How to Train Your Dragon: Book 1

Description

THE STORY BEGINS in the first volume of Hiccup's How to Train Your Dragon memoirs... Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was an awesome sword-fighter, a dragon-whisperer and the greatest Viking Hero who ever lived. But it wasn't always like that. In fact, in the beginning, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was the most put-upon Viking you'd ever seen. Not loud enough to make himself heard at dinner with his father, Stoick the Vast; not hard enough to beat his chief rival, Snotlout, at Bashyball, the number one school sport; and CERTAINLY not stupid enough to go into a cave full of dragons to find a pet... It's time for Hiccup to learn how to be a Hero. Read the rest of Hiccup's exploits in the How to Train Your Dragon series in 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. Check out the Hiccup website at www.howtotrainyourdragonbooks.com. It's the place to go for games, downloads, activities and sneak peeks! Read all about Hiccup and all of your favourite characters, learn to speak Dragonese and train your own dragon to do tricks! Dreamworks' major motion picture How to Train Your Dragon 2 comes out in July 2014.

Cressida Cowell grew up mostly in Central London. She has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, a BA in Graphic Design from St Martin's and an MA in Narrative Illustration from Brighton. Cressida has written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. How to Train Your Dragon has reached over 100,000 sales and is now published in over 33 languages. A Dreamworks feature film is due to be released in 2010. Cressida lives in Hammersmith with her husband, three children and two cats.

Pretty much everyone I know who has children adores these audiobooks and have listened to them on many a long (and otherwise fractious) car journey. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a famous dragon trainer but he had to learn the hard way. Proper LOL funny as read by former Doctor Who David Tennant, you'll love listening to them too. -- Sarra Manning * Sarra Manning, Red Magazine Online * The first in the successful series... perfect for tricky boy readers, as the action scenes are first-class. * The Sunday Telegraph * Mentioned in the 100 Best Children's Books Ever (Novels) * The Daily Telegraph * If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes * Country Child * By turns hilarious and wise, it's never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful * The Times * Proper modern classics * Sunday Express * Hilarious * guardian.co.uk * A laugh out loud romp of a Viking adventure * Observer * The start of the most original series for kids in ages. Funny, clever and great for the whole family to share * Dundee Courier * Her 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 * One of the most enjoyable and original children's stories I have heard in a long time * The Independent * I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly * Independent on Sunday * Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful * Independent on Sunday * This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please. * The Glasgow Herald * What we have here is Harry Potter meets Blackadder. The result is a story that anyone with a tolerance of snot and gore would find richly entertaining * The Glasgow Herald * Cowell's wittily written books have become today's childhood must-read stories * Books Quarterly (Waterstones) * This book will definitely make you laugh out loud * Torquay Herald Express * Gripping adventure stories complete with quests and battles, a vivdly imagined alternative world * The Daily Telegraph * Top stuff * The Daily Telegraph * Cressida Cowell's series of the memoirs of Hiccup the Viking are funny, outrageous and will lure in the most reluctant reader * The Spectator * Funny, thrilling and ideal for children needing to discover the hero inside themselves * The Times * Wise, colourful and funny * Dorset Echo * Cowell is a master of storytelling...On a profound level, this series celebrates divergence and being true to oneself, teaching children that they don't have to be carbon copies of their parents * Hay Festival of the Arts * Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books fill every spread with scales and fangs and typographical jeux d'esprit * The Independent * Descriptive and flowing, Cowell's Dragon novels have become deserved hits at the cinema, too. * Time Out * Has a good story to it * Daily Record * Full of bright wit and brutal honesty, this is a brilliant book that launched a huge series ... This is a fantastic adventure that explores failure as well as success and weighs the cost of being different against the price of fitting in with sneaky maturity and shining humour * The List * ' The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special.' * Books Quaterly (Waterstones) * '... full of charm ... imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud.' * Waterstones Books Quarterly * 'another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell.' * Writeaway.org * '... inspired series ... its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless.' * Amanda Craig, The Times * Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it. * Amanda Craig, The Times * CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK: This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour ... full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger. * Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times * How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper... It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time. * Sunday Herald, Glasgow * ... raucous and slapstick ... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. * The Financial Times * [Cressida Cowell] puts a contemporary spin on the old brains over brawn moral and brings the story to a climax with a thrilling dragon duel. Lots for lots of different readers to enjoy. * Books for Keeps * 'a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.' * Amanda Craig, Times * Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. * Independent on Sunday * Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal. Cowell's anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour. * The Herald * 'If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature.' * Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor * 'What a fab book ... will definitely make you laugh out loud!' * Torquay Herald Express * Highly original. Uproarious. * Woman's Weekly * The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special. * Books Quaterly (Waterstones) * ... full of charm ... imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud. * Waterstones Books Quarterly * another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell. * Writeaway.org * ... inspired series ... its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless. * Amanda Craig, The Times * a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes. * Amanda Craig, Times * If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature. * Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor * What a fab book ... will definitely make you laugh out loud! * Torquay Herald Express * Quite simply, Cressida Cowell has an exceptional ability to give children what they like. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a Viking who doesn't fit in: gawky and geeky, his adventures with his hunting-dragon Toothless are madcap and marvellous. Give it to a child, and see them become engrossed immediately. * The Independent * If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes * Country Child * I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly * Independent on Sunday * This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please. * The Glasgow Herald * Has a good story to it * Daily Record * I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - in fact, for my money, she's the NEXT BIG THING in children's literature... Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 1/2 hours. * Independent on Sunday * ... one of the most enjoyable and original children's stories I have heard in a long time ... David Tennant reads with outstanding gusto, giving full and varied wellie to the story's rich assortment of Viking and dragon characters. * The Independent * CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK: 'This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour ... full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger.' * Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times * A super story, inventive, ingenious, perpetually surprising. One to cherish. * Armadillo, Spring 2003 * A wonderfully wittily written and illustrated story. * Waterstones Quarterly Magazine * ... raucous and slapstick... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. * The Financial Times * How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper... It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time. * Lindsey Fraser, Sunday Herald, Glasgow * If you haven't already read this book, you're missing out on one of the most unlikely heroes ever to end up in print. * Mania * PRAISE FOR HICCUP: 'Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it.' * Amanda Craig, The Times * Irresistably funny, exciting and endearing * Amanda Craig, The Times * 'Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal Cowells anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour.' * The Herald * Hilarious and charming. * Observer * I can't praise this wonderful adventure too highly - in fact, for my money, she's the NEXT BIG THING in children's literature... Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 ? hours. * Independent on Sunday * If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature. * Guardian children's editor * Cowell brings Hiccup to life in this silly and delightful little novel. * St Paul Pioneer Press * The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special * Books Quaterly (Waterstones) * 'If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature.' * Guardian children's editor * "The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special" * Books Quaterly (Waterstones) *