Cressida Cowell

Long ago, the world was full of dragons. But what happened to them? Where are they now? These pages are taken from the notebooks of Viking Hero Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third when he was just a boy. A keen dragonwatcher, Hiccup paints a picture of the brilliance and fire and spirit of that lost dragon world. Featuring dragon profiles, dragon anatomy, dragon riding tips and lots more must know info e.g. how to spot the difference between an arsenic adderwing and a glow worm (you don't want to mix those two up) and what to do when confronted with a Hellsteether. This is a must for all keen dragonwatchers out there... How to Train Your Dragon is now a major DreamWorks franchise starring Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett and Jonah Hill and the TV series, Riders of Berk, can be seen on CBeebies and Cartoon Network. Read all of Hiccup's exploits in the series: How to Train Your Dragon, How to Be a Pirate, How to Speak Dragonese, How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, How to Twist a Dragon's Tale, A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons, How to Ride a Dragon's Storm, How to Break a Dragon's Heart, How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel and How to Betray a Dragon's Hero. Check out the brilliant website at www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com It's the place to go for games, downloads, activities and sneak peeks!

How to Train Your Dragon: Incomplete Book of Dragons

Lysh (She/Her)

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

Laura Dobie

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

How to Train Your Dragon: Incomplete Book of Dragons

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