Astrid even got some character development and I quite liked her.
In that respect, the book comes across as Yet Another Book About A Boy Who Doesn't Fit In, and the lack of women and girls doesn't exactly make me look at it any more favourably. (Technically, there is one female character among the lot, Hiccup's mother. As far as I remember, she has a total of one sentence in the book, that being "How did Initiation go yesterday, dear?" ... yeah, I know.)
Despite all my complaining, and the fact that the book did a bit too much telling-instead-of-showing for my taste even for a children's book, I did enjoy reading it. It's a quick read, one scene with Toothless made me even go "Awwww!" at the book, and the pictures that are on almost every page (and look like a child's pencil doodles) are quite charming. All in all, I can't really recommend it in good conscience, but if you have it lying around, give it a try and learn about dragon training for a few hours.
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protagonist's name and character, as well as the protagonist's dragon's name are were the similarities end.The dragon himself wouldn't recognise the other version of himself as himself if it bit him in the nuzzle: Movie!Toothless is a very rare, big black dragon (big enough for Hics to ride on) with catlike behaviour while book!Toothless is the most common kind of dragon (and looks very much like the most stereotypical green dragon that you can think of when you hear "a Western dragon out of legend"), very small (the book makes a huge deal out of this for a while) and with the behaviour of an extremely bratty, ungrateful child who can still be charming every now and then. Also, book!Toothless and all other dragons in the book can talk, while the ones in the movie can't.
Now, the basic plot of the movie is this: it's about a Viking boy who lives in a village where everyone thinks that dragons are vicious monsters that need to be killed, but he discovers that they are quite friendly, makes friends with Toothless and Saves The Day when the other Vikings get themselves in danger hunting dragons.
The book is about a Viking boy who lives in a village where everyone tames dragons by yelling at them, but because he is not strong and can't yell at all, and because he is Reasonable, he talks to his dragon, Toothless, instead, and Saves The Day when a big bad evil dragon comes to the island to eat all the Vikings.
Personally, I prefer the movie by far, even though it's hard to compare the two. Sure, it doesn't tell a new story, but it tells it well and managed to make me *feel*: The characters, especially Toothless, are charming, the different kinds of dragons well-presented and compared to the book it has one big advantage: It has female characters. Two of them, even. (Yeah, be grateful for the little things...) Astrid even got some character development and I quite liked her.
In that respect, the book comes across as Yet Another Book About A Boy Who Doesn't Fit In, and the lack of women and girls doesn't exactly make me look at it any more favourably. (Technically, there is one female character among the lot, Hiccup's mother. As far as I remember, she has a total of one sentence in the book, that being "How did Initiation go yesterday, dear?" ... yeah, I know.)
Despite all my complaining, and the fact that the book did a bit too much telling-instead-of-showing for my taste even for a children's book, I did enjoy reading it. It's a quick read, one scene with Toothless made me even go "Awwww!" at the book, and the pictures that are on almost every page (and look like a child's pencil doodles) are quite charming. All in all, I can't really recommend it in good conscience, but if you have it lying around, give it a try and learn about dragon training for a few hours.
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LibraryThing member AWCone
This is ANOTHER great book that is incredibly better than its movie counterpart and vastly different as well. I want to read more of her stuff too. The only thing this book has in common with the movie is the character names and setting elements. Seriously. If you like dragons, Vikings, underdogs,
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and/or fantasy - it's great. Fun and funny. Try it, you'll like it. It won't give your nightmares, nightmares. I'm almost embarrassed by how much I loved it - seriously. Show Less
LibraryThing member cindasox
The book is humorous, my students were laughing aloud (first and second grade). Some tricky vocabulary, needs explanation. A wonderful adventure with themes of courage, kindness and some splendid descriptions of exploding dragons and a brief explanation of how to train one! (you yell)... :)
LibraryThing member pmhlearningcentre
Dragons, Vikings and Adventure are all you need to make a great children’s book and “How to Train Your Dragon” contains all these factors. Cressida Cowell, the Author of this great book, is not well known but she will be when this book
hits the shelves. Now a bit about the book, Hiccup
Haddock III was to be the next chief of the Hairy Hooligans
Tribe but there was one problem. To become a full member of
the tribe you must pass an initiation test. Hiccup was not the
average Viking kid, he was a bit of an outcast. Hiccup was
skinny, short and scared, plus he had to live up to the reputation
of his dad which happens to be the current Chief of the Tribe. So
Hiccup didn’t have much hope to become a full member of the
tribe and if you don’t pass the initiation test you would be exiled
from the tribe. Hiccup only had one friend and bullies constantly
picking on him were not great motivation boosters. Hiccup
conquers his fears and he captures his own dragon but that is
only the first part if the test. I don’t want to give away too much,
so I will leave the rest of the story for you to read about.
