Use of English PRO

Cressida Cowell is the author of the (0) WIDELY-praised How To Train Your Dragon series of children's books. She spent her own childhood holidays on a remote island, where she was left very much to her own (1) ............. As a result, she became an avid reader, entertaining herself with books and developing a fervent imagination. She even (2) ............ up her own secret languages. Cowell believes that today's children still have a real ear for language, even though their attention (3) ............ may not be as great as in her day, (4) ............ them less tolerant of long descriptive passages in stories. Her books are outlandish and exciting, with vivid imagery, cliffhangers and eye-catching illustrations. Dragons seem to (5) ............ to children of all nationalities, who also seem to (6) ............ with her protagonist, Hiccup, quite easily. Hiccup's a boy who battles his way through life's problems, often against the (7) ............ Cowell is currently planning an illustrated book for teenagers. In her own words, she enjoys breaking the (8) ............ and finds that kids are open-minded enough to accept this.