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Knight in Training #1

Ritter werden leicht gemacht – Drachen sind Nichtschwimmer

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Sam J. Butterbiggins' only ambition is to be a Very Noble Knight, but he has a problem - he's been packed off to the castle next door to stay with his aunt and uncle while his parents are away. Not only does he have to put up with his annoying cousin Prune, there's also the weird creatures his aunt looks after in her Luxury Accommodation for Dragons, Griffins and other Regal Beasts to contend with!

But when Godfrey the dragon gets stuck down a well, Sam and Prune have to work together to come to the rescue. Inside the well they make an incredible discovery - a scroll giving instructions on the six quests to be completed in order to become the perfect knight! Sam's ambition seems close at hand - if only Prune would stop getting in the way...

99 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2015

6 people are currently reading
52 people want to read

About the author

Vivian French

591 books142 followers
Vivian June Isoult French MBE was born in 1945 and educated at Exeter University.
Vivian French was best known in school for being extremely skinny and for talking a lot. At school she developed an attachment to words and later became an actor, then a storyteller, and finally a writer of children's books. She is the author of more than two hundred books. Ms. French lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has four grown daughters.

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5 stars
20 (25%)
4 stars
34 (43%)
3 stars
21 (26%)
2 stars
2 (2%)
1 star
1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
14 reviews2 followers
June 13, 2023
No me ha gustado nada. La historia es muy simple.
Profile Image for Weinlachgummi.
1,036 reviews45 followers
April 4, 2020
Ritter werden leicht gemacht ist Band 1 der Reihe von Vivian French, in der es um Sam geht und wie ihr sicherlich dem Titel entnehmen könnt, möchte er unheimlich gerne ein Ritter werden. Warum ich das Buch unbedingt lesen wollte lag zum einen daran, dass ich im Moment total gerne Kinderbücher lese und zum anderen an dem Untertitel. Drachen sind Nichtschwimmer, hört sich doch witzig an und wer mich kennt weiß, ich liebe Drachen und somit auch Geschichten in denen diese eine Rolle spielen.

Zu Beginn des Buches gibt es eine Vorstellung der wichtigsten Charaktere in Form von Zeichnungen. Da wäre natürlich Sam der mit Kosmo dem Kritzelvogel bei seiner Tante Eiltrud und seinem Onkel Archibald untergekommen ist. Und dann gibt es da noch deren Tochter Brunella, die Sam gegenüber leider nicht ganz so nett ist. Sehr toll fand ich auch, dass der Brunnen erwähnt wurde, da musste ich schmunzeln. Kommen wir zu meinem Highlight Gottfried, ja genau so heißt der Drache und er ist so süß.

Allgemein finde ich die Namen humorvoll und somit gut gewählt. Abgesehen von Sam, ganz klar, aber dies sieht er selbst auch so und möchte unbedingt seinen Namen ändern, denn welcher Ritter heißt schon Sam? Nein, ein Name wie Gilderoso der Großartige muss her. Wie ihr euch nun sicherlich vorstellen könnt, kommt der Humor in der Geschichte nicht zu kurz.

Ich habe die Geschichte um Sam und Nella, die Kurzform von Brunella, und wie sie versuchen Gottfried wieder unbeschadet ins Familienanwesen zu verfrachten sehr gerne gelesen. Die Sprache ist einfach gehalten und die Schrift auch eher groß, sodass es gut zur Altersgruppe passt. Empfohlen wird das Buch für Leser ab 6 Jahren und dem schließe ich mich an. Die Handlung ist leicht verständlich und passt für junge Leser gut, sei es zum Vorlesen oder selber Lesen.

Schön fand ich, wie die beiden sich annähern, da sie sich am Anfang nicht gut verstanden habe. Und so gezeigt wird, wie Freundschaft entstehen kann, und dass man manchmal auch Hinter die Fassade blicken muss. Finde ich eine schöne Botschaft, die in der Geschichte mit schwingt. Gut gefallen haben mir auch die magischen Wesen die vorkamen bzw. angedeutet wurden und ich hoffe doch sehr, dass vielleicht nun in jedem Band ein anderes seinen Auftritt hat. Natürlich neben Sam, der weiterhin versucht ein waschechter Ritter zu werden.

