How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell is a heartwarming story for children and adults alike. Full of adventure, humor, and narrated by David Tennant, this story will keep the attention of even the busiest children whether in the car or at home.
The story takes us back to the time of the Vikings, when men were big, strong, and fearless. Some of the dragons that shared their land didn't even scare them. Among the most fearless of the Hairy the Hooligan tribe is Stoick the Vast, a leader among the people. His son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III does not, however, follow in his father's footsteps. When Hiccup and the other boys his age are sent on a mission to capture a dragon to train, Hiccup returns, much to the dismay of his family, with a small, scrawny dragon he names Toothless.
Hiccup works with Toothless every day, and his techniques are far from ordinary. While everyone thinks that Hiccup will never amount to much, his time spend with Toothless pays off. When an enormous scary dragon threatens the existence of the Viking tribe, Hiccup and Toothless work together to try and save them. Will Hiccup find his own road to becoming a Viking hero? The story shows that sometimes being different has its advantages, and that brains sometimes win out over size and strength.
Author Cressida Cowell has written 8 books in the Hiccup series, all stories about this smaller than average warrior told with great humor that children and adults enjoy. She lives in Hammersmith, England with her family after spending much of her life growing up in London. She won the Nestle Children's Book Prize in 2006 and had the pleasure of seeing this particular story brought to life on the silver screen by Dreamworks in 2010.
"Whoa, well. WELL. This... was vastly different from the film adaptation! Really, they're two completely different things. It's like the film is the prequel to the book's set up. But the same main event and characters. Some of them. I can't really explain, I'll just say that I am now just excited to find out about the next couple of Hiccup adventures, and how the TV series is constructed as a bridge between the 2010 film and the 2014 sequel. I wonder how much of the book material is going to end up in the scripts for those things. Before I can speculate of course, I'll have to read the next book in the series."
— Louelle (4 out of 5 stars)
Read the New York Times bestselling book that inspired the hit movies!
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.
Download and start listening now!
“Legendary Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III comes to life thanks to a spirited performance from narrator Tennant. In this first volume of Cowell’s popular series, Hiccup must, as a rite of passage, catch a dragon…In this winning audio edition, Tennant’s narration is theatrical and sure to entertain listeners of all ages. The narrator’s pacing is perfect, his character voices unique, and the accents he creates believable. An enthusiastic performance from Tennant makes this a must-listen.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review)“David Tennant imbues each character in this wild tale with energy and humor, from the booming members of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe to the ominously cultured tones of a terrifying sea dragon.”
— School Library Journal (audio review)“[Tennant] brings a slew of Scottish accents to this high-spirited rendering of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III’s journey toward true heroism…The taunting tones applied to Snotlout and his grunting sidekick, Dogsbreath, are a hoot. Tennant has a special talent for creating larger-than-life voices, particularly the lisping and stuttering of the dragon, Toothless, and the deep, malicious purring of the sea dragon. Music and ominous dragon roaring between scenes accentuate the performance.”
— AudioFile“Fresh, funny dialogue…Short chapters, clever slapstick, kid-pleasing character names…will keep even reluctant readers turning these pages—and chuckling as they go.”
— Publishers Weekly“This is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn. Kids will hoot at the ridiculous names and sympathize with Hiccup’s exasperation with his truly obstinate but strangely lovable dragon. A delightful read.”
— School Library Journal“Wildly enjoyable…The hilarious farce will appeal to heroic fiction fans as much as to scaredy-cats.”
— Booklist“[Cowell’s] genuinely fierce, intelligent, and scary dragons nearly steal the show, but Hiccup and his diminutive sidekick ultimately come out on top, both displaying a proper hero’s mix of quick wit, courage, and loyalty.”
— Kirkus ReviewsA narrative rich in dragon muck... genuinely fierce [and] intelligent.
— Kirkus...This is a goofy and exciting tale of an underdog who proves that brains can be just as important as brawn. Kids will hoot at the ridiculous names and sympathize with Hiccup's exasperation with his truly obstinate but strangely lovable dragon. A delightful read.
— School Library JournalThis hilarious farce will appeal to heroic fiction fans.
