How to Train Your Dragon

"How to Train Your Dragon" is a 2003 children's novel by British author Cressida Cowell, and published by Hodder Children's Books.

Five sequels have been released: "How To Be A Pirate", "How to Speak Dragonese", "How to Train Your Viking", "How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse", "How to Twist a Dragons Tale" and "A Hero's Guide To Deadly Dragons".

Characters

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is the main character in these books. He is an unusual Viking that thinks before he does anything. He has red hair and is very thin. He is one of the only people ever to understand and be able to speak "Dragonese", the language of the dragons. His dragon is Toothless.

Toothless is Hiccup's dragon. Just like his name suggests, he has no teeth. He used to have one tooth, but it fell out in a battle. He appears to be a common or garden dragon, although with his identicical wart at his nose, he is mostly a near extinct, more vicious relative of the Monstrous Nightmare breed called the "Toothless Daydream" and possibly the offspring of the mighty dragon ruler "King Daggerfangs, which is what Fishlegs makes up to stick up for him in How to Train Your Dragon. Toothless is Green with Red wings and has a small wart at the end of his nose.

Fishlegs is Hiccup's best friend that is allergic to carni-dragons, like Monstrous Nightmares. He's a bit of a wimp but he has shown himself to be quite cunning when he needs to be. He is also a Beserk. His dragon is named Horrorcow.

Horrorcow is an ordinary common or garden dragon, except she is a vegetarian. Horrorcow is almost completely useless!

Stoick the Vast is Hiccup's father and leader of the Hairy Hooligans. He has two dragons named Newtsbreath and Hookfang.

Snotlout is Hiccup's cousin though he'd probably never admit it. He's a big bully who is always bossing the other kids around, especially Hiccup, whom he calls "Useless".He is top class at bashyball, rudery and everything else. His dragon is a blood red Monstrous Nightmare named Fireworm.

Dogsbreath the Duhbrain is Snotlout's friend, who beats everyone up for him. He is really stupid and doesn't talk much. His dragon is named Seaslug, who is a Gronkle.

Valhallarama is Hiccup's mother, who loves questing.

Alvin the Treacherous is Hiccup's arch enemy. He used to be chief of the Outcasts. Although he is a fantastic Swordfighter he is always losing parts of his body.So far he has lost all of his hair, a hand, a foot, and a eye

Camicazi is a fierce swordfighter from the tribe of female warriors known as the Bog Burglars. She is a good friend of Hiccup's. She is the heir to Big Boobied Bertha. Though she is very skilled at escapes and burglary, she doesn't think deeply. Her dragon is a rare Mood-Dragon named Stormfly.

Stormfly is a Mood-Dragon but there is one strange thing about her, she speaks in Norse! Mood-Dragons change colour in different moods, E.G If a Mood-Dragon is angry it will turn a blue-black colour. Stormfly has one problem, she is a patholgical liar, but Camicazi can tell when she is lying because she turns violet. Stormfly is usually Gold.

Humungously Hotshot the Hero is as his name says, a hero who has been trapped on the island of lava-louts for 15 years. He went out on this treacherous "quest" to find the fire stone for Hiccup's Grandfather Old Wrinkly. But unfortunately he did not return, but Stoick got to it first. He found it "INSIDE" the VOLCANO

Plot summary

The book is about the adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III - The 11 year old son of a Viking chieftain, who must capture a dragon for a rite of passage. Set on the Isle of Berk (next to North Island, Meathead Island and Cannibal Isle), a group of 10 youths of the Hooligan tribe (from Hooligan Village), are being lead by "Gobber the Belch" to perform their first military operation -- To catch their own dragon. Those who are not able to catch and train a dragon are exiled from the tribe. This military operation has to be done by every Hooligan - with the military op being culture and tradition of the Hooligans - a test known as "The Dragon Initiation Programme".

At the eastern coast of the Isle of Berk, an area known as "Wild Dragon Cliff" and among the youths is Hiccup himself, his friend Fishlegs, Tuffnut Jr., Speedifist, Clueless and all 3 of Hiccup's enemies; Wartihog, Snotlout and Dogsbreath the Duhbrain. Since the early morning, Hiccup had felt ill and felt no better in this snowy area, but Gobber placed Hiccup in charge regardless - much to the dismay of Snotlout and Dogsbreath who refer to Hiccup as "Hiccup the Useless". By using their dragon baskets, each enter the cave to catch their Dragon, but Hiccup is nervous and wants to make his father proud and his enemies (most notably Dogsbreath) jealous by catching a powerful dragon - most probably a Monstrous Nightmare.

