Book Talk: “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda”

Are you a media specialist looking for a new book to use (or recommend to teachers) for a book club in a middle school? I recommend “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda” by Tom Angleberger

One thing your students know for sure is there are many personalities in middle school. “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda” by Tom Angleberger is a book filled with a cast of characters guaranteed your reading club members will identify with. Each chapter is written by a member of a group of friends who’s trying to determine if Origami Yoda is real or just a hoax. Could the paper finger puppet see the future? Is he really Jedi wise? Should the group of friends follow the advice given by Origami Yoda that oddball Dwight has created? With “Star Wars” references throughout, this book is a case file of Tommy’s investigation into “The Strange Case of Origami Yoda.”

The author’s unique personality shines through in the biography he shares on his website, calling out his favorite doodling pen, the fun-fact that he’s married to
author and illustrator Cece Bell, as well as his superpower of Aspergers. Tom Angleberger has written dozens of children’s books including the New York Times best selling six book Origami Yoda series. To learn more about Tom, read the author interview on Mackin.com.

Book Club Activities

Create your own 5-fold Origami Yoda.
Make Origami Fortune Tellers with words of wisdom from Yoda inside.
Eat Cheetos and talk about school
Guess who said it: Shakespeare or Yoda
Sculpt busts with Play-doh
Learn how to do The Twist by watching a YouTube Video
Skype Chat with the author

Join the Online Community

Tom sez: “I’m not necessarily all that creative. I’m more of a puzzle putter together. I take all these little puzzle pieces — Yoda, middle school problems, Cheetos — and I fuss and fuss with them until I fit them together.”