The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of origami Yoda. NY: Amulet Books.

Tommy, a 6th grade student, is on a mission to figure out of the origami Yoda that a strange kid in his 6th grade class, Dwight, wears on his finger.  The strange thing is, Origami Yoda didn't just help Tommy out in some situations, but he helped out other classmates too, in some ways that seemed like he could tell the future.  It doesn’t seem like Dwight has the brain capacity to be the wise Yoda.  So Tommy starts creating a little case file collection of first-hand accounts.  The accounts relay events that happened and how Origami Yoda advised the person telling the story.  At the end of each account, Tommy makes a comment, and so does his friend, Harvey.  Tommy is convinced Origami Yoda is real, while Harvey is not.  Harvey ends up creating his own Origami Yoda and competing with Dwight’s.  In the end, it’s left to the reader to decide if Origami Yoda is Dwight or he’s Dwight filled with the force. 

A fun quick read for the younger end of the spectrum of Young Adult Literature.  This is a great book to exemplify voice in writing, since there’s different stories written from the points of view of different characters.  The plot is intriguing and pretty funny as well.  Similarly aged students will find themselves relating to the different characters (and older readers might find themselves flashing back to the awkwardness of 6^th grade!).  Tom Angleberger has written as series of Origami Yoda books that have become a New York Times Bestselling Series.  Interestingly, Angleberger has also written under the name “Sam Riddleburger.” Here’s a book trailer for Origami Yoda.