The cover of this book will really grab you attention so it won’t
be hard to find in stores. The illustrations and the design of the
front cover are really appealing and makes you think the book is
really old. This book is excellent for kids because it does not
drag on like other books which leave the reader bored. After
reading this book I think it is right to say that it is GREAT!!!
Since it is short you can read it quickly and after a while you
will see it on your shelf then read it again and again and again. I
think this book would be great for kids between the ages of 7 to
11. I easily give it 4 stars.
hits the shelves. Now a bit about the book, Hiccup
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HorrendousHaddock III was to be the next chief of the Hairy Hooligans
Tribe but there was one problem. To become a full member of
the tribe you must pass an initiation test. Hiccup was not the
average Viking kid, he was a bit of an outcast. Hiccup was
skinny, short and scared, plus he had to live up to the reputation
of his dad which happens to be the current Chief of the Tribe. So
Hiccup didn’t have much hope to become a full member of the
tribe and if you don’t pass the initiation test you would be exiled
from the tribe. Hiccup only had one friend and bullies constantly
picking on him were not great motivation boosters. Hiccup
conquers his fears and he captures his own dragon but that is
only the first part if the test. I don’t want to give away too much,
so I will leave the rest of the story for you to read about.
The cover of this book will really grab you attention so it won’t
be hard to find in stores. The illustrations and the design of the
front cover are really appealing and makes you think the book is
really old. This book is excellent for kids because it does not
drag on like other books which leave the reader bored. After
reading this book I think it is right to say that it is GREAT!!!
Since it is short you can read it quickly and after a while you
will see it on your shelf then read it again and again and again. I
think this book would be great for kids between the ages of 7 to
11. I easily give it 4 stars.
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LibraryThing member Thebookworms
hey if you a girl tween this is the most grose book ever so I dont think catholic reader will want it but girls shouled not read I had to read it for some one got it for my birthday
LibraryThing member takieya
A fun story about a boy who goes against the odds and proves himself a hero. I'm definitely interested in reading the rest of the books, and I look forward to the movie, although it looks quite a bit different. Definitely worth checking out.
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
Good, rousing story of Hiccup "the Useless" and how he becomes "the Useful." Great story for boys or anyone liking adventure. Other than vikings, dragons, Hiccup, and the setting, very little to do with the movie of the same name.
LibraryThing member humouress
It's a great books for kids; my 6 year old loved it (especially the accent I adopted for the dragons, and the phrases to teach them), and I thought the pencil illustrations were a nice touch, especially the page with feathers all over it, when the Heroes were dropping feather bombs. I read this to
The story is told as the reminiscences of Hiccup, who turns out to be the greatest Viking hero, but as a child, it looked unlikely that he would be any kind of a hero compared to the other brawny Viking teens - which was especially embarrassing, because he was the son of the chief. To prove they would be worthy Vikings, each generation had to capture a dragon, train it and then pass a test to demonstrate their control over it, which was usually by yelling at it. Hiccup, not being a good yeller, had to come up with other methods to prove he was worthy of being a Viking, and not be exiled from his tribe. This makes the other Vikings think he's even weirder - until his methods are unexpectedly put to the test, and come up trumps.
