Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Schultz
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exciting stories plus backstory on popular half-god heroes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Rick Riordan's THE DEMIGOD DIARIES includes four new stories about the half-Greek-god characters popularized in the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series. In "The Diary of Luke Castellan," Luke and Thalia are lured to a mansion full of hideous beasts. In "Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes," Percy and Annabeth are recruited by the messenger god to retrieve stolen goods. "Leo Valdez and the Quest for Buford," tells about Leo, Piper, and Jason's search for an escaped piece of furniture. And "Son of Magic," by Riordan's son, Haley, tackles the gods' and man's notions about what separates life and death. The book also contains activities for kids: a word search, word scramble, and matching game.
Is It Any Good?
Riordan's Greek books are page-turners for middle-graders and middle schoolers, and though this one doesn't stand very well on its own, it offers a similarly entertaining reading experience. With clever modern teen and kid characters, amusingly flawed gods, and scary-weird monsters, Riordan creates a world that thrills and fascinates young readers.
The book's first two stories in particular, "The Diary of Luke Castellan" and "Percy Jackson and the Staff of Hermes," combine adventure, humor, and feeling in very effective ways. While Haley Riordan's story, "Son of Magic," lacks the levity of his dad's pieces, it literally addresses the fictional characters' questions and ideas about the afterlife; it's very well-rendered and an impressive work by a teen writer.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that Rick Riordan inserts himself into this book. In one part, he addresses his audience as if the readers are demigods. In another, he writes about his own family. What does he want you to think is real, and what's fantasy?
How does The Demigod Diaries compare to other Olympus and Percy Jackson books?
What are the differences between Rick Riordan's writing and characters and Haley Riordan's?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrators : Antonio Caparo , Steve James
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Hyperion Books for Children
- Publication date : August 14, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 256
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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