I judge middlegrade and children's books in general by wether or not I would like to read them to a child. This one I would definitely read to one.

I knew that this was going to be different from the movie, which is why I was hesitant for many years to pick this up. After all, the movie sets a high bar. But I was also curious, so this year I finally got around to it.

It is different. Almost every single thing is. But the core of both stories is Hiccup, a brave, observant underdog, who saves the day by doing things differently from his ancestors. And it works. The changes the movie made make sense for a cinematic release, but the book is a good story on its own. Suitable for bedtime reading-out-loud.