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my children before we went to watch the film (which was rather different, but equally great). My 6 year old kept quoting dragon phrases in their funny accents afterward. He enjoyed the book so much, he wanted to get more in the series when he spotted them at the bookshop, and dragged me over to pore over them.The story is told as the reminiscences of Hiccup, who turns out to be the greatest Viking hero, but as a child, it looked unlikely that he would be any kind of a hero compared to the other brawny Viking teens - which was especially embarrassing, because he was the son of the chief. To prove they would be worthy Vikings, each generation had to capture a dragon, train it and then pass a test to demonstrate their control over it, which was usually by yelling at it. Hiccup, not being a good yeller, had to come up with other methods to prove he was worthy of being a Viking, and not be exiled from his tribe. This makes the other Vikings think he's even weirder - until his methods are unexpectedly put to the test, and come up trumps.
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LibraryThing member tapestry100
I'm looking forward to the release of the upcoming Dreamworks movie, How to Train Your Dragon, and when I found out it was based on a series of YA books, I thought I'd give the first one a try when I found it at the bookstore the other night. Well, first off, based on what the previews look like
Anyway, the book was fun. We follow the (mis)adventures of Hiccup as he tries to train his dragon, Toothless, in order to pass the initiation to become a full-fledged member of his Viking tribe. To make matters worse, not only is he the son of the current chief, but he is also a rather un-Vikingish Viking. He has taken time to study the dragons and feels that the current method of dragon training, yelling at them, is not the best method to take with them, and in his studies has learned to speak Dragonese and tries to train his dragon through more civil means, which is generally frowned upon by the usual Viking laws.
Basically, there are several morals to the story, that violence isn't necessarily always the answer (even though these are Vikings, so violence is necessary sometimes, after all), that family needs to come first, and that just because you are labeled as being plain and useless doesn't mean that's who you are and that you can prove yourself useful and rise above the labels placed on you by others. The story wasn't challenging in any way but still fun and the use of exaggerated fonts in the story to add extra emphasis was amusing. I don't think that I'll actually be buying anymore from the series, but if I find them at the library I'd probably pick them up.
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for the movie and what the actual book is about, I'm going to have to assume that the movie is loosely based on the books.Anyway, the book was fun. We follow the (mis)adventures of Hiccup as he tries to train his dragon, Toothless, in order to pass the initiation to become a full-fledged member of his Viking tribe. To make matters worse, not only is he the son of the current chief, but he is also a rather un-Vikingish Viking. He has taken time to study the dragons and feels that the current method of dragon training, yelling at them, is not the best method to take with them, and in his studies has learned to speak Dragonese and tries to train his dragon through more civil means, which is generally frowned upon by the usual Viking laws.
Basically, there are several morals to the story, that violence isn't necessarily always the answer (even though these are Vikings, so violence is necessary sometimes, after all), that family needs to come first, and that just because you are labeled as being plain and useless doesn't mean that's who you are and that you can prove yourself useful and rise above the labels placed on you by others. The story wasn't challenging in any way but still fun and the use of exaggerated fonts in the story to add extra emphasis was amusing. I don't think that I'll actually be buying anymore from the series, but if I find them at the library I'd probably pick them up.
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LibraryThing member dreamer2000
This is a very cute book. This does not give a lot detail as to what things look like but there is a lot of interesting details on how to get control of your dragon there is a lot of action in this book very good book to get children involved. The pictures make the story look like somebody was
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writing about there life which is how the story was told. Show Less
LibraryThing member gjbates
This book is very enjoyable. I read read the book before the movie so I was disappointed they changed it so much. I really enjoyed the audios of the Hiccup books read by David Tennant. He has great voices for all the characters. I especially like the stuttering Toothless.
LibraryThing member Jenpark
This is the first book in the series upon which the very popular movie was based. A nerdy, awkward, Viking kid, who does not fit into his cultural world, repeatedly saves all of his ungrateful and clueless countrymen and women from certain disaster with the help of his two friends.
LibraryThing member dragyn
Hilarious and adorable. This book is definitely a keeper. I picked this book up when I saw the trailers for the movie and though I loved the movie the books definitely took first place for me.
