Books Jack Reads

Set in the ancient world of burly Vikings and fierce dragons, this story follows the exploits of the young Viking, HIccup Horrendous Haddock III, currently in training to become an official member of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

​

All the other Vikings are strong and tough (and not very bright either), all except Hiccup, who prefers to observe dragons in their natural habitat.

​

When Hiccup is tasked with capturing and training a dragon as part of the initation program, it doesn't get off to a good start when the dragon he selects is tiny, toothless and impossible to train.

​

But when a large and very hungry Seadragon washes up on the island one night, the Hooligan tribe is put into danger. Can Hiccup come up with a plan to get rid of the dragon? Or will it all go wrong?

​

If your kids have seen any of the How to Train Your Dragon movies, they'll enjoy this story. There are 12 books in this series in total, and this one is the first.

​

There's a lot of gross humour in this story that boys will enjoy, with characters like Snotface Snotlout, Gobber the Belch, and Baggybum the Beerbelly, as well as plenty of funny moments, like when Toothless sicks up a dead mouse on Hiccup's father's pillow.

​

Also, if your kids have seen the movies already, they may recognise some of the dragon names as well, such as the Gronckle and the Monstrous Nightmare.

​

There are also lots of funny phrases written in Dragonese (the language that all dragons speak to each other), such as "Nee-ah crappa inna di hoosus, pishyou", which translated means "No pooing inside the house please".

​

Overall, this is a funny, action-packed story, and the start of an exciting series.