Book Series · 12 Books

How to Train Your Dragon Books

In order from How to Train Your Dragon to How to Fight a Dragon's Fury.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is expected to become a fearsome Viking, but he would rather solve problems with words, ideas, and an unusually stubborn little dragon. Cressida Cowell's heavily illustrated adventures grow from outrageous school-age mishaps into an epic story about what makes a true hero.

Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated August 10, 2026

Reading order

How to Read the How to Train Your Dragon Books

Read the twelve novels in publisher order, beginning with How to Train Your Dragon and ending with How to Fight a Dragon's Fury. A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons is the sixth story despite its guide-like title; it belongs in the numbered plot between How to Twist a Dragon's Tale and How to Ride a Dragon's Storm.

The Complete Book of Dragons is a separate, full-color species guide and does not count as book #13. It is most useful after a child has met several dragons in the novels, but it does not have a required placement.

How to Train Your Dragon School is a separate spin-off about Hiccup's earlier lessons at the Isle of Berk's training school. Read Doom of the Darkwing before Fight of the Flamestrike. These easy-to-read school adventures do not continue the twelve-book story, so a child can try them after meeting Hiccup in book #1 without interrupting the main sequence.

The books inspired the DreamWorks films, but they tell a substantially different version of Hiccup and Toothless's story. A child who knows the movies should still begin with book #1 rather than trying to match a novel to a particular film.

Sources: Hachette's complete twelve-book series list, Hachette's educator guide and numbering, Hachette's Complete Book of Dragons guide, Hachette's How to Train Your Dragon School spin-off.

For parents

What Parents Should Know

The first books use slapstick, gross-out jokes, dragon bites, Viking weapons, bullying, and repeated threats of being eaten or banished. Cowell's loose black-and-white drawings and exaggerated narration keep much of this feeling comic rather than realistic.

The continuing story becomes more serious. Later volumes include enslavement, war, torture threats, betrayal, major injuries, and meaningful character and animal deaths. Humor remains central, but sensitive readers may find the final books more emotionally intense than the playful opening suggests.

Where to start

Where Should My Child Start?

Begin with Hiccup's first memoir even if the reader already knows the film characters.

New to Hiccup's book story

Start with How to Train Your Dragon. Its short chapters, playful type, and Cressida Cowell's drawings make it a welcoming introduction to the full twelve-book adventure.

Wants an easier school adventure

Try Doom of the Darkwing in the Dragon School spin-off. Its easy-to-read chapters follow a younger Hiccup and his classmates through one disastrous Viking lesson at a time.

Where the story begins

First Book in the Series

Sale price

$858

Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 7–11 · 2003

How to Train Your Dragon

By Cressida Cowell

A young Viking named Hiccup must catch a dragon to prove himself to his tribe.

214 pages· 31,480 words· Est. 4.5 hour read

$8.99Save 5%

Paperback

Summary: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, a quiet Viking chief's son, faces a daunting initiation: catch and train a dragon. As he navigates this perilous task, Hiccup discovers unconventional methods that could redefine his clan's traditions. Will he emerge as a hero or become dragon fodder? Dive into his thrilling journey filled with unexpected twists and comedic misadventures, where the stakes are as high as the skies he hopes to conquer. Join Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, in a tale of courage, friendship, and the quest to find one's true path.

In reading order

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2007

A young Viking named Hiccup must stop a volcano from erupting and save his tribe from destruction.

#6 in Series

Sale price

$858

A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 2008

A young Viking named Hiccup embarks on a journey to prove himself as a great warrior.

#7 in Series

Sale price

$858

How to Ride a Dragon's Storm

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 2008

A Viking hero races against time to save his father and win a perilous challenge.

#8 in Series

Sale price

$899

Chapter Book · Ages 8–11 · 2015

A boy must save dragons and end a rebellion to secure the Viking world's future.

Easy-to-read spin-off adventures

How to Train Your Dragon School

1 book · Published 2025

Easy-to-read, heavily illustrated school stories about a younger Hiccup and his fellow Warriors-in-Training. Start with Doom of the Darkwing; this line revisits Hiccup's school days rather than adding a thirteenth book to the completed main story.

#1 in Series

Sale price

$1597

Doom of the Darkwing

Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2025

A training lesson goes awry, leaving young Vikings adrift on stormy seas facing doom.

Optional full-color reference book

The Complete Book of Dragons

1 book · Published 2014

An illustrated guide to dragon species from the novels, plus creatures created especially for the book. It expands the world but does not continue Hiccup's numbered story.

Sale price

$1899

The Complete Book of Dragons

Chapter Book · Ages 8–12 · 2014

Discover every dragon species from the beloved series, including new ones, in this illustrated guide.

Good to know

Common Questions

How many books are in the How to Train Your Dragon series?

There are 12 books in the How to Train Your Dragon series. It began with How to Train Your Dragon in 2003, and the newest book, How to Fight a Dragon's Fury, was published in 2015.