However, he only manages to get a Basic Brown (also known as a Common or Garden Dragon) and is forced to rush out of the cave as one of the boys had woken up some of the dragons. However, Hiccup's best friend, Fishlegs, escapes without a dragon. Hiccup doesn't want his friend to be exiled and thus hands him his dragon and runs back in to get another and so they all finally manage to escape, each with their own dragon.

With all the dragons awakening, they have no other option but to jump of the cliff and into the sea, where they reach safety. On returning to the village, Hiccup notices his dragon, in his basket and still asleep, is incredibly small. Gobber advises the youths to train their Dragons by using the "How To Train Your Dragon" book from the Hooligan Library.

Unfortunately, the book has only a single page instructing you to 'yell at it - the louder the better.' This of course doesn't help at all and Hiccup has to find out how to train his dragon on his own.

"How To be a Pirate"

This book, the sequel to "How To Train Your Dragon" is about how Hiccup and Fishlegs find a coffin out at sea. Later, when they open it, they find out that it contains a living man, soon to become Hiccup's worst enemy, a man named Alvin the Treacherous. He tells them of how he found the coffin when he was farming, and when he opened it, it snapped his hand off. He shows the Vikings that he has a hook to replace it. He then tells them of a riddle that shows where to find the treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly, the worlds greatest pirate and Hiccups great-great grandfather.

The Vikings go to the island mentioned in the riddle, the island of the Skullions, and find a small chest filled with treasure. However, Grimbeard has booby-trapped the chest with a smell that would wake up all of the Skullions on the island, who are huge dragons hat have no ears or eyes, but have an excellent sense of smell. Hiccup is nearly killed by one, but is saved by his father. They all run to the ship with the treasure and sail away happily. But, the Vikings begin fighting over the treasure. As they fight, they are boarded by cannibalistic Vikings. The ship sinks shortly after they board and everyone abandons it, everyone except for Hiccup, Fishlegs, Alvin and Toothless. The ship sinks almost immediately to the bottom of the sea, and hits the bottom. An air pocket is trapped under the capsized ship, and Toothless finds a way out into an underwater cavern.

The pocket of air is running out, and at the last second they escape into an underwater cavern, filled with air. They walk around for a little and then Toothless finds a door. Alvin quickly takes control, threatening Hiccup with death if he doesn't open the door. Hiccup does, and they enter a cavern, filed with gold and jewels. Alvin turns on Hiccup and tries to kill him. Toothless brings Hiccup a battered sword and Hiccup discovers he is left-handed. But in the middle of the battle, Alvin steps on a pile of treaure that rears up, and grabs him.

Hiccup discovers that there is enormous Mounstrous Strangulator in the cave, an octopus-like creature that is slightly related to a dragon. Alvin is quickly eaten and then Hiccup tricks the Mounstrous Strangulator into poisoning itself. They escape the cave, but Hiccup decides that the world wasn't ready for the treasure. They soon surface with the aid of Toothless, and the book ends with Hiccup and Toothless and Fishlegs all getting back to the village. Everything ends well. In the epilogue, Hiccup tells us that he unscrewed a little knob in the sword that he used to fight Alvin and out popped the last will and testament of Grimbeard the Ghastly.

"How To Speak Dragonese"

This book is about Hiccup going fishing with Fishlegs (his best friend) intending to raid a ship for their latest pirate lesson. But because Fishlegs is frightened of sharkworm dragons and can't see through the fog, they raid a Roman ship by accident. While on board, Hiccup rescues the self-described nanodragon god Ziggerastica and they overhear the Roman's plan: They intend to kidnap the heirs of two Viking tribes so they can steal every dragon in the isle of Berk while the tribes are fighting. Hiccup's father doesn't believe him and soon the Romans kidnap him and Fishlegs and take them to their Fort Sinister. There they discover Alvin the Treacherous working with the Romans as well as trying to learn Dragonese. Hiccup tricks the Romans into keeping them alive until the day they are supposed to be killed by gladiators. Until then they are put in a cell, where they meet Camicazi, the wild female heir to the Bog-Burglurs Viking tribe. Hiccup calls on Ziggerstica to form a plan to rescue the three of them and they are taken to the arena. Hiccup, Camicazi and Toothless struggle against shark-like dragons until Hiccup launches his plan and makes the spectators believe he is Thor, with the help of tiny dragons propelling him in the air, and orders them to leave the Viking islands forever. He and his friends escape to find the search parties from both tribes, and the two make a sort of peace.

However, it is revealed at the end that one of the heroes was stung by a venomous dragon, hinting at the book "How To Cheat a Dragon's Curse".:)

"How To Train Your Viking"

This was a book written for World Book Day, from the point of view of Toothless the dragon.

