How to Speak Dragonese - Cressida Cowell

...releasing the first film , How to Train your Dragon in 2009.

***About the author***
As a relatively new addition to the world of successful Children's books authors, there isn't a lot known about Cowell.

Before establishing herself as a highly successful author, Cressida worked as an illustrator and was short-listed for the Macmillan Prize for Illustration, and indeed, she provides the limited illustrations throughout ...
...other Hiccup the Horrendous Books, How to Train your Dragon and How to be a Pirate

***Hiccup Horrendous Background***
The Hiccup Horrendous the Third series was inspired by memories of family holidays Cowell took with her father, sister and brother to a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides. The children in the family, including Cressida spent time at a camp on the island that she describes as being just "Rock and Heather" ... more

I picked three of the Hiccup Horrendous series books up one day as I struggled to find something that would appeal to my Step-son. Now 10 years old, he doesn't read often but since he was four I have read to him every night he spends with us and this continues today. The intention was to find books that he would connect with and be interested in enough to read himself. He hasn't yet, but I read all three within a week and found them hilarious!

Author/Illustrator: Cressida Cowell
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Publish Date: November 2005
Genre: Children's adventure
Age Suitability: 7 - 11 year olds (probably mostly for boys)
RRP: £5.99 Amazon Price: £4.79
Available from most major book stores (Waterstones, Chapters, Borders, WHS etc)

***Interesting Trivia***
The rights to the Horrible Horrendous the Third Series have been bought by Dreamworks Animation, the creators of Shrek with the view to releasing the first film , How to Train your Dragon in 2009.

***About the author***
As a relatively new addition to the world of successful Children's books authors, there isn't a lot known about Cowell.

Before establishing herself as a highly successful author, Cressida worked as an illustrator and was short-listed for the Macmillan Prize for Illustration, and indeed, she provides the limited illustrations throughout this book as well as doing the cover artwork.

She lives in London with her husband and their young daughter

Other books by Cressida Cowell include picture books, Daddy on the Moon, What shall we do Boo Baby, What shall we do with the Boo Hoo Baby and the other Hiccup the Horrendous Books, How to Train your Dragon and How to be a Pirate

***Hiccup Horrendous Background***
The Hiccup Horrendous the Third series was inspired by memories of family holidays Cowell took with her father, sister and brother to a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides. The children in the family, including Cressida spent time at a camp on the island that she describes as being just "Rock and Heather" cut off from the outside world apart from other tiny uninhabited islands.

***About How to Speak Dragonese***
Hiccup is the son of the Viking Chief Stoik and heir to the throne so to speak. As such, a lot is expected of him. He attends school with his best friend Fishlegs, probably the only student weedier and less able at the skills of being a Viking than Hiccup is himself.

Under the instruction of their teacher, Gobber the Belch, the two join their class in a boating expedition in their rickety boat which does nothing but go in circles. Unfortunately they get separated from their classmates and end up mistakenly trying to board a Roman dragon ship. Everything goes downhill from there.

Though Hiccup and Fishlegs manage to get free and back to their little boat, Hiccups trusty, if not somewhat stubborn dragon Tooothless gets captured by the evil Alvin the Treacherous. (an ex- schoolmate of Hiccups and Fishlegs who has now joined the Romans) Along with Toothless, Alvin manages to get hold of half of the * "How to Speak Dragonese" book Hiccup has been writing.

*Hiccup is the only Viking to know how to speak Dragonese and although most of the Vikings believe the only real way to speak to Dragons is to yell at them, this rare talent proves extremely useful when training and indeed fighting dragons.

Hiccup and Fishless return to their village only to be kidnapped from school by the Romans mascarading as members of a rival gang of the Vikings.

They are thrown into a cell with their trusty dragon and an unlikely female companion, the daughter of the leader of the Vikings rival gang.

Alvin the treacherous plans to start a war between the two tribes by convincing each of them that the other is responsible for the kidnapping. Meanwhile, he plans to use the three kids and Toothless to entertain the Romans in a Collesium style battle.

Can the three prisoners count on their parents and tribes to figure out the plan and save them, or will they have to figure out a way to get themselves free? I won't spoil the ending for you but will say that it is fantastic!

I***llustrations***
There are illustrations sketched by Cressida Cowell scattered throughout the book. These help us to identify with the characters on a more basic level, allowing us to put a face to the name. They are hideous as you would expect and compliment the story well although the descriptive writing could be enough to give readers a fair impression of the people and places they are reading about.

***Opinion of the story***
This series is hilarious! The characters including the likes of Big Boobied Bertha, the leader of the rival tribe, Gobber the Belch, Hiccups father and Snotlout, a bullying classmate of our hero are fabulously written. Hiccup and Fishlegs are the most likeable pair as we all want to root for the underdog. Apart from that, they are witty and sarcastic and clever. Toothless, the abstinent dragon is wonderful as well.

The humour makes this appealing to adults and the gore and grossness makes it perfect for little boys. It has everything that a child could want in a book - Sword fighting, Treasure, Dragons and assorted beasts, Vikings, Romans and Shipwrecks. An absolutely riveting read for any young reader!

Cowell writes in a magically descriptive manner, painting a clear and funny picture of the tale she tells. It is obvious that she has a vivid imagination and she shares this well with her readers.

She manages to make what could be a quite frightening story (although not when it is compared to the horrible play station games kids play these days) playful and un-threatening while mastering the art of suspense. Any boys (or girls) who enjoy the gruesome and crave adventure must put this on their reading list. And parents, it's a kids book - hands off!

 

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