I cannot imagine how I
have read all of the books in this series with my kids and yet have never
managed to review them. Not. A. Single. One. The entire family went to watch
the movie, How to Train Your Dragon, when it was first in
theaters. We own it. We love it. It is a favorite. When my youngest was
younger, I used to draw pictures of cats for her to keep her entertained. After
we saw the movie, it was vital to learn how to draw the main dragon, Toothless.
I cannot begin to count the number of pictures I drew of Toothless, who is
modeled after a big cat.
It was most likely the
summer after we saw the movie that I checked out the first book in the series
to read as a bedtime story. We loved the movie; they had the same title;
chances were that we would enjoy the original story. Boy, were we in for a
surprise! We were positively, absolutely enthralled by the story. But it was
really, not even remotely the same as the movie. And we didn’t care. Nine books
later with a scheduled twelve total and this series continues to be a terrific
read-aloud. The kind where your kids hold you hostage until you read another
chapter.
Hiccup Horrendous Haddock
III is the son of Stoick the Vast, the Chief of the Viking tribe known as the
Hairy Hooligans. Oh, hear his mighty name and tremble, ugh! Ugh! Stoick is BIG
and LOUD and HAIRY and STRONG, but he isn’t exactly the brightest bulb in the
socket. Back to poor Hiccup. His peers, the Hairy Hooligan initiates, call him
Useless. Hiccup is small and quiet and hairless and weak. Not the kind of
Viking you would want to be the next Chief of the Tribe.
This series is the
story of how to become a hero the hard way. Time and again, Hiccup is forced
into a leadership role against his will as well as against the will of his companions.
But time and again, Hiccup saves the day using his unique skills and gifts. He
is a quick thinker AND he can speak Dragonese. Hiccup is not alone. His best
friend is Fishlegs. If Hiccup is considered Useless, Fishlegs is worse. He is
an orphan with allergies, a squint and asthma. Calling him a wimp is an
understatement. Eventually in the series, you will meet Camicazi from the Bog-Burglar
Tribe. She is everything a Viking Warrior needs to be AND female to boot!
The number one reason
why I think we love these books so much is the characters. They have funny
names and funny mannerisms: Snotface Snoutlout, Dogsbreath the Duhbrain,
Big-Boobied Bertha. Their names really say it all. And talk about fun to say! The
second reason I think these books work so well is the sheer hilariousness of
the situations. Sometimes we have a hard time continuing the story because we
are laughing so hard. A third reason that we enjoy them so much is that the
writing is so catchy like a song hook. For days we walked around stating that
there was “Something Nasty in the Cauldron.” My personal favorite reason for
reading these books… I am hoping that Ziggerastica the Nanodragon who thinks he
is a god will make another appearance. He is my FAVORITE!! Seriously, when you
love a series, you could gush on and on and on and on. But in this case – READ THE
BOOK!! OUT LOUD! It is worth losing your voice.
No comments:
Post a Comment