How to Train Your Dragon

By: Cressida Cowell

Narrated by: David Tennant

Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

©2010 Cressida Cowell (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"David Tennant, best known for his role as Doctor Who, brings a slew of Scottish accents to this high-spirited rendering of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's journey toward true heroism.... The taunting tones applied to Snotlout and his grunting sidekick, Dogsbreath, are a hoot. Tennant has a special talent for creating larger-than-life voices, particularly the lisping and stuttering of the dragon, Toothless, and the deep, malicious purring of the sea dragon. Music and ominous dragon roaring between scenes accentuate the performance." ( AudioFile)

Frustrating volume changes

The story is very entertaining and David Tennant does a great job reading the story. My complaint is with the volume changes from a whisper to full out yelling. If the volume was loud enough to hear much of the narration, it was painfully loud when the characters that yelled were read. Glad I was listening in the car and not using my earbuds. The variation was so great it has really detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

Perfect for card drives with kids

Where does How to Train Your Dragon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

My twin 5 year olds, my readaholic 9 year old and I all loved this entertaining story. Wonderful.

great story

the story was super fun and the narration was prefect. it's very different from the movies so even if you love the movies you can listen to the books and have a different experience.

Lovely story but the music…

Loved the story but the music at the end of and/or beginning of each chapter was unnecessary. I would have to turn my volume up to hear the story but then the music would come blaring with no warning at about twice the volume I was currently listening to. Story was good and narrator was engaging.

Everything about these books is great!

My kids and I are thoroughly enjoying this series. It is nothing like the move (aside from names), but the narration, the storyline, everything about these books is great. We cannot get enough of them. We are now on book 8! My kids keep begging for more. The narrator and his voices are top notch in entertainment! I have no idea how he does it -but it adds so much depth to an already compelling story. My only issue is that there is music between chapters that is sometimes startling, especially when we listen at bedtime and drift off to sleep.

Highly recommend the whole series!

Fun, but for young boys really

If you could sum up How to Train Your Dragon in three words, what would they be?

Young Boyish Fairytale

What other book might you compare How to Train Your Dragon to and why?

This isn't my usual genre so I can't really think of one to compare it to.

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

David Tennant is superb, he's really the reason why I got this book, and his narration was wonderful. I really liked everything about his performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, I didn't have any extreme reactions.

Any additional comments?

My son had begged me to get him this book in audiobook format, and when I did, he suddenly couldn't care less. I listened to it to spite him, and because I think David Tennant is a fabulous actor and I also wanted to know what was the hoopla about "how to train your dragon" since one of the movies was out in theatre.

I did enjoy the story, and having a son of my own recognized the boyhood dramas that Hiccup endured, but really the story is a bit juvenile and the four-year-old humor level got a bit tiring at times.

For what it is and who it is written for, the book is well written, the story well crafted, and the narration is excellent. It was definitely enjoyable but I'm quite unlikely to pursue this series further for my own sake.

Love this series

This is the second time I'm reading this series! I have not read the last book #12! Very excited see how it ends! I work on puzzles while I listen!

So fun!

If you could sum up How to Train Your Dragon in three words, what would they be?

I listen to this during car rides with my young son. The story is so fun and the narration is beyond perfect - makes car trips with a four year old (believe it or not) actually fun.

What does David Tennant bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

David Tennant's character voices, energy and excitement are infectious - I love what he brings to these stories as narrator.

Fun and interesting story

Our family of 9 ages 4 to 51 enjoyed listening while driving to Florida. Very funny but a bit juvenile.

I love this book here's why

I love that he makes speedyfist talk faster than the other characters and snotloute talks smugly