How to Be a Pirate

3deg - I love the How to Train your Dragon series. How to be a Pirate, the second book tells about Hiccup, the main character, Fishlegs, Hiccup's best friend, Toothless, which is Hiccup's dragon, and the rest of the Hooligan tribe. It all starts when Gobber the Belch hosts the Swordfighting-at-sea lesson in the middle of the ocean. Hiccup has to fight Dogsbreath one of the strongest Hooligans. To be safe, they each have a wooden case on their sword. But when naughty little Toothless bites Dogsbreath in the bottom Dogsbreath takes his off and accidentally puts a whole in the ship and the ship starts to sink. Luckily, they find a coffin to float on. The coffin says DO NOT OPEN! But, the Hooligans open it and eventually Hiccup, Fishlegs, Toothless, and Alvin-the-poor-but-honest-farmer end up sinking with the ship trapping them under water. Will they all survive? Hiccup also has an odd feeling about Alvin. Is he honest or is it all a big lie? To find this out read How to be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell.

June 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -The sequel to "How to Train Your Dragon" (Little, Brown, 2004) continues the adventures of the son of Stoick the Vast and future leader of the Hairy Hooligan Viking tribe. Although the skinny, freckled Hiccup has more brains than the rest of the Hairy Hooligans put together, he has a hard time garnering respect from anyone, least of all his arch-rival, Snotlout. It doesn't help that Hiccup's dragon, Toothless, is predisposed to hypochondria and cowardice. During a pirate-training session, them meet up with charming -Alvin the Poor-But-Honest-Farmer, - who is keen to help them discover the legendary treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly. After a series of hair-raising, humorous escapades on the high seas, a deadly island, and an undersea cavern, Hiccup learns some surprising things about his previously undervalued abilities. The usual motifs of deceptive appearances, last-minute escapes, and the merits of inner worth are addressed with humor that is accessible to both reluctant and avid readers. Cheeky drawings in the style of grade-school doodles add to the general appeal of the tale." -Farida S. Dowler, Mercer Island Library, WA"

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