• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.

• Is it any good?

  5.0

• Common Sense says

  Action- and creature-packed Potter sequel.

Why We Rated This for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

• Messages:

  Friendship, love, bravery, and loyalty are always major themes in the series. So is the idea of making good choices. Diverse cast and strong female characters, but all major characters are white. A charismatically dishonest teacher gets his comeuppance.

What to watch out for

• Violence & scariness :

  Kids are in peril often, but at the hand of fantasy creatures most of the time: giant spiders attack, and a basilisk (giant serpent) has Medusa-like abilities, nearly killing characters and putting them in a rigid, comatose state -- it chases Harry in a really tense scene. Harry falls from his broom and breaks his arm, then bones in his arm are magically removed. A house elf punishes himself by hitting his head repeatedly. In a practice wizards' duel, students and teachers are thrown to the ground and a (small) snake threatens a student. A spell backfires and Ron coughs up slugs. Harry almost falls out of a flying car. Two main characters almost die in the film's climax.
• Sexy stuff :

  Not an issue.
• Language:

  Hermione is called a "mudblood" by Draco, an offensive term in the Potter world meaning "dirty blood."
• Consumerism:

  While the candy mentioned wasn't originally real, it is now: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Jelly Slugs, and more. And then there are the action figures, Lego playsets, wands, Band Aids... you name it.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

About Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Families Can Talk About