The story begins when Hiccup, his friend Fishlegs, and his cranky dragon Toothless get separated from their class during Boarding-an-Enemy-Ship practice. They accidentally board a prowling Roman galley intent on provoking war. When they rescue a tiny nanodragon, they uncover a plot to steal every dragon on the Isle of Berk!

In the book that started it all, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the quiet and thoughtful son of the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan by catching and training a dragon. Can Hiccup do it without being torn limb from limb? Join his adventures and misadventures as he finds a new way to train dragons—and becomes a hero.