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Planet Tad #1
Planet Tad
Twelve-year-old Tad is a blogger with a plan, in the book Jon Stewart calls "hilarious to anyone who ever went through, is currently in, might go to, or flunked out of middle school." Tad has an Survive seventh grade. He also wants grow a mustache, get girls to notice him, and do a kickflip on his skateboard. But those are not the main reasons he started a blog. Tad just has a lot of important thoughts he wants to share with the world, Here is the first thing I have learned about having a dog in your Don't feed them nachos. Not ever. This highly illustrated and hilarious book is by the Emmy® Award-winning former head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart , and is based on a column in MAD Magazine . Through a series of daily entries, readers are treated to a year in Tad's blog that will leave them in stitches. MAD Magazine and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © E.C. Publications. (s14)
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
December 18, 2012
Told in a diary style, Tad is a 7th-grader who is looking to make a few changes in his life and he is bound and determined to: survive the school year, grow a mustache, get girls to notice him, and do a flip on his skateboard. From January 1st all the way through December 31st Tad tries his hardest, but things don't always pan out for him. He ends up starring in an elementary school play, breaking his best friends already broken camera, and hacking off his parents a lot.
Tad is a pretty insightful kid and there were several stories that were very funny! This would be an excellent read aloud book for a family. Especially those with some sibling rivalry! We get to know Tad pretty well and see the boy means well most of the time. His younger sister is even more clever and the banter between the two were highlights. I wish this story had a little more sustenance - really no set story arc - but kids will enjoy his adventures and wild times. Grade 4+
Tad is a pretty insightful kid and there were several stories that were very funny! This would be an excellent read aloud book for a family. Especially those with some sibling rivalry! We get to know Tad pretty well and see the boy means well most of the time. His younger sister is even more clever and the banter between the two were highlights. I wish this story had a little more sustenance - really no set story arc - but kids will enjoy his adventures and wild times. Grade 4+
April 4, 2013
Tad, who is in seventh and eighth grade during this particular year when he begins blogging, is trying to find his way in the world. His concerns are those of the typical middle grader--he'd like to find a girlfriend and become more masculine. His almost daily blogs are succinct and read like a series of jokes since he's constantly putting his foot in his mouth and getting in trouble. One of my favorite parts of the book involved Tad receiving notes in his locker from a secret admirer. The resolution of the mystery about the sender is quite funny. Anyone looking for a good laugh or really, several chuckles, will find plenty here. Planet Tad really is a crazy world. The author, by the way, totally nailed his obsession with playing online games.
October 3, 2014
This is a book about Tad blogging and surviving 7th grade. He had 4 resolution's for the year. The first one was to start shaving. The second one was to do a flip on his skateboard. Third one was to get more girls to notice him, and his last one was to finish 7th grade. Tad made me laugh with his funny antics like when he was watching deal or no deal with his father and thought to himself what if it was deal or no deal and eel. I also learned to not give a dog nacho food, ever. This book may cover all the crazy people you went to 7th grade with. Well I hope your peers didn't add dinosaur heads to family photo. Well I hope my 7th grade year doesn't go as awkward as Tads.
May 26, 2012
Planet Tad by Tim Carvell.
If you like Mad Magazine you will love Planet Tad. Tad is a 12 year old boy that is in 7th grade. He decides to write a blog about his life. The entries span a year and all the fun, mishaps, pondering and zaniness that is in Tad's life. Planet Tad is fun for all ages - well most all ages 8-99 and if you don't believe me, then your a square.
Not only did I highly enjoy this laugh out loud book, but so did my wife and kids. I kept having to steal it back from them.
I received this ARC book for free from the author for a fair and honest review.
If you like Mad Magazine you will love Planet Tad. Tad is a 12 year old boy that is in 7th grade. He decides to write a blog about his life. The entries span a year and all the fun, mishaps, pondering and zaniness that is in Tad's life. Planet Tad is fun for all ages - well most all ages 8-99 and if you don't believe me, then your a square.
Not only did I highly enjoy this laugh out loud book, but so did my wife and kids. I kept having to steal it back from them.
I received this ARC book for free from the author for a fair and honest review.
