The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Tommy isn’t a stalker. He just needs to know the truth about Dwight.

Secrecy he must have.

Can you blame Tommy? The fact is, Dwight can go berserk at any moment. One time Miss Toner, the phy-ed teacher, sent Dwight to the equipment room to grab the dodge balls. Dwight didn’t come back. Luckily for Tommy, Miss Toner didn’t send him to search for Dwight. She sent Lance instead. When the one man search party named Lance found him, Dwight banged on the equipment door and screamed, “Squirrels! Come save me!” Undaunted, Lance easily opened the door that baffled Dwight. Dwight thought the door opened from the other direction. Cries for attention you think Dwight does.

Tommy isn’t a spy, he just needs to know the truth about Dwight. Collects evidence he does. Tommy discovered some crumpled notes that once belonged to Dwight. They look like referrals. I think you need to hear what they say. [read detention slips, pp. 76-77]

Can you believe it? Dwight wears an origami finger puppet at school! It obviously gets him in trouble with Mr. Howell. The puppet resembles Yoda from Star Wars. Dwight does a terrible impression of Yoda’s voice, but whenever Origami Yoda speaks Tommy’s classmates listen. Origami Yoda amazes them with incredibly sage advice on how to deal with their middle school issues. Origami Yoda offers this suggestion to a boy with a popularity problem: “Cheetos for everyone you must buy.” Well, everyone knows Dwight is completely nuts, but Origami Yoda, have the force he must. Tommy is incredulous that everyone treats them as two separate people or entities. Don't they know they are one in the same? You could say,"Fools rush in," or, “Rush in fools do,” but no matter how you say it, Origami Yoda would find a way to turn it into some golden nugget of wisdom.

Tommy isn't a stalker, spy or private eye. Tommy just wants to know the truth about a boy named Dwight. Tommy wonders how someone as crazy as Dwight is able to beguile all his friends. How can they think Origami Yoda is real? How can someone as loony as Dwight offer helpful advice to others when he can’t even help himself? ...Or can he?

Find out we must.

If you like funny school stories with a little Star Wars thrown in, then I would recommend, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger. Read this book you should.

To create your own Origami Yoda take a look at Tom Angleberger's demo on You Tube.



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Origami Yoda made me think about the book Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen. I'm not sure how it did. If you can explain this to me, please let me know.......