How to Train Your Dragon: Incomplete Book of Dragons

I really really really wanted to love this book, and so did my class of 11 year olds. Alas, it was not to be. I tried to read this myself when I was in year 5 and couldn’t keep all the characters straight in my head, given there were so many with minute roles and bizarre names. I couldn’t remember or place them all correctly. I gave up after a chapter or two. Fast forward 14 years and here I am reading it to my year 5 class. This was their choice - they voted to read this since they loved the film franchise so much! I though that perhaps the characters wouldn’t be as confusing since we now have a pretty clear image already formed and we know which names refer to what characters. Yes, this helped a lot. And the kids had no problem following along. However, the plot was slow. The writing was not very eloquent and at times it didn’t flow very well. If you compare this to other novels we’ve read as a class there are nowhere near as many morals to take away and the students didn’t feel a connection to the characters. Compared to the film, they found it quite dull. Yes, I know they are different texts. I know I shouldn’t compare the book and he film so closely, but that’s exactly what my kids did, and they are the target audience! All in all I enjoyed the ride. It wasn’t a bad book by any means. It would suit a younger audience, I feel. Perhaps 7-9 years of age? Then again, there are some language and action sequences that I would rather not expose students to as the text makes these out to be ok and given our role in teaching kids what is and isn’t ok to say and do I don’t think it sends a great message to malleable minds. I’ll give the rest of the series a pass and stick with the final move release this January. Recommended to 7-9 year olds with a good understanding of social expectations Format: eBook Rating: 3/5 Stars 2018: 44/40 books

Imaginative, witty and entertaining, and brilliantly narrated by David Tennant in the audiobook.