July 31, 2013
For a book penned by the head writer of The Daily Show, I expected more. It's not like I feel like I lost hours off my life by reading it, but it wasn't my favorite read of the summer. I liked Tad, and I got a pretty good sense of his life, but some of the situations seems like they were pulled straight from Everybody Loves Raymond. Again, not a horrible read, but others have done better with the genre of "dorky guy writes a diary/blog/journal."
May 11, 2014
Planet Tad falls in the "survive middle school" category of books. It's like an alternate universe of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, except for the fact that it is a bit of a dirtier version of Wimpy Kid, one example being the reference to monkeys giving lap dances. Tad is just a regular, mundane boy. It didn't have any description of anything, which made me sad to have to look at illustrations to see what characters look like. But the jokes were a bit funny...
January 2, 2014
Gut bustingly funny... I don't want to spoil it but I want the sequel!
October 18, 2019
A more mature and refreshing approach to books similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Tad, the main character, is relatable, funny, and witty. His thoughts and ideas are hilarious, and the format of the book is genius, along with the stories. If you are looking for a quick laugh, make sure to pick this book up!
February 13, 2016
I am not entirely sure what to think of this book. At times it was pretty good, at times it was just bad or made my eyes roll so hard they almost popped out of my head.
I do like the format, the emoticons that tell us how Tad feels during that day, and I liked that he wrote something every day, even if it was just a short little part. Not many kids would keep it up like he did, most would just give up, or end up just doing a few days and forgetting to do it every day.
But while this is all nice, it does get a bit boring, and his reviews/thoughts on movies or games or books tend to get a bit bleh, and instead of laughing, I was just wondering how the hell he thought up those things, and why anyone would think this.
I also wondered about Tad's intelligence, at times he seemed quite a bright boy, but sorry, at times I was seriously wondering if he was actually 12/13-years old, or if he was more like 7 or 8-years old. The stuff he says or does, he wasn't always nice to his sister (though I have to say he was honest about stuff).
The book is also just another one in the category: Boy or girl aged 11 to 14 decides to write diary, telling us about everything that happens there, about girls or boys, about games/movies. Typically for that kind of book it also has illustrations. It seems there is quite a market for these kind of books as there are quite a few out there and I keep seeing new books popping up with the same formula. Maybe I am just getting a bit bored with this kind of book, maybe I have my belly full with the same kind of formula. I also don't like how the main characters generally think they are dorks/losers. And sure, they aren't popular or anything, but it isn't bad to be a dork or nerd, and you don't need to feel like a loser or like you need to impress someone, just enjoy your time in school with the friends you have.
I didn't entirely like the parents (didn't like how they bribed their way through stuff) or Sophie (the sister, who was (typically) highly annoying).
The illustrations were really nice, I do like them and they added something extra to the story, at times it also got more funny because of them.
Would I recommend this book? Only if you are not full yet about this kind of subject, and don't mind lame humour or stupidity, then try this book out.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I do like the format, the emoticons that tell us how Tad feels during that day, and I liked that he wrote something every day, even if it was just a short little part. Not many kids would keep it up like he did, most would just give up, or end up just doing a few days and forgetting to do it every day.
But while this is all nice, it does get a bit boring, and his reviews/thoughts on movies or games or books tend to get a bit bleh, and instead of laughing, I was just wondering how the hell he thought up those things, and why anyone would think this.
I also wondered about Tad's intelligence, at times he seemed quite a bright boy, but sorry, at times I was seriously wondering if he was actually 12/13-years old, or if he was more like 7 or 8-years old. The stuff he says or does, he wasn't always nice to his sister (though I have to say he was honest about stuff).
The book is also just another one in the category: Boy or girl aged 11 to 14 decides to write diary, telling us about everything that happens there, about girls or boys, about games/movies. Typically for that kind of book it also has illustrations. It seems there is quite a market for these kind of books as there are quite a few out there and I keep seeing new books popping up with the same formula. Maybe I am just getting a bit bored with this kind of book, maybe I have my belly full with the same kind of formula. I also don't like how the main characters generally think they are dorks/losers. And sure, they aren't popular or anything, but it isn't bad to be a dork or nerd, and you don't need to feel like a loser or like you need to impress someone, just enjoy your time in school with the friends you have.
