Enjoy Reading This Book You Will

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger.

Amulet Books, 2010.  141 pages.  RL 4.1

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… just kidding. We don’t really have to travel that far to find today’s Reading Road Trip selection.  Let’s open The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and take a peek inside, beginning with a video review by Nolan A.:

Ready for more about the book are you?  In this smart and funny portrayal of the social workings of a middle school class, sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with “loser” Dwight, who communicates with classmates with an origami finger puppet. As the story unfolds,  Origami Yoda correctly predicts the date of a pop quiz, solves the mystery of a stolen classroom Shakespeare bust, and rescues a classmate from horrible social embarrassment.  How can Origami Yoda be so wise when Dwight appears so incompetent?  Can the puppet really predict the future?  Tommy is determined to learn the truth.  As we follow along,  we laugh a lot, realize that losers aren’t always losers, and discover that greatness sometimes comes in unlikely packages.

“Do or do not… there is no try.” Despite Yoda’s wise and simple advice, we think it might be fun to try to make an Origami Yoda.  Instructions are included in the book, or we can watch a mini-lesson from author Tom Angleberger:

As Yoda declares in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, “Much to learn, you still have.” Check out author Tom Angleberger’s blog and learn more about the book!  Click on the red-highlighted words, you will!

Small in stature, big in popularity:  Yoda, a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, trains hero Luke Skywalker to battle the evil Galactic Empire, instructing him in Jedi tradition and conduct.  In The Empire Strikes Back, Yoda proclaims, “Size matters not ... Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?”  Yoda speaks the truth.   In 2008, film magazine Empire chose little Yoda as one of the greatest movie characters of all time!

Looking for another book by Tom Angleberger are you?  Check out Horton Halfpott, or, The Fiendish Mystery of Smugwick Manor, or, The Loosening of M'Lady Luggertuck's Corset (RL 6.4).  In this goofy spoof for grades four through seven, Horton, an upstanding kitchen boy in a castle in nineteenth-century England, becomes involved in a mystery surrounding a series of thefts-- crimes which are also connected to the pursuit of a very eligible and wealthy young lady's affections.

May the force of Reading Road Trip be with you!