— Booklist" I find the character,hiccup to be not brave,strong,or mean like the rest of his tribe. "
— Jamiec8, 2/20/2014" Nothing even close to the movie! Not even close! Liked the movie and liked the book. Not even close however! "
— Kelci, 2/16/2014" I was surprised that the book was completely different from the movie. Fun book, fun movie, just really different stories. I loved the scratchy drawings in the book. They expressed a lot of personality using a very amateur-looking style. "
— Necia, 2/16/2014" I wanted to read the book before the movie, but then after reading about how different the movie is, I'm glad I decided to read the book first. The story was so cute, and I liked how nice and simple it was. "
— Shae, 2/14/2014" better than the first, still not as good as the movie. "
— Nate, 2/13/2014" Great bedtime reading for the kids. They hated the cliffhanger endings of most chapters and wanted me to keep on reading. Always a good sign that they want more. Perfect for seven year old boy. "
— Doug, 2/12/2014" Narrated by David Tennant - OH MY. Fabulous narration and what a great story! SO much better than the movie. "
— Inger, 2/7/2014" I chose this book because the cover had seemed interesting. The story is about a Viking named Hiccup Haddock. Hiccup and his Viking friends go on a journey to find the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly. My favorite quote was "Dogsbreath the Duhbrain granted happily at the thought of spilling blood." This was my favorite quote because it made me cringe at how he thought blood spilling made him happy. Cressida Cowell writing style in this story is told in a third-person point of view. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in pirates and enjoys funny books. "
— Mike, 2/5/2014" it's fun, but nothing new. hope III holds some surprises. "
— Carlos, 2/4/2014" Enjoyed this 2nd book in Hiccup's "memoirs", as the story of how he first and secretly became a hero is revealed. Lots of great stuff in it for boys, as evidenced by my son's reaction to the story. "
— Kay, 2/3/2014" Rare case in which the movie is better than the book. This isn't the same story seen in the movie. The only similarities are the human characters' names. My four year old son enjoyed the book and the silly illustrations. "
— Zandria, 2/2/2014" Enjoyed this one more than the first because I was able to stop seeing the differences between the book and movie. Suspenseful, funny, and I really like Hiccup and Fishlegs. "
— Karen, 2/1/2014" Another cute offering in the How to Train Your Dragon series. These are just the right length for me to read through while I'm waiting for something like a doctor's appointment. "
— Laura, 1/26/2014" The movie was much better, in my opinion. "
— Bridget, 1/19/2014" This book is all about hiccup tracking down a treasure of grembeard the gassly (who is now dead) if u want to know more read the book!!! "
— Morghan, 1/17/2014" I thought the book was JUST as good as the rest she has created. "
— Ahanna, 1/16/2014" a entertaining light hearted read... "
— Danii, 1/12/2014" Another fun tale from the memoirs of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. "
— Nick, 1/10/2014" I liked the movie better, though the book and movie are VERY different. The story was just sort of slow and anti-climactic, and I didn't like any of the characters but Hiccup, not even his dragon. "
— Jenifer, 1/8/2014" hiccup is trying to tell the hooligans that if you go to skullions island you will be eaten once you put your foot on the island. "
— Kelly, 12/31/2013" My son and I are enjoying this series! We plan on reading the rest of this series. "
— Tabitha, 12/20/2013" Fantasic! It's like a time machine bringing you back to that time that dragons are not a myth but a HORRIBLE BEAST!!! See how a boy who is bad at everything save his village! "
— Bianca, 12/12/2013" A very heroic ending. Pretty interesting. I heard the audiobook and the it's my first British accent book I heard :D "
— Hadi, 11/20/2013" it wasn't the best book to me.It was ok??!!I guess.Like it was a story about a dude rasing a garden dragon.boring right?! "
— Mccall, 10/20/2013" Gabe read this one, not me, but he thouht it was great and worthy of 4 stars. Book #3 How to Speak Dragonese is his favorite so far. "
— Thayer, 7/12/2013" The book was awesome the author really IS a genius. "
— 1, 6/18/2013" Who doesn't like a story with wild adventures and sarcastic humor? Add in a Viking named Hugefarts and you've got a winner of a tale. Fun, sometimes exciting, sometimes silly read. "
— Barb, 5/25/2013" This book was funny, original, and awesome! I loved it so much. "
— Jess, 3/25/2013" THis book wasn't my favorite "How to train your dragon" bbook. "
— Camryn, 12/10/2012" It's so great to have moved from the "read to him" phase with Joey to now the - he reads the book, then I read the book, then we talk phase. These are perfect books for that! "
— Laurie, 11/22/2012" Extrememly different than the movie (which I had seen first,) but still a cute fast read. "
— Devin, 11/14/2012" it was very funny and i liked it. it was about all these viking children going to catch a dragon while the dragons are hibernating. "
— McKenzie, 10/13/2012" I'm reading this just like mom!(actually she's reading it to me) "
— Chloe, 9/8/2012" best book ever almost as good as the movie!! :) "
— Chris, 8/3/2012" It was cute, very boy humor, but it was cute all the same and I enjoyed reading it. "
— Redwallcrazy-, 8/3/2012" very cute kids book especially for little boys lotsa fart/ booger/poop type jokes which were amusing....very different from the movie but both are good....I can Wait til my nephews are old enough so they can read it too "
— Aj, 7/24/2012" These books are very cute. I wish they'd been out when I was 7 or 8. The names of the characters alone are enough to keep you reading, and the story of the littlest viking who is destined to be the leader of the tribe is both hilarious and inspiring. I really, really like these. "
— Emma, 6/17/2012" Same type of plot as the dragon book with the same fun and adventure. "
