Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is a smallish Viking with a longish name. Hiccup’s father is chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe which means Hiccup is the Hope and the Heir to the Hairy Hooligan throne – but most of the time Hiccup feels like a very ordinary boy, finding it hard to be a Hero.

In the first How to Train Your Dragon book Hiccup must lead ten novices in their initiation into the Hairy Hooligan Tribe. They have to train their dragons or be BANISHED from the tribe FOR EVER!

But what if Hiccup’s dragon resembles an ickle brown bunny with wings? And has NO TEETH? The Seadragonus Giganticus Maximus is stirring and wants to devour every Viking on the Isle of Berk . . .
Can Hiccup save the tribe – and become a Hero?

How to Train Your Dragon is a major award-winning DreamWorks film series. There is also a new live action movie due to be released in 2025. The TV series, Riders of Berk, can be seen on CBeebies and Cartoon Network.

Reviews

If you haven't discovered Hiccup yet, you're missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children's literature

Quite simply, Cressida Cowell has an exceptional ability to give children what they like. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a Viking who doesn't fit in: gawky and geeky, his adventures with his hunting-dragon Toothless are madcap and marvellous. Give it to a child, and see them become engrossed immediately.

The Independent

Pretty much everyone I know who has children adores these audiobooks and have listened to them on many a long (and otherwise fractious) car journey. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a famous dragon trainer but he had to learn the hard way. Proper LOL funny as read by former Doctor Who David Tennant, you'll love listening to them too.

Sarra Manning, Red Magazine Online

Cressida Cowell

Cressida Cowell was the Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2019-2022). She is the author and illustrator of the bestselling The Wizards of Once and How to Train Your Dragon books series, and the author of the Emily Brown picture books, illustrated by Neal Layton.

The Wizards of Once series has been translated into 38 languages and has been signed by DreamWorks Animation. How to Train Your Dragon has sold over 8 million books worldwide in 42 languages and is a major DreamWorks Animation film franchise, as well as being made into a TV series on Netflix and CBBC.

Cressida is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency, a Trustee of World Book Day and a founder patron of the Children’s Media Foundation. She has won numerous prizes, including the Gold Award in the Nestle Children’s Book Prize.

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Related Resources

How to Train Your Dragon – Teaching Notes

Topic: English, Growing up, Modern Classic

Age Range: 7-11

Related Book: How to Train Your Dragon

Book Creator: Cressida Cowell

Cressida Cowell has a passion for developing the creative intelligence of children and she believes that reading allows the reader to grow three superpowers: creativity, empathy and intelligence.

These classroom ideas are based around Cressida’s beloved 12-book How to Train Your Dragon series and are designed to inspire these superpowers by exploring children’s imagination and allowing their creativity to come to the fore.

Themes: Courage | Family | Creativity | Imagination | Empathy

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