Tim Carvell

I got a copy of this book to review through the Amazon Vine program. It’s not the type of thing I normally read, but sounded so funny that I had to give it a try. This ended up being a very well done book and a highly amusing read. There were parts of this book where I was laughing so hard I was almost in tears.

Tad is your typical twelve year old and has some specific goals for the upcoming year: 1) start a blog, 2) shave for the first time, 3) Get girls to notice him, and 4) do a kickflip show more on his skateboard. Additionally he’d like to survive seventh grade. He doesn’t start the blog to share his progress on his goals but mainly to share whatever strange and random thoughts pop into his twelve year old head.

In style the book is similar to Diary of a Whimpy Kid (which I haven’t read). It also reminded me a bit of the style used in The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda. It is much, much funnier than either and I think it will appeal to a much wider range of ages.

The illustrations included throughout add to the hilarity; they are incredibly well done and very funny.

The book is a series of blog entries done by date throughout the year. Some are short and some are long. Some are the entries are strange random thoughts and some are about his adventures in school.

Tad is a down to earth and intelligent boy who is just trying to figure things out. He’s not a wimp, he’s not nerdy, he’s just a normal boy navigating his way through middle school. He’s a great character, likable and easy to relate to.

His sister also features in many of the entries, she is young and smart and a bit evil at times...but well, she is his younger sister so what do you expect?

There are many pop references throughout, so this may not be a book that ages well...but in twenty years the current generation will be able to read it and look back fondly on the culture of their youth. At least for now all the pop culture references add to the hilarity of it all.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is so funny and Tad is so fun to read about. I highly recommend it to people of all ages. It is a super fun, super hilarious, quick read that will have you laughing your butt off...and, in my case, very happy that the whole middle school thing is well behind me... show less

Tim Carvell is the lead writer for The Daily Show, and has been writing Planet Tad for Mad Magazine for quite some time. But now, at long last, comes the first volume in what I can only assume/hope will be a series, because this stuff is just wicked funny. This is definitely a book a family could share with each other. It's a one year blog/diary of Tad's life, observations, and ruminations of being 12/13 year old. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are fans--what more to you need to know?

My big problem with this book is that the author has NO idea how a grade six going into grade seven behaves, and as a result, his twelve year old character, Tad, was not at all believable for me. Carvell mixes things from the primary years (dinosaurs and drawing dinosaurs where people's faces would normally be) with actions and things from high school such as raising an egg as a child in a health class or reading Animal Farm; both of those activities are done in high school here. So, because show more I couldn't get the feeling that Tad was an authentic twelve year old, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I might have if his actions had been believable for a middle school student. Also, it's supposed to be a blog, so having it written in a book just seemed kind of fake to me. It did have some funny comments, but overall the book just didn't work for me. I think kids who liked to read Captain Underpants as primary students will enjoy this book, but not many others. show less

Hilarious middle reader novel in blog form. Certainly appropriate for middle school boys who are reluctant readers.