''Planet Tad'' is a 2012 comedic children's novel by

Tim Carvell Tim Carvell is an American writer and television producer known for his work on the TV satirical news series ''Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'' and ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'', as well as for his print work in publications including '' ...

. The book is based on the ongoing ''Mad'' magazine feature of the same name. ''Planet Tad'' was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News ...

in May 2012.

Plot

''Planet Tad'' consists of daily blog articles that discuss events of the day in Tad's life, as well as random thoughts he might have. The arc of the story follows Tad's attempts to fulfill his

New Year's resolution A New Year's resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise im ...

, which involve him starting a blog, finishing seventh grade, learning to perform a

kickflip The kickflip is a skateboarding trick, in which the rider flips their skateboard 360° along the axis that extends from the nose to the tail of the deck. When the rider is regular footed the board spins counter-clockwise if viewed from the side. ...

on his skateboard, getting favorable attention from girls, and starting to shave.

Sequel

The second book in the series, ''Return to Planet Tad,'' released in 2014, follows Tad in the next year of his social life in the 8th grade.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Planet Tad'' was mixed. Kidzworld.com called it a "quick humorous read".

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

and the Westend Times both praised the book, with the Westend Times citing its appeal to a wide age range as a positive feature. A reviewer for the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote that the book did have an appeal but that it "only sometimes seems like the voice of an authentic 2012 seventh grader".

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the book three stars, praising the book's funny moments while stating that ''Planet Tad'' was "heavy on consumer product and media references". Kirkus Reviews criticized the book, calling it "a phoned-in ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' wannabe" and "tedious".

References

External links

''Planet Tad'' on ''Mad'' magazine website
{{Mad magazine 2012 American novels American young adult novels Mad (magazine) HarperCollins books