“Long ago, on the wild and windy isle of Berk, a smallish Viking with a longish name stood up to his ankles in snow.”

From Cressida Cowell’s How to Train Your Dragon.

The young Viking Hiccup is not like most of the other boys in Berk. Because everyone around him is big and strong, the small Hiccup often finds himself unsuccessful at fitting in or making his people proud.  All of this causes Hiccup to be worried about capturing and then training a dragon to both prove that he is a man and that he deserves to not be exiled from Berk.  After learning all that he can from his teacher and elders, Hiccup attempts to capture a dragon and manages to catch a small one that he names Toothless.  Despite the legendary tales of all the adults in Berk, Hiccup realizes that he has no idea how to train Toothless and the Thor’sday Thursday celebration deadline is fast approaching.  Hiccup decides to train Toothless in his own way, which is a bit of a mess, especially when an accident on Thor’sday Thursday leads to fighting dragons and exiled boys.  However, when an even greater threat arises, Hiccup is chosen to fix the problem and his constant way of thinking outside the box might be the only way to save the Vikings of Berk.  
The inspiration for the animated movie series of the same name, this book kicks off a wacky, hilarious adventure that is unlike any other.  The drawings scattered throughout the book make the book feel like it really was written by a young dragon-training Viking.  While a bit more nonsensical than the film adaptations, How to Train Your Dragon is an unforgettable read that young readers will love.