A quick disclaimer for those who are coming to this book
series after having watched the movie: there is very little similarity between
the two. They both focus on a scrawny Viking named Hiccup, but that is almost
all they have in common. In the books
Vikings already know how to train dragons, Toothless is not a Night Fury but
rather a common green notable only for being remarkably small, and there is not
sign of Astrid. You’ve been warned.
How to Train Your
Dragon
How to Train Your
Dragon Book 2: How to Be a Pirate
By Cressida Cowell
3 Out of 5 Covers
I am going to review the How
to Train Your Dragon series in pairs because, for me, they were quick
reads. This series is aimed at kids ages
8 to 12, where they are starting to get comfortable with longer chapter
books. And for that, the series is
perfect. There are still illustrations,
which make the books appear longer than they actually are, as well as juvenile
humor, as evidenced by characters with names like Dogsbreath the Duhbrain or
Gobber the Belch.
But that is all window dressing on what are enjoyable
stories. The books follow Hiccup
Horrendous Haddock III, the scrawny son of chieftan Stoick the Vast (O hear his
name and tremble! Ugh, ugh, ugh!), who would much rather pursue unViking-like
behavior such as studying dragons and learning their language over being taught
how to loot and pillage. On the day when
the trainees (like Boy Scouts but more dangerous) dare to enter the dragon nest
and steal an egg, Hiccup picks up the most common dragon of all. This is very disappointing for a future
cheiftan and just gives the other boys another reason to bully and make fun of
Hiccup. But Hiccup’s knowledge of
dragons comes in handy when two giant deep sea dragons wash up on shore ready
to eat the village.
Having survived his first adventure, Hiccup’s training
continues in How to Be a Pirate, where
Alvin the Poor-but-Honest Farmer offers to help Stoick and Hiccup discover the
hidden treasure of their ancestor, Grimbeard the Ghastly. Alvin naturally turns out to be anything but
honest and is only after Grimbeard’s famous sword and will trick any Viking to
help him. Not that Grimbeard left his
treasure unprotected, as an ancient dragon guards the horde. And it turns out that Hiccup’s best friend,
Fishlegs, who is even more inept at being a Viking than Hiccup, is actually a
Berserker.
While very entertaining, the writing goes for the extremes
where characters are either big, loud and obnoxious or small and smart. Some subtlety would have allowed for greater
character and story development and a greater emphasis on the lessons trying to
be taught, which can get lost in the volume of everything else. But working on those extremes also is for the
benefit of the target audience, so it is a tight line that needs to be
walked. And the illustrations are done
in an intentionally crude style that I find off putting.
That said, Crowell has created a lively world that ignites
the imagination and the morals are worthwhile, even if it takes a little work
to get to them.
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