How to Train Your Dragon Movie Book: A UK Guide

UK readers looking for the How to Train Your Dragon movie book should start with Cressida Cowell's 2003 novel How to Train Your Dragon. BookTrust identifies Hodder Children's Books as its publisher, and The Guardian identifies the novel as the source for the films. The first film arrived in 2010, seven years after the book was published. When looking for the source story, use the author's name alongside the title to identify the novel.

The book and the films share a title, but the title alone does not tell you how closely their stories match. The Guardian's 2025 review identifies the films' warfare between Vikings and dragons as a change from Cowell's novel. That gives a reader coming from the screen a useful point of comparison before opening the book. The source novel is a starting point for Cowell's story, with its own treatment of the relationship between Vikings and dragons.

The distinction also helps keep this reading guide separate from the wider screen franchise. The How to Train Your Dragon page covers the franchise, while this guide identifies Cowell's source novel and the next book in her series. For a UK library search or reading list, begin with How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell and check the author as well as the title.

Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon book came before the movie, with the novel published in 2003 and the first film arriving in 2010. BookTrust records Hodder Children's Books as the novel's publisher, while The Guardian reports the year of the first film. Those dates put seven years between the publication of the source book and the arrival of the film. They also give UK readers two distinct dates to use when identifying the book and the screen adaptation.

The second novel also appeared before the first film. The Open British National Bibliography records How to Be a Pirate as a 2004 publication by Hodder Children's in London, and Google Books identifies it as the second volume. The Guardian reports that film rights were acquired in 2004. The publication and rights dates concern different events, so neither should be mistaken for the release date of the first film.

For someone choosing a book after seeing the movie, the sequence provides useful context. How to Train Your Dragon and How to Be a Pirate were already published by the time the first film arrived in 2010. Start with the 2003 novel if you want to read the source story, then use the title How to Be a Pirate to find the second volume.

The films change the relationship between Vikings and dragons by introducing warfare between them that differs from Cressida Cowell's 2003 source novel. The Guardian identifies that change in its 2025 review of How to Train Your Dragon. It concerns the setting around Hiccup rather than the publication details of the book, giving readers a clear reason to approach the novel as its own story. The shared title identifies the adaptation's source, while the treatment of Vikings and dragons marks a difference.

The comparison is useful when deciding what kind of book to request. A reader seeking Cowell's original novel can use the title and author, then look at how the book presents the relationship described differently on screen. The 2003 publication date identifies the source novel; the 2010 date identifies the arrival of the first film. Keeping those dates attached to their respective works makes the comparison easier to follow.

The difference does not require knowledge of the ending. A reader can start with How to Train Your Dragon and pay attention to the way Vikings and dragons are presented as the story unfolds. For questions about the broader screen franchise, the How to Train Your Dragon hub provides the related starting point. Use the novel itself for Cowell's version of the story.

Film viewers should know that Toothless is one of two dragons identified as belonging to Hiccup in Cressida Cowell's books. A 2014 Guardian feature names Toothless and Windwalker as Hiccup's dragons. The shared name Toothless provides a point of recognition for a reader who knows the films, while Windwalker is another name to keep distinct when reading about Hiccup's dragons. The source identifies their relationship to Hiccup without establishing further details needed for a direct comparison of their appearances.

The wider setting matters to a comparison of the books and films. The Guardian's 2025 review identifies the films' warfare between Vikings and dragons as a change from the 2003 source novel. That observation describes the relationship surrounding the characters, rather than settling every question about an individual dragon. Readers can use it as context while discovering how Cowell presents Toothless and Windwalker in the books.

When searching for information, include the name of the book or film as well as the dragon's name. That makes the subject of the comparison clearer, especially when a familiar character appears in more than one version of the franchise. To begin with Cowell's source story, request How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell and follow the book's own introduction to its characters.

The second How to Train Your Dragon book is How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell, published in London in 2004. The Open British National Bibliography records Hodder Children's as its publisher, and the publisher's synopsis reproduced by Google Books identifies it as the second volume. These details give UK readers a title, author and publication record to use when searching a library catalog. The words book two describe its place in Cowell's series.

In How to Be a Pirate, Hiccup seeks Grimbeard the Ghastly's treasure before Alvin the Treacherous obtains it. The publisher's synopsis supplies that premise without requiring a reader to learn the outcome of the search. The named treasure and Alvin the Treacherous give a reader more precise identifiers than the franchise name alone. They also establish the adventure described in the synopsis for the second volume.

A search for how to train your dragon book 2 should therefore lead you to How to Be a Pirate. Include Cressida Cowell's name when checking the result, and use the 2004 London publication record if you need to identify the edition described by the bibliography. Readers who have not started the series can begin with How to Train Your Dragon, published in 2003, before moving to the second volume.

Cressida Cowell's main How to Train Your Dragon series has 12 books, ending with How to Fight a Dragon's Fury. The Guardian identifies How to Fight a Dragon's Fury as book twelve, and its profile of Cowell describes the series as having 12 books. The count refers to Cowell's book series, so it answers a different question from the number of films in the franchise. A reader can use it to understand the length of the reading commitment before starting.

The first two titles provide the starting point for that sequence. BookTrust records How to Train Your Dragon as a 2003 publication, and Google Books identifies How to Be a Pirate as the second volume. The Open British National Bibliography records the latter's publication in London in 2004. Together, those records distinguish the beginning of the series from its final volume without revealing the outcome of the story.

For a reader arriving through the film, the publication sequence is a practical way to choose the next book. Start with How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell, then look for How to Be a Pirate. The title How to Fight a Dragon's Fury identifies the twelfth book if you want to check the endpoint, but you do not need to investigate its story before beginning.

UK readers should start with Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon, published in 2003, and then read How to Be a Pirate, the second volume. BookTrust identifies the first title and its publisher, while Google Books identifies the position of the second. The Open British National Bibliography records the second book as a 2004 London publication by Hodder Children's. Those details provide a practical sequence for finding the books after watching the film.

For a library request, give the exact title and author rather than relying on the phrase movie book. How to Train Your Dragon identifies the source novel, while How to Be a Pirate identifies the next volume. The historical publication record can help distinguish the second book when comparing catalog entries, although it does not establish what a particular library currently holds. Check the title and author on the copy offered to you.

Readers can also use the adaptation difference to set expectations before starting. The Guardian identifies the films' warfare between Vikings and dragons as a change from Cowell's source novel. That distinction leaves the story available to discover while explaining why a shared title does not guarantee the same treatment of its world. Ask for the 2003 novel first, then search for How to Be a Pirate when you are ready to continue.

Identify the first two books by their titles and author: How to Train Your Dragon and How to Be a Pirate by Cressida Cowell. BookTrust records the first novel as a 2003 publication by Hodder Children's Books. The Open British National Bibliography records How to Be a Pirate as published by Hodder Children's in London in 2004, and Google Books identifies it as the second volume. These records give readers distinct details for each title.

The second book's synopsis offers another way to recognize it. Hiccup seeks Grimbeard the Ghastly's treasure before Alvin the Treacherous obtains it, according to the publisher's synopsis reproduced by Google Books. That premise belongs with How to Be a Pirate when comparing search results or asking for a copy. The description establishes the aim of the search without giving away whether Hiccup succeeds.

Publication details describe the editions recorded by the sources, so check the title and author when looking at a copy with different details. The first film arrived in 2010, according to The Guardian, while both novels were published earlier. If your aim is to read the source novel first, select How to Train Your Dragon; if you have finished it and want the next volume, select How to Be a Pirate.