I read this in under an hour. I wasn't LOL funny, but it was cute. Though the story is told mainly from the POV of a regular sixth-grader named Tommy, it's really about his eccentric classmate Dwight. Dwight has kind of a crazy [b:Stargirl|22232|Stargirl|Jerry Spinelli|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1195088561s/22232.jpg|963221] thing going on--but, for obvious reasons, he also made me think of Dwight from the TV show The Office, by which I mean he walked the line between likable and creepy. Ultimately, predictably, but happily, he is the hero. Hooray for kooky!

Kind of like [b:The Popularity Papers|7092306|The Popularity Papers Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham-Chang|Amy Ignatow|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61bL-uhhQmL._SL75_.jpg|7348690], this is an artifact-type book. It's a case file that gathers all the stories related to Origami Yoda, a finger puppet/oracle created by Dwight. I thought this was a great way to tell the story. It moved quickly and was very enjoyable.

Note: If your young reader is still grossed out by members of the opposite sex, he/she might not be too excited about this book, as much of the plot revolves around people liking liking other people and sweating about whether to ask them to dance. ( )

Meet Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball. Dwight does a lot of weird things, like wearing the same T-shirt for a month or telling people to call him "Captain Dwight." But Dwight does one cool thing. He makes origami. One day he makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. And that's when things get mysterious. Origami Yoda can predict the future and suggest the best way to deal with a tricky situation. His advice actually works, and soon most of the sixth grade is lining up with questions.

Great this book is. Fans of the Wimpy Kids books would probably like it, or anyone with the good sense to appreciate a paper Yoda finger puppet that gives good advice.
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Hard to keep the characters straight; relying on fonts to differentiate the narrators = weak. But a cute, enjoyable read, nevertheless. ( )

I love reading books aimed at children, well sometimes I do and others I just want to throw my hands up in the air and wonder about the wisdom of the Authors. With this book this was not the case, this is a great read, and I don’t care that I’m old and crusty with grandchildren, this is a book series I will keep on my shelves and re-read as a pick me up.

If you are a reader that loves Star Wars, or even if you come of the other camp of Trekkers, this book will have you chuckling and making you wonder how you ever made it through 6th grade yourself without the wisdom of Yoda. If you have no clue who any of the above are, read it just for the sheer enjoyment of being able to be a kid again. This little piece of fun is also a great way to get middle school children invested in reading, as the whole series pulls on characters they most like recognise from the movies, and what could be easier than that.

Like most children’s books there are no complex characters to wade through, no diabolical plot lines, this book is just kids being kids and brooding over the major concern of their time; does an origami Yoda really give sound advice that can be followed? For example: “How do you get out of a potentially embarrassing situation when you're in the bathroom and you spill water on your pants so that it looks like you peed yourself? Origami Yoda says: "All of pants, you must wet." But for all the fun stuff in this book, the little drawings and side notes as different classmates weigh in on the Origami Yoda conundrum, this book discusses a serious topic in an easy to understand way for children; tolerance. Just because one person thinks another is strange doesn’t mean we are all going to think that way, and this book is able to covey the wonderfulness of difference and tolerance in a world that is becoming more uniform and intolerant. Don’t over analyse this book hence the short review just enjoy it, and when you’re done with it use the diagram at the end to create your very own origami Yoda.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone really, and if you’re thinking of reading this in the dark don’t forget to have your trusty lightsaber on hand to help see the pages young Padawan.

“Much to learn you still have.” … “This is just the beginning!” ~Yoda
I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/08/25/review-the-strange-case-of-origami-yoda-or...





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