How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse

i think my favorite of the series so far. these are funny adventures that have lots of silliness but at the heart a good message about being yourself, about what a true hero really looks like, and friendship and bravery. it's a great little series that we are all really enjoying for our family read-aloud.

This is book four in Cressida Cowell's How to Train a Dragon series, and it is a worthy entry. These books are so fun on audio, narrated by David Tennant and will have you laughing out loud regardless of your age. I especially love the insults and the miscellaneous information, like the cures for common illnesses - my favorite: for common cold: "Stuff a small carrot up each nostril to stop a running nose. Remember to breathe through mouth." Be warned, the books are very different from the movies if you are already familiar with those. And be sure to start with book one.

Hiccup must rescue his best friend, Fishlegs, from the deadly disease Vorpentitis by finding what is commonly thought of as a mythological vegetable: a potato. Another fun installment in a very entertaining series for children. David Tennant is a great reader for the audio-version.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is not your typical viking, but can he save his friend who has been poisoned by a dragon? In order to do it, he must brave a Doomfang dragon and fight a tribe of ill-tempered vikings to get a rare frozen potato. Oh, and he only has until 10 o' clock tomorrow before his friend is doomed.

A wacky, humorous story with a lot of adventure. This title and others in the series will appeal to reluctant readers and cash in on the popularity of dragon books. Recommended for a light, fun, wacky read.

This is the fourth one in the series and the author is so consistent its unreal. Never tries to get clever, never does anything fancy, just entertains from cover to cover. A real joy to read. Just ordered the next one.

In this installment, Hiccup must go on a quest to steal a magical vegetable from the neighboring tribe of Hysterics. His friend, Fishlegs, has fallen ill from the poisonous bite of a monster from the previous book. The only known cure is a rare plant from America called a "potato". There is one being kept by the Hysterics but they have a grudge against Hiccup. Together with Kamikaze, Toothless, and a new friend, Hiccup must risk all to save his friend's life.

Below is my combined review for How to Speak Dragonese and How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse, as it appeared in the December 2013 edition of AudioFile Magazine. (reprinted with permission)

--Even without the humorous artwork of the print editions, narrator David Tennant keeps the spirit of fun alive with over-the-top portrayals of the many goofy warriors in the continuing memoirs of young Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. It's curious to hear Tennant's Scots brogue delivering the speech of Norse Vikings, and his Roman soldiers sound more like stereotypical Italian immigrants than ancient legionnaires. However, these inconsistencies will likely be missed by young fans of adventure and humor. Dragon translations, statistics, and other "factual" show more digressions are delineated with introductory music and a professorial tone. Transitional music separates the short chapters but is often too loud, dictating frequent volume changes. Tennant is probably best known as Doctor Who and Harry Potter's Barty Crouch, Jr. L.T. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2013]

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