Planet Tad by Tim Carvell

Planet Tad

By Tim Carvell

Published by HarperCollins, 2012

256 pages (hardcover)

Tad has an agenda: Survive seventh grade.

He also wants to: 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, like: Here is the first thing I have learned about having a dog in your house: Don't feed them nachos. Not ever. (from barnesandnoble.com)

Well, Tad definitely reminded me of a lot of middle school boys I know. He was random, clumsy, hopeful, messy, thoughtful, sarcastic, and not one to think too far in advance. This is a book that a lot of students could relate to, especially as they deal with the awkwardness that is middle school.

However… this book didn’t live up to my expectations. Maybe my expectations were too high (the author is a writer for The Daily Show after all) but it wasn’t as entertaining as a lot of books that are similar. Planet Tad is written in diary format, but there isn’t an over-arching theme, event, or goal to keep the reader hooked. Instead, it details his quirky/mundane life and lacks focus.

BUT, I am not a middle school boy. So maybe this book will be funny and appealing to them when they want something light-hearted to read.