Kid Konnection: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
Dwight is in the sixth grade and he’s just a little bit, well, different. He answers questions with the name of a color and tells people to call him “Captain Dwight.” As you can imagine, those things don’t do a lot for his social standing in the middle school. One day, he makes an origami Yoda finger puppet and wears it around. It seems that Origami Yoda can predict the future, so kids start asking him for advice and they discover he’s mostly right.
Tommy can’t figure out what’s going on – is it really Dwight giving the advice or is it The Force, speaking through Yoda? When Yoda gives Tommy some potentially life changing advice, Tommy sets out to investigate and tries to get the story from lots of different people.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger is a delightful middle grade book. It’s put together as a case file, compiled by Tommy, with testimonies and interviews from many of the parties involved. The pages are made to look like crumpled paper and include darling little drawings. The best part of this book is the characters – they are so true to life and typical of middle schoolers. Some are more sophisticated than others, but they’re all trying to figure out how they fit in. I think most kids will see themselves and their friends in this book. I love the fact that it shows them that they usually have the answers, if they’d learn to believe in themselves.
I think kids will enjoy the instructions included in the back of the book for folding your own Origami Yoda.
For more children’s books reviews, go to Booking Mama’s feature, Kid Konnection. If you’d like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children’s books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, leave a comment as well as a link on her site.
What a cute title and cover! I wish there were books like this one when I was a middle-grader.
I’m glad to hear that the characters are true to middle-graders.
This sounds like a fun book, with a great message. I love the fact that the author structures it as a case file and that kids can make their own orgami figure using the book
Absolutely loved this book! I was lucky enough to win an ARC of the author’s next book and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Many of my students have a copy of this one and seem to enjoy it. I ordered it for the shelves for next year! God willing that we’ll have a library budget next year or that I will have a job! But I hope so!
that’s a really cute book. my husband is an origami fan and a nerd, and loved it!
I love origami too…and am certainly a bit nerdy too…
Sounds like a very nice book.
I love Yoda! And that’s a good book!
I loved this book, as did my boys. I remember reading it before a soccer game started, and several of my son’s teammates told me how much they liked it.
I remember how much Julie loved this. I haven’t seen a bad review yet!
We are rubbish at origami. This sounds delightful.
My son loves origami and this book sounds different from the usual. I’m sure the added effect of crumpled paper and illustrations are a hit with kids and would appeal to mine as well.
This one sounds like so much fun. Just the right type of engaging book for middle grade readers.
We saw this at the book fair the other night. I didn’t realize what it was about. I thought it involved origami that looked like Star Wars people!!
Origami Yoda… now that has to be an original.
Skywalker… do not go to the dark side… Luke … use the recycled paper NOW!
Sounds of sabers clashing now a sound of the distant past…. instead you hear….
FOLD FOLD FOLD FOLD FOLD
I liked this one, too, but have not yet attempted to make the Origami Yoda. Have you?
I didn’t try making the Origami Yoda and have passed the book on to a young adult, so I don’t have the directions anymore.
I think my nephew is currently reading this book. Now I want to read it too! Did you try making the origami Yoda?
Great review! The Girl and I enjoyed this one as well.
I tell you, I would never have found this book. My daughter would love this! I requested it at the library. Thanks!