LibraryThing member StephanieWA
In this wild and humorous heroic fantasy, children will love and identify with the main character, poor Hiccup, who is not the fierce warrior that his father would like him to be, but who is victorious in the end due to his other talents. From the silly situations to the funny character names,
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children will find humour throughout this book. The fun and messy black and white illustrations complement the style of this book and will appeal to its readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member philae_02
After viewing the Dreamworks film of the same name, I was intrigued by what the film studio had based their movie on. After reading this delightful children’s book, I can see why there was such a desire to work on a movie. Of course, there was poetic license – the story is different but the
Hiccup is the son of Stoick the Vast, the chief of the Viking Hairy Hooligan Tribe, so there is a lot of pressure for Hiccup to reach Hero status. In order to be accepted by the tribe, Hiccup and nine other young boys have to prove their metal by capturing and training a dragon of their very own. Hiccup finds his dragon amidst thousands of other dragon young, but the dragon is different than all the other boys’ dragons – Hiccup’s dragon is incredibly small. The little dragon is later named Toothless because of his lack of teeth, but Toothless proves to be very difficult to train. Therefore, Hiccup has to reinvent the way Vikings train their dragons.
Overall, the short chapter book will delight young and old readers alike.
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characters are roughly the same.Hiccup is the son of Stoick the Vast, the chief of the Viking Hairy Hooligan Tribe, so there is a lot of pressure for Hiccup to reach Hero status. In order to be accepted by the tribe, Hiccup and nine other young boys have to prove their metal by capturing and training a dragon of their very own. Hiccup finds his dragon amidst thousands of other dragon young, but the dragon is different than all the other boys’ dragons – Hiccup’s dragon is incredibly small. The little dragon is later named Toothless because of his lack of teeth, but Toothless proves to be very difficult to train. Therefore, Hiccup has to reinvent the way Vikings train their dragons.
Overall, the short chapter book will delight young and old readers alike.
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LibraryThing member SoccerDude
Hiccup must become a pirate and get away from a roman fort in three days. He attacks a roman ship and gets captured in the process. Can he get away?
Hiccup is, surprisingly, the hero of the story. He is weak and stubborn but smart.
Snotlout is hiccup’s cousin and is heir if Hiccup dies. He’s
Fireworm is a mean and ferocious monstrous nightmare. Snotlout owns him. Toothless is toothless. He is useful though.
I recommend this book to action fans.
Hiccup is, surprisingly, the hero of the story. He is weak and stubborn but smart.
Snotlout is hiccup’s cousin and is heir if Hiccup dies. He’s
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strong smart and brave. Fireworm is a mean and ferocious monstrous nightmare. Snotlout owns him. Toothless is toothless. He is useful though.
I recommend this book to action fans.
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LibraryThing member elmartin
This story is filled with humor, irony, fantasy, and lessons that area all appropriate for younger readers. The reader is taken to a "far away" land with the descriptions of the sea, cliffs, and dragon caves. Overcoming being bullied, the main character is able to become the hero using his
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understanding of dragons. Show Less
LibraryThing member bbruskland
In this chapter book, Hiccup wants to be able to prove that he can kill a dragon like his father can. Although he goes through intense training he still fails at finishing his training and he is a disappointment to his father. Eventually, Hiccup tames one of the most mysterious dragons of all,
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Toothless. His friends are amazed and eventually Hiccup is considered a hero. I would use this book during read aloud as a closing the day with a chapter book activity. This book has been made to a movie that is extremely popular with elementary children and is something silly, magical, and appropriate for both boys and girls. Show Less
LibraryThing member BNBHarper
Summary: A small, red head boy with freckles is made fun of by others but when he proves himself to be a Hero, he proves to himself about how brave and strong he really is as well as to everyone else including his father. Response: I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt like I was in the story
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as I read it. Connection: This is a great book for the classroom to have the students connect with the different characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member jdallred
As many parents, I'm sure, we started the How to Train Your Dragon series after my 3 year old watched the movie and fell in love with the characters.
