How to Twist a Dragon's Tale

Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com

The summer has been unnaturally warm at the Isle of Berk, but despite persistent Omens of Doom, the worst of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's worries is to not make a complete fool of himself during the Pirate Training Program. Throw in Toothless, Hiccup's disobedient dragon who has a knack for trouble, and his evil cousin, Snotface Snoutlout, and you have a recipe for almost certain disaster.

However, things change from embarrassingly to deadly in a snap. During a Reindeer Herding Lesson, the entire class nearly perishes in a freak forest fire. It turns out that the volcano is becoming active and thousands of vicious dragons called Exterminators are hatching from the heat.

Hiccup and his best show more friend, Fishlegs, don't look like hero material. They are both eleven years old and the scrawniest boys in their Viking class. But through some luck and clever sleuthing, they uncover why the volcano is erupting and how to stop it.

Once again, it all boils down to Hiccup to throw together a quest and save the day.

Cressida Cowell's fifth story in THE HEROIC MISADVENTURES OF HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III, HOW TO TWIST A DRAGON'S TALE, is a hilarious and fun read. Her Vikings, while unhygienic and violent, sing in perfect harmony. Almost every page is illustrated with black and white drawings or pithy song lyrics.

This book is an odd combination of the strange and the familiar. Readers will encounter dragons of all kinds, a bit of magic, a few bullies, and the seriously weird but typical antics of parents. show less

Hiccup, with the help of Humongously Hotshot the Hero, needs to return the Fire-Stone to Volcano Island before the volcano becomes active and hatches the eggs of the Exterminator dragons. Really good installment in a fun series for children. Toothless gets to actually be helpful in this one, which isn't all that common. David Tennant does a fantastic job reading the audio version.

In this adventure, Hiccup and his friends must contend with an army of Exterminator dragons and an erupting volcano that threatens to destroy the viking homeland. Joined by a mysterious legendary hero, Hiccup is about to uncover more secrets about dragons and even secrets within his own family.

This is the one where Hiccup is learning to ride, and there is a Giant Volcano he has to stop from exploding, and we get the first glimpse of the backstory between Humungously Hotshot and Hiccup's mother.

It's interesting how the backstory from the first four books in the series is combined with the new material. Alvin the treacherous returns and bad things continue to happen to him as he is swallowed by a fire dragon.

Age of Child: Teen STAR Review Team, Be the Star You Are!™

Little Kid Reaction: Cressida Cowell's stories about Hiccup and his adventures are always extremely entertaining. There is a lot of humor involved, and the action progresses really quickly. The best aspect of this book though is that, even though it seems to be a children’s book, it’s actually quite a satisfying read for any reader of any age and any gender. Hiccup is a character people can relate to: an average boy who finds out that he is actually capable of doing wonders.

Big Kid Reaction: Review pending

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.

Another excellent tale from the pen/keyboard of Cressida Cowell. That's five in row. One of the most consistent story tellers that I've read anywhee. Book six now on order.