Snake: Hey, Many, can we talk about this for a second?
Wolf: There’s no time to talk! Hold on little buddies. It’s time to go BE A HERO!
SWOOSH! SPLAT!
…Piranha: If we survive this, I’m going to eat that wolf.
Snake: Not if I do first.
–The Bad Guys (book 1) by Aaron Blabey
Amazon.com
He cooked some oatmeal, cleaned out the bowl, packed his gear, and got moving. Two more days, then he’d turn around. He wouldn’t reach the mountains where the dragons made their homes in that time, but if they didn’t come after him by then, he’d have to assume they didn’t want to talk. Until then, he had to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He tried to imagine he was on some kind of epic quest—which he was, but he didn’t feel very much like the hero in an adventure. Heroes always seemed to know exactly what they needed to do: throw the ring in the volcano; defeat Darth Vader in a duel. This was just walking.
-Refuge of Dragons (Voices of Dragons #2) by Carrie Vaughn
Well, let me tell you something buddy — Just because I’ve got BIG Pointy Teeth and Razor-Sharp Claws and occasionally like to dress up like an old lady, that doesn’t mean I’m a Bad Guy.
–The Bad Guys (book 1) by Aaron Blabey
Amazon.com
The first time I read this book to the children in my life, their reaction was a combination of fear and concern. I had to encourage them to read the story to the very end, so we could enjoy the happy ending.
The reason there was such a strong reaction is because the main character is Spike, a dog who is naturally so ugly he wins an ‘Ugliest Dog in the Universe Contest.’ Immediately after winning the contest, his owner ties Spike to the porch and moves away, leaving the dog behind. Not only does this awful man abandon the dog, he also gleeful shouts insults at the animal as he drives away.
Yeah, that guy is mean.
The neighbor boy starts caring for Spike and wants to adopt him. As it turns out, Spike is an extremely well-behaved dog, so the only objection the boy’s mother has is financial. They can’t afford a pet.
All of this is told, first person, by Spike. The pictures are lovely and there is nothing scary, violent or threatening about the images. The tension is created by the story itself. But the experience of being called names, forced out of a family or circle of friends and wanting to belong are easy for children to empathize with, and Spike is a genuinely nice and lovable dog who doesn’t deserve to be treated so badly. So, around this household, the reaction to the story was rather emotional during the first reading.
In the end, not only is he adopted by the neighbor boy, Spike also rescues the neighbor’s cat (a prize winning show cat) from a would-be kidnapper and is featured in the local newspaper as a hero dog, which is much better than being the ugly dog.
Spike is thrilled when people ask if Spike is the Ugliest Dog, and his new owners respond with:
“Actually, he’s the most beloved dog in the universe – and this is just the boy to take care of him.”
The happy ending is an excellent resolution and the story is equal parts sad, exciting and happy. After that first reading, this became a family favorite. It’s the kind of story kids like to hear because they know how it will end.
–Spike, the Ugliest Dog in the Universe by Debra Frasier
Amazon.com
Although this is the part of the story that the bards tend to focus on as the bit where Hiccup was particularly Heroic, I do not agree. It is a lot easier to be brave when you know you have no alternative. Hiccup knew in his heart of hearts that the Monster intended to kill them all anyway. So he didn’t have a lot to lose.
How To Train Your Dragon (Book 1) by Cressida Cowell
Amazon.com
Although he wasn’t your usual mindless thug of a Hooligan, Hiccup wasn’t a wimp, either. Being frightened is not the same as being a coward. Maybe he was as brave as anyone else there, because he went to catch a dragon despite knowing what dragons are like. And, when he had climbed perilously to the mouth of the cave and had found that inside there was a long, twisty tunnel, he still went down it, despite not being too keen on long, twisty tunnels with dragons at the end of them.
How To Train Your Dragon (Book 1) by Cressida Cowell