Parents' Guide to

The Da Vinci Code

By Brad Philipson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Complex, violent thriller has controversial Jesus theory.

The Da Vinci Code Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 13 parent reviews

age 14+

Something To Watch When You Don't Know What To Watch

Entertaining and an interesting theory on Jesus. There is quite a bit of violence but it doesn't get really gory. Definitely for 14+, and the PG-13 rating on Netflix should be changed as IMDB says 14A (which is more accurate). Watched with a 14 year old and a 19 year old and neither of them could stop watching. Opened up chats about beliefs.
age 17+

Great book, mature teens and older

This is a great fictional murder mystery book. As an adult, I really enjoyed the book and recommend to anyone who enjoys murder mystery. It is fast moving, captivating action mystery that I could not put the book down. But now as a parent of advanced reading tween and teen, I hesitate to recommend to young readers. It has graphic descriptions of murder scenes, ritualistic sex, cult rituals, corporal self-punishments, etc, which I would be very cautious about offering to young teens. It has some cultish information on anti-Christian theories and views that may be very objectionable to people who are religious, and some other religious cult presence that are presented as facts (it took me some digging as an adult to figure out it's a sensationalized theory) so one needs to understand what is presented is fiction with some theory, and not a fact. So until the reader is mature enough to get over those issues (or at least exposed to sex and violence depictions and are blasé about it), I would not recommend to teens younger than 17. If you have read it before offering the book to a capable teen, well, you know what is on there. But if you have not read it yourself, consider reading it (it really is an entertaining book) before you offer it to a minor so you can decide for yourself if it is appropriate for them.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (13):
Kids say (40):

THE DA VINCI CODE, for all its success, is a poorly written thriller with a controversial hypothesis about the life of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. The characters are two-dimensional, and the plot is boilerplate suspense novel stuff. Dan Brown has villains, chase scenes, and some moments of genuine tension. None of it is earth-shattering, though its intricacy is impressive.

Despite all that, it's a fascinating read. The novel opens with a warning that implies that, although the plot is fictional, the research into the development of Christianity is genuine. Spoiler alert: Over the course of the book, Brown questions the divinity of Jesus and presents a supposed marriage to Mary Magdalene and a line of descent that survives through to contemporary times. Those who take it as a legitimate challenge to their faith will find it infuriating.

Book Details

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