How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse

How to Train Your Dragon Series

Author: Cressida Cowell

Book 4 in the How to Train Your Dragon series

Pages: 272

Published: 2006

Age: 8+

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.This action-filled and compelling story will draw readers along.

About the How to Train Your Dragon Series

Reading age: 7+ years

I was not the sort of boy who could train a dragon with a mere lifting of an eyebrow. I was not a natural at the Heroism business. I had to work at it. This is the story of becoming a Hero the Hard Way.

Hiccup tackles the chore of training the stubborn creature, which leads to some fresh, funny dialogue between the two (Hiccup has the rare ability to speak "Dragonese"). Short chapters, clever slapstick, kid-pleasing character names (Fishlegs, Dogsbreath, and the Duhbrain, to name a few) and goofy, childlike drawings will keep even reluctant readers turning pages and chuckling as they go.