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Pretty much everyone I know who has children adores these audiobooks and have listened to them on many a long (and otherwise fractious) car journey. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a famous dragon trainer but he had to learn the hard way. Proper LOL funny as read by former Doctor Who David Tennant, you’ll love listening to them too.
Sarra Manning, Red Magazine Online
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The first in the successful series… perfect for tricky boy readers, as the action scenes are first-class.
The Sunday Telegraph
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Mentioned in the 100 Best Children’s Books Ever (Novels)
The Daily Telegraph
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If you haven’t discovered Hiccup yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children’s literature
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Filled with thrilling adventure and action-packed heroes
Country Child
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By turns hilarious and wise, it’s never predictable, brilliantly illustrated and always delightful
The Times
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Proper modern classics
Sunday Express
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Hilarious
guardian.co.uk
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A laugh out loud romp of a Viking adventure
Observer
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The start of the most original series for kids in ages. Funny, clever and great for the whole family to share
Dundee Courier
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Her genuinely fierce, intelligent and scary dragons nearly steal the show, but Hiccup and his diminutive sidekick ultimately come out on top, both displaying a proper hero’s mix of quick wit, courage and loyalty
Kirkus
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One of the most enjoyable and original children’s stories I have heard in a long time
The Independent
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I can’t praise this wonderful adventure too highly
Independent on Sunday
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Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful
Independent on Sunday
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This light-hearted, well-illustrated mock saga would appeal to girls and boys. My Dad liked it too. More please.
The Glasgow Herald
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What we have here is Harry Potter meets Blackadder. The result is a story that anyone with a tolerance of snot and gore would find richly entertaining
The Glasgow Herald
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Cowell’s wittily written books have become today’s childhood must-read stories
Books Quarterly (Waterstones)
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This book will definitely make you laugh out loud
Torquay Herald Express
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Gripping adventure stories complete with quests and battles, a vivdly imagined alternative world
The Daily Telegraph
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Top stuff
The Daily Telegraph
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Cressida Cowell’s series of the memoirs of Hiccup the Viking are funny, outrageous and will lure in the most reluctant reader
The Spectator
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Funny, thrilling and ideal for children needing to discover the hero inside themselves
The Times
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Wise, colourful and funny
Dorset Echo
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Cowell is a master of storytelling…On a profound level, this series celebrates divergence and being true to oneself, teaching children that they don’t have to be carbon copies of their parents
Hay Festival of the Arts
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Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon books fill every spread with scales and fangs and typographical jeux d’esprit
The Independent
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Descriptive and flowing, Cowell’s Dragon novels have become deserved hits at the cinema, too.
Time Out
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Has a good story to it
Daily Record
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Full of bright wit and brutal honesty, this is a brilliant book that launched a huge series … This is a fantastic adventure that explores failure as well as success and weighs the cost of being different against the price of fitting in with sneaky maturity and shining humour
The List
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‘ The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special.’
Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
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‘… full of charm … imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud.’
Waterstones Books Quarterly
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‘another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell.’
Writeaway.org
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‘… inspired series … its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless.’
Amanda Craig, The Times
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Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it.
Amanda Craig, The Times
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CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK: This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour … full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger.
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
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How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper… It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time.
Sunday Herald, Glasgow
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… raucous and slapstick … liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell’s] riotous drawings, notes and maps.
The Financial Times
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[Cressida Cowell] puts a contemporary spin on the old brains over brawn moral and brings the story to a climax with a thrilling dragon duel. Lots for lots of different readers to enjoy.
Books for Keeps
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‘a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.’
Amanda Craig, Times
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Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful.
Independent on Sunday
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Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal. Cowell’s anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour.
The Herald
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‘If you haven’t discovered Hiccup yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children’s literature.’
Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor
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‘What a fab book … will definitely make you laugh out loud!’
Torquay Herald Express
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Highly original. Uproarious.
Woman's Weekly
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The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special.
Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
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… full of charm … imaginative and bursting with inventive, off-the-wall humour, making them great stories to be read aloud.
Waterstones Books Quarterly
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another triumph from the creative pen of Cressida Cowell.
Writeaway.org
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… inspired series … its enchantment lies primarily in the comical, affectionate and often irritable relationship between Hiccup (the only nerd in the violent Viking Hooligan tribe) and his runty little dragon Toothless.
Amanda Craig, The Times
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a hilarious and gripping adventure, beautifully paced and studded with great dramatic scenes.
Amanda Craig, Times
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If you haven’t discovered Hiccup yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children’s literature.
Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's editor
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What a fab book … will definitely make you laugh out loud!
Torquay Herald Express
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Quite simply, Cressida Cowell has an exceptional ability to give children what they like. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a Viking who doesn’t fit in: gawky and geeky, his adventures with his hunting-dragon Toothless are madcap and marvellous. Give it to a child, and see them become engrossed immediately.
The Independent
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I can’t praise this wonderful adventure too highly – in fact, for my money, she’s the NEXT BIG THING in children’s literature… Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 ½ hours.
Independent on Sunday
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… one of the most enjoyable and original children’s stories I have heard in a long time … David Tennant reads with outstanding gusto, giving full and varied wellie to the story’s rich assortment of Viking and dragon characters.
The Independent
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CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK: ‘This book is great fun and has a Blackadderish sense of humour … full of the sort of jokes that will make schoolboys snigger.’
Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times
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A super story, inventive, ingenious, perpetually surprising. One to cherish.
Armadillo, Spring 2003
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A wonderfully wittily written and illustrated story.
Waterstones Quarterly Magazine
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… raucous and slapstick… liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell’s] riotous drawings, notes and maps.
The Financial Times
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How to Train Your Dragon is a delightful narrative caper… It offers a challenging read to 11-year-olds, and rewards reading aloud, especially for those who relish an element of theatre at story time.
Lindsey Fraser, Sunday Herald, Glasgow
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If you haven’t already read this book, you’re missing out on one of the most unlikely heroes ever to end up in print.
Mania
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PRAISE FOR HICCUP:
‘Fiercely exciting and laugh-aloud funny, it is as full of joy for children of 7+ who have given up reading as for those who love it.’
Amanda Craig, The Times
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Irresistably funny, exciting and endearing
Amanda Craig, The Times
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‘Cowell writes laugh-out-loud books with plenty of boy appeal Cowells anarchic drawings suit the slapstick humour.’
The Herald
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Hilarious and charming.
Observer
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I can’t praise this wonderful adventure too highly – in fact, for my money, she’s the NEXT BIG THING in children’s literature… Read with gigantic gusto by David Tennant, and featuring some shatteringly good sound-effects, this kept us all laughing on the edge of our seats for 3 ? hours.
Independent on Sunday
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If you haven’t discovered Hiccup yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children’s literature.
Guardian children's editor
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Cowell brings Hiccup to life in this silly and delightful little novel.
St Paul Pioneer Press
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The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special
Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
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‘If you haven’t discovered Hiccup yet, you’re missing out on one of the greatest inventions of modern children’s literature.’
Guardian children's editor
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“The combination of cartoons with sharp wit is what makes this book so uniquely special”
Books Quaterly (Waterstones)