I didn't entirely like the parents (didn't like how they bribed their way through stuff) or Sophie (the sister, who was (typically) highly annoying).
The illustrations were really nice, I do like them and they added something extra to the story, at times it also got more funny because of them.
Would I recommend this book? Only if you are not full yet about this kind of subject, and don't mind lame humour or stupidity, then try this book out.
Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/
July 1, 2015
7th grader Tad has started a new blog in which he records daily events from his life, and his hilarious takes on pop culture. From his family and friends, including his (possibly evil genius) sister Sophie, to film and pop culture, Tad shares his take on everything. Tad’s blog entries are short and sweet, and are accompanied by funny illustrations from Holgate. This book is a fast read and includes some laugh out loud moments.
I picked up this book because it was written by the head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and also featured blurbs on the back written by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. With guys like that endorsing the book, I was sure it would be fun. Planet Tad didn’t disappoint. Although it was at times repetitive and a little disjointed, it was very funny. Some of the jokes did not feel exactly like jokes a 7th or 8th grader would make, but I think kids will find this book really enjoyable. As a kid that loved reading Mad Magazine, I know this is the kind of book my 7th grade self would want to read.
I picked up this book because it was written by the head writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and also featured blurbs on the back written by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. With guys like that endorsing the book, I was sure it would be fun. Planet Tad didn’t disappoint. Although it was at times repetitive and a little disjointed, it was very funny. Some of the jokes did not feel exactly like jokes a 7th or 8th grader would make, but I think kids will find this book really enjoyable. As a kid that loved reading Mad Magazine, I know this is the kind of book my 7th grade self would want to read.
May 13, 2014
A pretty fun book featuring a seventh-grade blogger who makes funny observations about a variety of things (from the Wizard of Oz to the Gift of the Magi). The book tracks one year in his life and is presented as if it's his blog -- though this is really merely a jumping off point, since the illustrations don't seem to be presented as though they're JPGs or anything like that.
I found the humor to be clever but at times, it started to just feel like a structure for allowing the author to compile a bunch of witty observations. Not something necessarily this little seventh grader would say.
That said, the book reads well and there were at least a couple of times when I really did LOL.
And one last thing -- even though I'm giving this the same star rating as I did Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I actually preferred this one. So that's more a function of there not being enough stars I guess to really distinguish between the two.
I found the humor to be clever but at times, it started to just feel like a structure for allowing the author to compile a bunch of witty observations. Not something necessarily this little seventh grader would say.
That said, the book reads well and there were at least a couple of times when I really did LOL.
And one last thing -- even though I'm giving this the same star rating as I did Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I actually preferred this one. So that's more a function of there not being enough stars I guess to really distinguish between the two.
March 25, 2015
There was no plot to this book. No problem, no resolution, no adventure or magic or pirates or anything.
BUT WAIT....
THAT WAS THE POINT, PEOPLE!!!
It's a BLOG!! Did you THINK it would have a point? Jeez!
The humor in the book was great. It really made you think about things you'd never imagine thinking about! Including, how there isn't an "i" in "team", but there is a "me" in team. Or why exactly it matters that the guy in Green Eggs and Ham doesn't like green eggs in ham. Or how Luigi never gets upset about the game being called "Mario Brothers" and not "Luigi Brothers." Those strange wonders of the universe are yet to be explored! It makes sense that this was written by an Emmy winning show writer, because this is totally the kind of thing kids these days would like!
BUT WAIT....
THAT WAS THE POINT, PEOPLE!!!
It's a BLOG!! Did you THINK it would have a point? Jeez!
The humor in the book was great. It really made you think about things you'd never imagine thinking about! Including, how there isn't an "i" in "team", but there is a "me" in team. Or why exactly it matters that the guy in Green Eggs and Ham doesn't like green eggs in ham. Or how Luigi never gets upset about the game being called "Mario Brothers" and not "Luigi Brothers." Those strange wonders of the universe are yet to be explored! It makes sense that this was written by an Emmy winning show writer, because this is totally the kind of thing kids these days would like!