— Valerie, 6/6/2012" A great sequel. Very funny with the return of our favorite heros...Hiccup and Toothless!! Wonderful developments with promise of laughs in the futrue books. "
— Josh, 3/24/2012" This book is very good. You will not regret reading it. "
— Sukri, 3/8/2012" I really enjoyed listening to this fun book, although it wasn't at all like the movie. I guess it's really the other way around, since the book was written first. I'm not sure why they changed it as much as they did, because this would have been fun in the original version. "
— Vicki, 12/26/2011" This book was so freaking adorable! Between the book and all of the illustrations (including the cutest: Hiccup and Toothless cuddled together in bed. adorable.) this was so worthwhile. Very cute book. :) "
— Wendy, 12/13/2011" Similar in attitude to "Diary of a wimpy kid", but with a wimpy pirate wanna-be, instead. "
— Kathyred, 12/13/2011" This is a great book that has recently been made into a movie. Written by an English writer, it is definitely Harry Potter or Roald Dahl-esque with it's fantasy and humor. I would definitely recommend for kids 2nd grade and up! "
— Terri, 12/12/2011" My son loves this series! He read it from about 6-7 years old. It is cleaver and fun. A great book to read together. "
— Suzanne, 11/26/2011" If you're reading this book expecting it to be like the movie, don't. It's its own incredibly original, creative world, with its own cast and own plot and tongue-in-cheek approach to a hero's tale. "
— Elizabeth, 8/5/2011" This book is really good, also it's not that difficult to read,but a challenging book.This book is about a kid/boy named Hiccup Horrendus the 3.you should really try to read this really great book. "
— Kiki, 8/5/2011" i honestly enjoyed this story, the characters are interesting. This kind of story makes me wish i was a viking living with dragons myself. "
— Lidy, 6/26/2011" Fantasic! It's like a time machine bringing you back to that time that dragons are not a myth but a HORRIBLE BEAST!!! See how a boy who is bad at everything save his village! "
— Bianca, 6/23/2011" This was a cute book, but I did like the movie more. "
— Kim, 6/23/2011" Surprisingly I preferred the movie to the book. "
— Hannah, 6/14/2011" This book was so freaking adorable! Between the book and all of the illustrations (including the cutest: Hiccup and Toothless cuddled together in bed. adorable.) this was so worthwhile. Very cute book. :) "
— Wendy, 6/14/2011" Even if you've seen the movie that is based on the book go ahead and read this book. It's a super quick read and very fun. The movie and the book have the same premise (tame a dragon, become a hero) but the stories could be more different. I highly recommend picking up a copy. "
— Jessie, 6/14/2011" Definitely completely different than the movie. I enjoyed both versions though. It is more for young children, but I liked the movie that was intended for the young. It was a fun little story. "
— Gina, 6/8/2011" It was cute :) I probably would have enjoyed it very much as a child. "
— Dax, 6/8/2011" Funny book with a dry sense of humor about dragons and vikings and "medieval" life. "
— Kristin, 6/7/2011" Great fun. Kids absolutely love it too "
— Jaspal, 6/3/2011" Not at all like the movie, I read this book more as another story of Hiccup rather than an adaptation. "
— Dionne, 6/1/2011" Of all the prologues, and chapters, and extras that these books have my favorite part is always the epilogue. "
— Court, 5/26/2011" One of my favorites. Her books just keep getting better and better! I have a soft spot for Norbert the Nutjob. He's a lot more sympathetic than Alvin the Treacherous. Can't wait for more. "
— Linda, 4/11/2011" I read these after watching the feature film from Dreamworks, which I greatly enjoyed. However, they are two very different things, no more so apparent than in the vastly different portrayals of Toothless. So, be aware of that. <br/> <br/> The books are amusing and easy reads for kids 7 and up. "
— Miss, 3/29/2011" Good, but not as good as the rest. "
— Trevor, 12/31/2010" So very funny. I laughed at a lot of the lines describing Norbert the Nutjob and his crew, and I thought Madguts the Murderous's punishment was hilarious. This was a great addition to the series. "
— Heather, 11/29/2010" I liked it, it was cute. I enjoyed it. "
— Redwallcrazy-, 11/7/2010" This made me so eager to read the next book! "
— Jack, 10/7/2010" This book series has matured since the first one, How to Train Your Dragon. Even though it is just a children series, the characters' relationships are deeper than they used to be. "
— Annie, 8/30/2010" Hiccup voyages to America. Complications ensue. How to Train Your Dragon series continues to be fun, funner, funnest! "
— Charlene, 6/23/2010" I LOVE the HIccup books, but I didn't think this one was as good as the others. The books with Alvin the Terrible are the best. "
— Joanne, 2/1/2010" Charming, of course. Cowell has a way of making the sweet little Hiccup a very brave little Viking hero. And David Tennant has a charming way of doing all the voices (even if they sound more Scottish than Norse). <br/> <br/>Toothless might be my favorite. Him, and Kamakazi. "
— Glorious.Clio, 12/11/2009Cressida Cowell is the internationally bestselling author and illustrator of The Wizards of Once and the How to Train Your Dragon series. She grew up in London and on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland and now lives in Hammersmith, England.
David Tennant, Earphones Award-winning narrator, is a Scottish actor who, over twenty years, has starred on stage, screen, television, and radio. In 2008 he played a widely praised Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company but is probably best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 television serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch Jr. in the 2005 film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. On stage he has played Benedick in Much Ado about Nothing, as well as the title roles in Hamlet and Richard II.