Ich muss gestehen, mit den Illustrationen von David Melling musste ich zunächst klarkommen. Im Klappentext werden diese als skurrilen bezeichnet und das trifft es gut. Ich fand sie keineswegs schlecht, aber musste mich erst auf sie Einstellen. Hat er doch durch seinen Stil manchmal eine eher besondere Art der Darstellung. Nichtsdestotrotz habe ich mich beim Lesen immer gefreut, wenn es eine Zeichnung gab.


Profile Image for Mohammad Malik.
4 reviews
March 3, 2022
This book was all about a boy who had a baby pet dragon but knowing knew. He secretly trained him to become a strong dragon.
Profile Image for Sean Harding.
5,789 reviews33 followers
November 24, 2018
Old fashioned simple adventure tale with knights and dragons and a number off quests to match the number of books in the series naturally, so you know what is going to happen realistically, but like most books it is not about the destination, but the journey.
Let's face it 95 plus percent of books have the destination as an obvious place, but the journey is what we are there for, and this one is ok!
1 review
June 27, 2020
I've had this book sitting in my room for ages so i just picked it up and started to read it. And this book makes me sad because this book used to be my little brothers but sadly he died at the Hospital.
Profile Image for You Libro.
6 reviews
September 29, 2020
Ho letto questo libro con mio figlio. E devo dire che ne siamo rimasti davvero entusiasti. Così ho acquistato la serie fini al tre. Peccato che ora il 4 e gli altri numeri sono reperibili solo in lingua inglese.
Profile Image for Shiela Laramore.
153 reviews9 followers
January 20, 2024
Harry wanted me to read this, and when someone recommends a book to me I feel like they’re sharing a little part of their soul. It was cute! It would have been nice if Prune could have been a knight as well.
Profile Image for Elfeeza Ehsan.
239 reviews8 followers
February 3, 2017
An entertaining book. A simple story young readers can follow and enjoy. I enjoyed reading it and would love to read more from this series. Will recommend this book to my younger students.
Profile Image for Rosie.
265 reviews2 followers
August 14, 2018
A good story but not a favourite like some books.
Profile Image for Ambur B..
77 reviews
January 14, 2024
Vivian French does it again. Fantastic characters, compelling story and humor to boot. Dandy the Doodle bird was my favorite thing she’s created so far.
Profile Image for Lynn  Davidson.
8,201 reviews35 followers
September 29, 2023
Sam was staying with his Aunt Eglantine (Egg), his Uncle Archibald, and his annoying cousin Prunella (Prune) while his parents were away in their castle. Sam wants very much to be a knight, and while he and Prunella are trying to rescue a small dragon, Sam finds something that leads him to believe it is possible to be a knight. Entertaining story with great illustrations. Not a picture book.
Profile Image for Anita Kovacevic.
Author 27 books31 followers
August 23, 2016
What a perfect partnership this is - Vivian French & David Melling made me giggle and cheer while reading!
This is a witty, delightful and funny story about a boy named Sam who wants to become a knight. He practically stumbles into his first quest of saving a proper, though not huge, dragon, with the unexpected help of his unlikely companion, cousin Prune!
The illustrations and language fit together perfectly. The characters are delightful and you can practically hear them speaking from paper/screen, right from the eeky dragon Godfrey to the posh Aunt Eglantine. I simply cannot decide who is my favourite character!
It is so lovely to see Sam and Prune develop their initial animosity into partnership. The dialogue is just perfection! It made me want to read the book out loud, and I cannot wait to read and role play it with my ESL learners.
Overall - pure wit-filled delight for children of all ages. Even as young as myself;).
Profile Image for Wilde Sky.
Author 16 books40 followers
September 22, 2015
A young boy (who dreams of being a knight) has to help a young dragon.

This was a reasonable story for children.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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