Book Review: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger (Origami Yoda #1)

Stars: 3 out of 5

Pros: Short fast read with some fun and heartwarming stories

Cons: Builds toward climax too little too late

The Bottom Line: 

I think kids will love

And since they are audience

My thoughts are minor

Average This Book Is

I still enjoy books aimed at kids.  In fact, sometimes, they are the most creative books written and they have such fun in them you can’t help but smile the entire way through.  That’s why, when I heard of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, I had to give it a try.  Sadly, this one didn’t quite do it for me.

Dwight is the weirdest kid in sixth grade, and his latest stunt isn’t helping at all.  He’s shown up at school with an origami finger puppet of Yoda from Star Wars.  And, in his best interpretation of Yoda (which is pretty bad), he’s started offering his friends advice.  It’s good advice when they choose to follow it.  But now Tommy has a problem.  Yoda is telling him to ask the girl he likes to a dance.  Should he do it?

In reality, this book is a collection of short stories written by the different characters as Tommy tries to collect evidence to help him decide if Yoda is trustworthy or not.  The author does a good job of giving the different kids different voices as they narrate.  There’s a rebuttal by a character who doesn’t believe that Origami Yoda is really dispensing the wisdom and some drawings in the margins.  It’s certainly different from the novels I normally read.

And I think that was my biggest problem with the book.  With each chapter being short and a mostly self-contained story, I just didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere.  The last part of the book does build toward something, but it wasn’t enough for me. 

The characters were fairly well developed given how short the book is.  They were certainly developed enough for me to care about some of them and for me to smile at the end of the book.

The book is only 140 pages, so I found it a very quick read.  The target age of upper elementary school students will probably tear through it almost as fast as I did.

And I’ve got to say I did find many of the stories to be fun and even heartwarming.  Some of the characters treated each other meanly, but they usually acknowledged that, so I’m okay with that, although it did make a few of the stories less than enjoyable.

I really do think this is a case of me not being the target audience.  While I can usually get caught up in a good story no matter who it is intended for, this one just didn’t grab me.  It was diverting, but that was all.

But the book is doing well, and kids enjoy it.  I can see that.  The short story format makes them feel like they are getting through something quickly.  They can relate to the characters and the situations.  And the wisdom Yoda gives is pretty funny at times.

While I won’t go beyond The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, I do recommend the books for kids.  I can see them really enjoying the books.