The Force May It Be with You!

I have been hearing good things about these two books by Tom Angleberger, and I am glad I finally moved them to the top of my TBR pile for Christmas reading.  I laughed all they way through both titles and can’t wait to release these into the classroom.  I already had students begging to take them home over Christmas.  I’m glad I kept them for myselft because I have a feeling they won’t spend much time on my bookshelf.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Amulet Books 2010)

Tommy has a problem.  Should he or should he not ask Sara to dance at the school Fun Night?  Even more important–should he trust the advice of Origami Yoda?  Does Origami Yoda really tap into the Force, or is it just a paper finger puppet made by Dwight, arguable the wierdest kid in school?

In order to get to the bottom of this mystery, Tommy creates a case file.  Every student who asked Origami Yoda a question writes their story.  Both Tommy (the confused) and Harvey (the skeptic) leave comments at the end of each case.  My favorite, though, are the drawings by Kellen.

At the end, Tommy may not have an answer as to whether or not Origami Yoda is real, but he and his friends can celebrate Fun Night by doing the Twist!

Darth Paper Strikes Back (Amulet Books 2011)

Just when I thought the story couldn’t get any better, Angleberger comes up with a sequel that surpasses all my expectations.  It must have pleased a lot of other readers, too, because it is one of the midde grade winners for the first ever Nerdies Awards!

Darkness threatens to take over McQuarrie Middle School.  Dwight (creator of Origami Yoda) has been kicked out of school and Harvey has taken over with Darth Paper (an origami finger puppet of…you guessed it).  It is up to Tommy to save Dwight by creating another case file, this time to take to the school board.

Not only do we learn more of Origami Yoda’s amazing powers (count me in as a believer), we learn the power of friendship.  I can’t say more without spoilers, so you’ll just have to see for yourself how it all works out.

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