Although the first book is drastically different from the movie - I would not say so in a bad way. Cressinda Cowell writes in a fashion that speaks to
I would recommend this as a family read for sure!
Although the first book is drastically different from the movie - I would not say so in a bad way. Cressinda Cowell writes in a fashion that speaks to
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imaginative youngsters. The first installment of How to Train Your Dragon is rife with adventure, comedy, and descriptive character engagement that captivated my very-busy three year old son, and has inspired hours and hours of creative play.I would recommend this as a family read for sure!
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LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III may be the son of the great Viking chieftain Stoick the Vast, but he's not exactly your typical hero. He's short, scrawny, and on the raid on the dragon cave that marks the start of the Viking initiation ceremony, the dragon that Hiccup brings back is the
Review: I'll be honest: I read this book because I really liked the movie. So I was pretty surprised to discover that really the only similarities between them were a) the names, b) Hiccup's un-Viking-like nature, and c) the really big dragon at the end. And I was really, really surprised when I realized that in the book, the dragons are a) dog-sized or smaller, b) essentially working animals, not pests, and c) capable of speech.
That last points was one of my main sticking points; Toothless is not only capable of speech, but he rarely shuts up, and oh my goodness is he the worst whiney, bratty toddler I can imagine. Movie Toothless is a lot more personable, for all that he's essentially a giant cat.
The story itself is cute if rather predictable, and while the book has a fair amount of juvenile humor aimed at its target audience of mid-grade boys, there are a fair number of funny moments that work for older readers as well. Overall, it was a quick and entertaining read, if not anything I'm particularly raving about. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: As mid-grade fantasy goes, it's well-written and enjoyable for older readers as well... but I think I prefer the movie's take on the basic storyline.
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tiniest, least-scary dragon that anyone's ever seen... and it doesn't even have any teeth! But when the Vikings of Berk are faced with an enormous, ancient sea-dragon that has taken up residence on the beach, their normal heroing tactics aren't working, and Hiccup and Toothless might just prove themselves useful yet.Review: I'll be honest: I read this book because I really liked the movie. So I was pretty surprised to discover that really the only similarities between them were a) the names, b) Hiccup's un-Viking-like nature, and c) the really big dragon at the end. And I was really, really surprised when I realized that in the book, the dragons are a) dog-sized or smaller, b) essentially working animals, not pests, and c) capable of speech.
That last points was one of my main sticking points; Toothless is not only capable of speech, but he rarely shuts up, and oh my goodness is he the worst whiney, bratty toddler I can imagine. Movie Toothless is a lot more personable, for all that he's essentially a giant cat.
The story itself is cute if rather predictable, and while the book has a fair amount of juvenile humor aimed at its target audience of mid-grade boys, there are a fair number of funny moments that work for older readers as well. Overall, it was a quick and entertaining read, if not anything I'm particularly raving about. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: As mid-grade fantasy goes, it's well-written and enjoyable for older readers as well... but I think I prefer the movie's take on the basic storyline.
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LibraryThing member joshua.jrei2733
How to Train your dragon is about Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III and toothless some of the bravest warriors in the Hooligan Village. But Hiccup was not always a great warrior. Compared to the average Viking Hiccup is very different by different I mean small. This story tells the ups and downs that
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. If you don’t read this book you are crazy because it is a funny adventure.
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Hiccup went throw to become a great warrior. The main part is when two Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus and threatened to eat every one! And because Hiccup speaks Dragonese, language of dragons (and the only person that could); he talked to one of the Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus. Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus said “I come in peace but I’m still going to eat you all.” Then he made a plain to destroy the dragons. And it worked.I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. If you don’t read this book you are crazy because it is a funny adventure.
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LibraryThing member sirisaac
If you like dragons you'll like this book.
And if you like to sketch & know what you're reading you'll like this book.
And if you like both you'll love this book.
And if you like to sketch & know what you're reading you'll like this book.
And if you like both you'll love this book.
Awards
IBBY Honour Book (2016)
Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2005)
Read for Empathy Collections (2017)
Call number
J4A.Cow