How To Be A Pirateby: Cressida Cowell
Alright, finally a review on the first book I read this summer...back in May. I was pleasantly surprised and humoured by this book.
It is part of the book series How to Train Your Dragon, which came out in theatres earlier this spring. After seeing the movie, I thought it's always a good thing to return to the books. I was saddened that the movie had exaggerated and changed some aspects of the book, such as making Toothless the dragon a large a fierce dragon, while in the book - he is a much small and almost feeble dragon.
Nonetheless, this book would most likely be appealing to younger boys who enjoy the adventurous chaos found within its pages. Hiccup, the main character, begins his training to be a fierce Viking pirate, however, the story quickly unfolds as new characters and events unfold, presenting quite a predicament that must be solved. I was always surprised at how the storyline twisted and turned in unexpected ways until even I was unsure whether Hiccup could manage to save the day.
This story is filled with wonderful new random words created by the author, and some children will probably appreciate it's 'out of the box' style. The strange names, such as Fishlegs, Dogsbreath, and Baggybum, are sure to lure in a couple of boys as well. The greatest part that I loved was that it is written by a woman who grew up "on a small, uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland..." and as a child, she was "convinced that there were dragons living on the island", and thus her fascination with dragons has continued. So dragons and crazy adventures prove not only to be for boys, but many girls may find this book appealing and exciting as well.
Thus, I definitely give this one a thumbs up.