April 27, 2016
The book I read for my book report was Planet Tad by Tim Carvell. The genre of this book is realistic fiction. The story takes place at Lakeville Middle School where main character Tad and his best friend attend. The book is basically about how to survive middle school and how stressful it is. Tad feels left out. He isn't popular and he wants people to notice him. His parents say he should be himself. He disagrees and still isn't viewed as popular. I rated this book four out of five stars, because it shows how a child feels. People of any age should read this book, because it can tell other kids that they are not the only person with that problem. Adults should read it to feel what it is like to be a kid.
April 13, 2018
This book was super funny. A good laugh if you have been having a bad day. The best part of this book is I think all of the unexplainable references that Tad makes to certain events that go on in his life. I espically like how he thinks about his sister Sophie's actions, and the fact that he is mostly jealous of the attention that she gets. The thing that makes me love this book so much is the little emojis on the top of the page that state how Tad felt that day. It really helps set the mood of the blog posts and makes you think about it a little more. All in all, this was a really good story, and I hope this review helps someone. :)
December 12, 2014
I would recommend to kids who liked The Strange Case of Origami Yoda or Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This book is an almost completely character driven blog of humorous pop culture observations. Had a conversation with a boy who let me know this book hit its mark.
October 8, 2018
Will quickly date itself.
April 17, 2013
Tad keeps a daily blog, offering readers one highlight from every day of the year. I thought this was a hilarious and easy read. Definitely would recommend to reluctant boy readers.
December 1, 2017
Written by a former head writer for The Daily Show, Planet Tad describes twelve-year-old Tad’s seventh grade career, one hilarious blog entry at a time.
Will Tad grow a mustache? Get girls to notice him? Survive his summer as a hot dog? Ever learn not to feed his dog nachos? You’ll have to read his blog to find out.
Why The Ten-Year-Old likes it: “It’s like a gateway into his emotions.”
Will Tad grow a mustache? Get girls to notice him? Survive his summer as a hot dog? Ever learn not to feed his dog nachos? You’ll have to read his blog to find out.
Why The Ten-Year-Old likes it: “It’s like a gateway into his emotions.”
April 19, 2019
I'm certainly not the intended audience for this book, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's a year-long diary of a boy just about to hit puberty. We learn about his extraordinary desire to want to shave and his difficulties with friends and teachers. He just cannot help his smart mouth and boorish ways.
January 9, 2018
I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a good book, but it was kind of all over the place. Random thoughts throughout the book distracted you from the plot. If you are an elementary/middle school boy, you might enjoy this book.
August 23, 2018
hahaha it was hilarious. Light/easy read. I found it REALLY funny XD. this may sound weird, but it definitely seemed to let me release stress it was so care-free. seriously. I recommend it to middle-grade kids who want a super funny and easy read!
January 8, 2019
I thought Planet Tad was a good book with funny aspects to it. I didn't like how there was zero plot line to the book because everyday he said something different and sort of random. If Tim Carvell would've added a plot line to structure the book it would've been much more enjoyable.
February 25, 2019
Probably closer to a 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this a lot more than I probably should’ve. This is written diary style by a 7th turned 8th grader who’s writing about his life. Would recommend for a quick and cute read!
January 11, 2018
AMAZING
January 5, 2019
It's funny and a lot of work was put into it.
March 15, 2020
I like it because he made a story of his life and he is Super cool.
May 6, 2020
Oh Tad.
Oh Tad.
I love a good story told by journal (well, blog) entries.
Things just never go quite right for Tad.
It used to be a feature in Mad Magazine.
Still cracks me ujp.
Oh Tad.
I love a good story told by journal (well, blog) entries.
Things just never go quite right for Tad.
It used to be a feature in Mad Magazine.
Still cracks me ujp.
August 30, 2020
3.75. Funny even if the jokes are a bit dated.
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April 27, 2021I can not even read the frinkin thing fix your suctions dump not working app btw I’m only ten and this was a dare but I can’t read the book and I don’t now why?
March 8, 2017
This kid Tad has multiple missions to do like getting girls to notice him or knowing how to do a kick flip. Mainly to finish seventh grade. There is another which is to start shaving. Can he complete his missions? Will he survive seventh grade? I like how each day he has a mood for it and how you could relate. It's kinda like the diary of a wimpy kid books especially having it take place in school.. If you like the diary of a wimpy kid books you will like this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews