Friday, July 07, 2006

How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell

How to Speak Dragonese begins as Viking heir of the Hooligan Tribe, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the protagonist, is in pirating school. He is attending a lesson on boarding an enemy ship, with his friend Fishlegs; his pet dragon, Toothless; and the rest of his classmates. Unfortunately, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Toothless stray in their homemade boat (the Hopeful Puffin) away from the rest of the class’s boats, and instead of boarding a peaceable fishing boat, they board a Roman boat of war! There, Hiccup and Fishlegs find out that two Romans--a fat consul and a thin prefect--are planning to steal all the dragons from the Viking tribes. Although Fishlegs and Hiccup escape from the Romans’ boat, Toothless remains behind, captured. Will Hiccup and Fishlegs rescue Toothless and stop the Romans from stealing the Vikings’ dragons? Read How to Speak Dragonese to find out!

How to Speak Dragonese is a hilarious book. The author came up with clever solutions for the characters to use whenever they got into sticky situations. The story keeps the reader on the peak of excitement so you keep turning the pages. This is a book you’ll want to read in one sitting! I thought this book was excellent. I would recommend it to those who enjoy Viking stories, as well as those who like humorous fiction.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 8
Reviewer Age: 12
Reviewer City, State and Country: Saugerties, NY