How to Train Your Dragon
By: Cressida Cowell
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: 10 and under

Warning: You will have excessive fun and be forced to laugh out loud. Read at your own risk.

I read (and ADORED) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, so I shouldn’t be surprised that How to Train Your Dragon worked it’s way into my dad-who-thinks-he’s-a-kid heart so completely. I didn’t read it sooner because I’ve seen the movie (which is great) and books and their movies and I don’t normally get along very well and I didn’t want to ruin a good thing. But…a while back the audio book was on sale for $.99, and David Tennant is the narrator, and he was brilliant in The Wizards of Once, and, and, and. Then the ebook was only $1.99 a while later, and basically the universe was forcing me to read this book.

Thank you, universe.

When YOU read How to Train Your Dragon, you’ll want to know that aside from the title, a few character names, and the involvement of Vikings and dragons, the movie and the book are completely different. Different plot, different characters, different experience. So set your expectations appropriately. For me, this was a good thing! If you can’t compare the two, then there can’t be any let down.

How to Train Your Dragon–the book–is about 10-year-old Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, his (mostly) useless dragon, Toothless, and his efforts to earn a place among the heroes of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. Of course, if he doesn’t earn his spot, he’ll be exiled to certain death…so no big deal.

The story is so fun! The names, the goofy dialoged, the silly Viking world, the ridiculous dragons–I found myself starting the book to see if my kids would like it, and next thing I know I can’t put it down! How to Train Your Dragon might be written for kids, but clearly, the kids are optional.

No content concerns, and there is plenty of silly fun for young and old. The audio narration by David Tennant deserves an award for awesomeness. If you’re an e-reader like me, you’ll want to know that because of the illustrations (think Roald Dahl style stick figures), the ebook does not have traditional functionality. It’s more like reading a flat file. Words can’t be highlighted and the font size can’t be changed, for example.

Best for all ages.

Get your copy here!

Happy Reading!