How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse (The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup the Viking) [Hardcover]

Cressida Cowell (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup the Viking

In his 4th sidesplitting adventure, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III must rescue his best friend, Fishlegs, from the deadly disease Vorpentitis. The only cure is rare and almost impossible to find...a potato. But where will Hiccup find such a thing? He'll have to dodge the terrible Sharkworms, battle Doomfangs, and outwit crazy Hooligans if he's going to be a Hero...again.

A fast paced plot, slapstick humor, witty dialogue and imaginative black and white illustrations enhance this exciting tale.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5–Cowell is getting a great deal of mileage from her pseudomemoirs of the delightfully alliterative Viking. She retains her touch in this latest volume, which relates Hiccup's quest to find the Vegetable-That-No-One-Dares-Name, namely a potato that is the only thing that can prevent his friend Fishlegs from dying of Vorpentitis. The potato, you see, is an imaginary vegetable that comes from a place that doesn't really exist: America. When Hiccup realizes that he has only until 10 o'clock the next morning to find the mythical vegetable, it is a race against time and against the wishes of his father. It also requires traveling with the charming bog-burglar Camicazi, breaking into the headquarters of Norbert the Nutjob and his Hysteric tribe, and stealing the frozen potato while they sleep, all the while trying to avoid a fearsome sea predator. The result is an irresistible concoction. As with all the Hiccup books, this one is full of amusing illustrations, clever design that includes inkblots scattered throughout the pages, and an occasional explanation of hibernating dragons and venomous vorpents. This action-filled and compelling story will draw readers along. It's a must for libraries that have the previous books in this series, which is probably most.–Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ
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Review

'Outrageously funny and inventive ... a novel with huge appeal ... It's hard to beat this story for sheer entertainment and larger than life, distinctive - and differentiated characters.' -- Books for Keeps '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 PRAISE FOR HICCUP:Irresistably funny, exciting and endearing -- Amanda Craig, The Times 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 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 ... raucous and slapstick ... liberally illustrated with [Cressida Cowell's] riotous drawings, notes and maps. -- The Financial Times [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 Bulging with good jokes, funny drawings and dramatic scenes, it is absolutely wonderful. -- Independent on Sunday Rollicking fun with a whiff of the past. -- The Guardian 20061125 'Rollicking fun with a whiff of the past.' -- The Guardian 20061125 '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 20061125 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316114251
• ISBN-13: 978-0316114257
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 1 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #210,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cressida Cowell grew up mostly in Central London. She has a BA in English Literature from Oxford University, a BA in Graphic Design from St Martin's and an MA in Narrative Illustration from Brighton. Cressida loves illustrating her own work, but also loves writing books for other people to illustrate as the end result can be so unexpected and inspiring. Cressida has written and illustrated eight books in the popular Hiccup series. The unique blend of child centred humour and sublime prose made Hiccup an instant hit. How to Train Your Dragon has reached over 100,000 sales and is now published in over 30 languages. A Dreamworks feature film is due to be released in 2010. Also the author of picture books, Cressida has won the Nestle Children's Book Prize 2006 and has been shortlisted for many others. Cressida lives in Hammersmith with her husband, three children and two cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Fun - Just Like the Previous 3, April 11, 2007

By 

M. Sarrao (New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse (Hiccup) (Paperback)

This is the 4th book in this series about Hiccup Horrendous, unlikely heir to the Viking "throne" of the Hooligan tribe. These books were supposedly written as memoirs by Hiccup when he was an old man (and later found and translated by the author). This makes them less scary because readers know he couldn't have died during any of his adventures. Hiccup is not large and scary like the other viking boy bullys, but he has a great brain and is loyal. He is also a "dragon whisperer." As in the previous 3 books, he uses his talents to help his tribe. He ends up "saving the day" and comes one step closer to growing up and becoming chief, like his father. These books are full of dragons, sword play and "elementary boy" humor. For example, in every book something (ie, a monster) blows up or blows its nose, and the characters end up covered in disgusting snot or slime. They are also full of action (ie, running from dragons, being captured by enemies, etc.) My son, 8, LOVED this book as much as he loved the previous 3. He has always enjoyed playing with pirate and knight toys and reading books about them. Now he has added Vikings to this list (they are similar, after all). My son is a "reluctant reader," but he'll sometimes sit and read about Hiccup for 45 minutes (that's a lot for him.) This book is pur fantasy. I recommend it for any child who enjoys fantasy, pirates. and/or vikings.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great series - better than the movie, January 6, 2011

By 

mamala - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon Book 4: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse (The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup the Viking) (Paperback)

this is the 4th book in the series, my son is currently on book 6. He is 7 and it is a little above his reading level, probably best for 3rd or 4th grade reading level, but his Dad reads it to him every night before bed (my son will read a page or two of it, but then lets his dad finish out the chapter). The series has a little bodily functions humor - which little boys find hillarious, but it isn't too bad. The movie they made doesn't quite go along with the story line of these books, but the characters and dragons are all the same. We had gotten the first 3 books from the library, but he loved them so much we have decided to purchase all of them (even the ones he has already read) to keep them around, incase he wants to read them again when he gets a little older (I know I have read the Lord of the rings trilogy at least 3 times, and wish there were more than just 3 books). Ms Cowell has really produced a masterpiece series, and I hope they make more movies based on this series, especially the young toothless (he is cutely devious little dragon).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner, August 1, 2011

By 

M. Robinson - See all my reviews

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This review is from: How to Train Your Dragon Book 4: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse (The Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup the Viking) (Paperback)

Once again my eight year old daughter devoured this book within two days. Love the characters and the adventures they have. I can't say it enough soooooo much better than the movie.