Hiccup

We love Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon series. We were introduced to it years ago one summer when we were preparing to drive from Texas to Indiana. Some friends loaned us the audio book, and we've been hooked ever since.

The books are written through the eyes of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, who is not living up to the Viking image, in spite of being the son of the chief, Stoik the Vast.  The illustrations are silly, and the humor is definitely on the boy side--as in lots of belching and snot. We've read all the books together. And Justin reads and re-reads them.

Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless

We were excited when we heard about the movie in the making, but Justin was absolutely furious when he saw the preview. It was clear that they had drastically changed the plot. In Justin's book to movie experience, movies have stayed close to the plot (think Lord of the Rings), and we have lively discussions about when the movies are different and why those choices were made and whether we agree with those choices. So, this was his first book to movie experience where the movie was a different thing entirely.  He eventually made peace with the film, but it took him a while. He was seriously angry. We do love the movie. Even Justin.

Book nine, How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, has just come out on this side of the Atlantic, so it'll be wrapped up under the tree for Justin.