If you've seen the movie and you're expecting the same plot, you would be sorely disappointed, so I advise reading the series first. On that count, you would be reading a humorous adventure story with quirky characters in the vein of Captain Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Don't expect to get to emotional or the book to have any high reaching morals. This is what the movie adds, which I think makes it a better story than the book, but kids will love the books because they're simply funny.
In the first book, our intrepid young Viking, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, must retreive a young dragon to train. He claims a Common Brown dragon without teeth who becomes the stubborn, ill-behaved Toothless. (Sound anything like the movie so far? I didn't think so). Hiccup is the Chief's son and high-expectations have been placed on his shoulders, but his bumbling, weak ways don't seem to have anyone but is grandfather, Old Wrinkly, convinced he's capable of anything. After the village learns about Hiccup's Dragon Observations and being the only Viking to know how to speak Dragonese (yes, these dragons speak), he is able to save his village from the attack of the Green Death, a monstrous sea dragon that has washed up on their shores.
Had I not seen the movie, I would have really liked it. Quick read, funny pictures. Narration style similar to Tom Angleberger books, but I spent the whole time wondering why the other story wasn't told. Such a shame.
Intended reading level: Grades 3-6 Interest level: Grade 6 (but I find this odd, I would revise this to be 3rd Grade)
Genre: fiction, Humorous, fantasy, adventure
First in series.
Comparable titles: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, Witches, Captain Underpants series
Book connections: viking helmet, feathers to make fearther bombs, stuffed dragons in baskets
No comments:
Post a Comment