The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren’t strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice. Dwight’s classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.

Review:

I'm usually not one for Tween books but with the cover this one has, it was too good to pass up, and luckily The Strange Case of Origami Yoda proved to be a funny, original, and fast-paced book perfect for any tween reader out there, especially ones who have a thing for Star Wars.

As The Strange Case of Origami Yoda begins Tommy has two questions and two questions only. Those questions? Is the origami yoda real? Not just real as in it exists but real as in it can predict the future? And is the advice Yoda has given Tommy good advice or will it make Tommy look like a grade a fool? With these two questions in mind, Tommy starts a case study of the Origami Yoda- how it got its start, the guy behind it, and all the situations in which it has been used for aid; so that Tommy can make an educated choice in the end. Though, will his choice be the right one? Only time and more pages will tell in great Tween read!

In my opinion Tom did a great job of establishing the characters in a way were they weren’t too in depth for younger readers but in one were you still received a feel of who the characters were. I really liked Tommy and his friends and how they acted and spoke like typical sixth graders. Though, my favorite out of the bunch would have to Dwight, not only the weirdest boy in the grade but the one behind the Origami Yoda. This kid is the typical weird guy associated with every school, though it was easy to see Dwight had a great heart through his creation of the Origami Yoda.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about this novel was the way it was told through different stories by sixth graders. It was quite original, and I liked how each story was able to stand on its own fully. Further more, I liked the issues the tweens faced. They weren't necessarily hard or challenging but typical ones for this age group. Tom's writing was decent and shows that he may just be the next big thing in the middle grade/tween genre. Also, I loved the fact that Tom included morals in his stories for any reader, middle grade or not.

In all, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is the prefect, fast paced read for any tween boy you know out there.

Grade: C+
 
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is now out!

Source: Publisher. Thanks, Amulet!