Toothless was the truly unremarkable dragon of the truly extraordinary Viking Hero, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. But it wasn't always like that. There was a time when Hiccup was finding it hard to be a Hero, while Toothless was finding it even harder to be a Hero's dragon. Being disobedient and cheeky is not as easy as it looks.

"How To Cheat a Dragon's Curse"

This book is the fourth in the series. In this story, Hiccup and Camicazi are forced to go on a daring adventure to save Fishlegs, who would appear to be suffering from Vorpentitis. The only cure for Vorpentitis is the potato, and the nearest one is owned by Norbert the Nutjob, Chief of the Hysterics tribe and is in a box of ice with an arrow in it. But the potato is eaten by a doomfang, a huge underwater dragon who had Vorpentitis too. Hiccup arrives home without the potato.

"How To Twist a Dragon's Tale"

The story begins with the children on a herding exercise for their Pirate Training Program. Soon, because of Toothless, it all goes amiss, but they are soon distracted by a huge fire rolling down the mountainside. The fire is discovered to be the doing of the Extermintators, big, evil, fire dragons. While most of the kids escape on Gobbers riding dragon, Goliath, Hiccup and Gobber are left to defend themselves, because Goliath is killed by the Exterminators. Hiccup and Gobber are saved by a mysterious man in a fireproof suit, whom they at first believe to be a man from the treacherous Lava-Lout tribe. The man soon reveals himself to be Humongously Hotshot, one of the greatest heroes on the planet. Although Hiccups father, Stoik, begins to regard Hotshot with jealousy, he hires him as Hiccups "Bardiguard". After that, Hotshot saves Hiccup from several deadly situations, which later are revealed to be his own doing. Later on at night, Hiccup wakes up to Hotshot looming over him with his swords, arguing with himself whether or not to kill Hiccup. He ultimately decides not to, and Hiccup asks him what he's doing. Hotshot begins to tell Hiccup his story, of how he fell in love with a Viking women, but her father wanted her to marry someone clever. The womans father sent Hotshot on a quest to find, and bring back the Firestone. Hotshot traveled to the volcano where the Firestone was hidden, but he was captured soon after by the Lava Louts. After a few weeks, he becomes friends with a jail keeper named Terrific Al. Terrific Al turned out to be Hiccup's worst enemy. After Hotshot finishes his story Hiccup figures this out. Hiccup, Fishlegs, Hotshot and Camicazi travel to lava-lout to put the fire stone inside the mountain and are attacked by Alvin and Exterminators. Hiccup manages to put the stone into the volcano. But on contact with the lava the fire stone hatches into a fire dragon. The dragon kills all the Exterminators. Hiccup and his riding dragon,Windwalker, run down the island away from lava and fall into the sea. Hiccup's father and others rescue him and everything works out well. In the eploiage Hiccup tells us that Windwalker turns out to be his faithful flying dragon.

"A Hero's Guide To Deadly Dragons (How Not To Celebrate Your Birthday)"

This is the Sixth book in the series. Hiccup is lost in the Library Labyrinth and the Driller Dragons and Madguts the Murderous are on the prowl...Hiccup's birthday is not going to be the quiet affair he might have hoped for...This book is different from its predecessors as it is the first Hardback book in the seriesand it contains an open-up map of the Barbaric Archipelago, a Dragonese Dictionary in the back, Dragon Profiles and 'Conversations with Toothless'This story is about a burglary competition between the Bog-Burglars and the Hairy Hooligans.Stoick was going to show Big-Boobied Bertha "How to train your Dragon"(the only book allowed on The Isle of Berk)but, Toothless had eaten Stoick's New throne and the copy of How to Train Your Dragon.Hiccup, Camicazi and Fishlegs went on an adventure to the Island of Forget Me to go to the Meathead Public Library but the Hairy Scary Librarian catches them stealing a 2nd Edition of How To Train Your Dragon.Hiccup Finds a book that was written by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the II called "A Hero's Guide To Deadly Dragons"which was Exactly the same title of Hiccups hand-written book which Stoick had Conviscated in the beginningHiccup keeps this book and takes it back to The Isle Of Berk.Meanwhile Madguts The Murderous Visits Bertha for stealing his Stealth Dragonand the Hairy Scary Librarian Shoots Stoick with a Northbow but Hiccup's Handwritten book saves Stoick's life and Hiccup, Fishlegs and Camicazi come from the sky and squashe the Librarian flat with the Stealth Dragon.Hiccup persuades Stoick how useful books are and books are unbanned by order of The Thing.

"How to Ride a Dragon's Storm"

This is the seventh book in the series.

External links

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Hiccup has to win a swimming race and battle Polarserpants