We’re huge Percy Jackson fans in my house. I’d been trying (and failing) to get my son to read the book for years, and after he blew through the TV series during a nasty bout of pneumonia, it immediately became our read-aloud bedtime pick. Even though I heartily share it with my brood, your family is not mine, so here’s everything you need to know to decide for yourself if Percy Jackson is appropriate for kids.
The Percy Jackson book series is classified as Middle Grade, meaning its target audience is roughly 8-12 years old.
Common Sense Media says the book is appropriate for ages 9+.
The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board rates Percy Jackson PG.
Common Sense Media gives it the green light for kids 9+.
I generally agree with Common Sense Media, but I think they’re a touch conservative with this one. Or, rather, there’s more nuance. I think both the book and the TV series are appropriate for the target audience of 8+.
My 6-year-old had no issues listening to the book. She’s a tough-as-nails little sister who’s been exposed through her brother to things he never would have been at her age (second babies, amIrite?). I would think twice about letting her watch the show, since it’s a different beast to see the scary monsters, but I’d probably allow it under parental supervision.
I share this to illustrate that if you’re raising an extra-sensitive soul, it’s probably wise to wait — but if, say, your little one didn’t blink at Star Wars, they’ll probably be fine.
With BrightCanary monitoring, it’s easy to stay on top of the TV shows, movies, and books your child is talking to their friends about.
Neither the book nor the show has any profanity.
With kids’ books published 20 years ago, you always run the risk of encountering problematic stereotypes and outdated ideas. There were a few instances of ableism (the use of the word “crippled,” for example) and fatphobia that made my skin crawl, but they were honestly mild compared to literature standards of the time.
I simply paused and briefly explained why that kind of language and thinking is outdated and harmful. Kids can understand nuance better than we tend to give them credit for.
I haven’t read book two yet, but I’m told it includes the r-word. Not great, but it’s spoken by a bully, so at least it’s not presented as a positive. Personally, this wouldn’t stop me from sharing it with my kids, but I would use it as a teachable moment.
In step with the times, the Percy Jackson books are super white-coded, while the newer TV series does a good job of racial diversity — the whipsmart, no-nonsense Annabeth is played by the talented Leah Sava Jeffries.
Occasional ableist language in the book aside, both the book and the movie do a decent job of disability representation; Percy’s ADHD and dyslexia are portrayed as strengths, and his mentor is a wheelchair user (played in the series by the incomparable Glynn Turman).
There’s no nudity. There’s innocent tweeny flirting and mentions of conception in relation to the kids’ immortal lineage, but nothing explicit.
As expected, considering Percy and his friends are battling gods, there’s a lot of violence in both the book and the movie. There’s also tween bullying, exploding vehicles, and plenty of sword fighting.
However, deaths are stylized and not gory; aside from one beheading, characters fade to dust when killed. Percy’s stepfather drinks and abuses his mom, but it’s discussed rather than depicted and is more obvious in the book than the show.
The book features vivid descriptions of scary monsters, some of which are nightmarish onscreen (I’m looking at you, Sirens). Percy’s mother is also thought to be dead for an extended time, and he and his friends are under near-constant peril.
Percy’s stepdad smokes cigars and drinks excessively, and a taxi driver smokes a cigar. A surfer mentions mushrooms, but in a way that’s likely to go over kids’ heads.
The Percy Jackson books and the Disney+ TV series are both appropriate for kids and delightful additions to your child’s reading and watching rotation.
Both feature violence and can be scary. Some outdated tropes show up in the book, but needn’t be dealbreakers because they can be used as teachable moments. Overall positive representation (especially in the series) overshadows occasional negative stereotypes. The book is appropriate to read aloud to younger kids, but the series is scarier and might be worth waiting until 8 or 9, depending on your child’s temperament.
Stay in the know about the media your child consumes. Thousands of parents trust BrightCanary child monitoring for insights, summaries, and alerts on iOS.
