How to Speak Dragonese

June 1, 2006
Gr 3-5 -The misfit hero of "How to Be a Pirate" (Little, Brown, 2005) returns in another Viking tall tale. Chief -s son Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, his friend Fishlegs, and his cranky dragon, Toothless, get separated from their class during -Boarding-An-Enemy-Ship - practice. The peaceful fishing boat they are supposed to attack turns out to be a prowling Roman galley, crewed by some of the Empire -s least-distinguished legions. The invaders are plotting to provoke war among the Viking factions by kidnapping the heirs of Hiccup -s own Happy Hooligans and the Amazonian Bog-Burglar tribe. Then, while the locals are occupied, the Romans plan to make off with the entire dragon population of the islands. With the help of Bog-Burglar girl warrior Camicazi and the bumblebee-sized dragon Ziggerastica, the boys must find a way to counter the treacherous plan before they all end up facing combat to the death in the local arena. There is a lot of raucous humor and mock-heroic dialogue; ridiculous names add to the fun. The theme of brains over brawn is well defined. Warriors, Roman and Viking alike, are loud-mouthed, bullying braggarts, easy targets for clever, scrawny Hiccup. The sketchy, childlike black-and-white cartoon drawings are amusing but occasionally indistinct. Jon Scieszka -s -Time Warp Trio - books (Viking), for slightly younger readers, have a sharper, more literate sense of twisted history, but the broad humor of Hiccup -s misadventures will appeal to reluctant readers." -Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL"

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