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Book Review By Laura Southcombe
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a son of a Viking chief. Someday he is supposed to lead the tribe, but he seems to lack the qualities of a good leader. Hiccup is a small, skinny boy, not a brawny hero the Vikings want. Nobody takes him seriously, not even his father, Stoick the Vast, and other boys bully him. His chance to prove himself worthy comes on the day of initiation when 19 Viking boys go on a dragon hunt. Each must capture a young dragon, raise it and training it.

Hiccup fails, to no one's surprise. Instead of capturing a Monstrous Nightmare, a mighty dragon fit for a chief's son, Hiccup is only able to catch a Common Garden dragon. Besides, his dragon is not just young – he is an infant. Everyone has a good laugh, and Hiccup's new dragon is named Toothless – because that's what he is.

Hiccup starts raising Toothless and training him to fish. But even a baby dragon does not take him seriously! Toothless turns out to be stubborn and lazy, he does not obey his master and refuses to learn. However, Hiccup possesses a rare ability to speak Dragonese, which eventually helps him to develop his own dragon-training techniques. These techniques prove very useful when the whole tribe is threatened by a huge, vicious Seadragons. Only Hiccup knows what to do. The boy nobody thought capable of anything comes up with a bold plan and saves the day.


Plot & Themes
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Adversaries are… - dragon buddy
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)
GIANT monster(s) Yes
Descript. of chases or violence - 30 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 %

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Age: - a kid

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a kid
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount

Setting
Terrain
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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