This is the real deal—a proper retelling of the Odyssey by award-winning storytellers who respect both the source material and their young audience. Lupton and Morden don't sanitize the violence or simplify the moral complexity, which means it's genuinely enriching but also genuinely intense.
The violence is mythological (monsters, gods, epic battles) rather than realistic, but Common Sense Media is clear: this is a bloody story. People die. Odysseus makes catastrophic mistakes. The journey is 'sorrowful in a profound and relentless way.' That's Homer, and that's what makes it literature.
If your kid is ready for Greek mythology—studying it in school, fascinated by Percy Jackson and wants the real thing, or just loves adventure stories with stakes—this is an excellent choice. The illustrations are gorgeous, the writing is accessible without being babyish, and it's the kind of book that builds real literary knowledge.
Just don't hand it to a sensitive 6-year-old expecting a bedtime story. This is for kids who can handle that heroes aren't always heroic, journeys aren't always triumphant, and sometimes the Cyclops eats your friends.






