| The Strange Case of Origami Yoda | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Tom Angleberger |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's book |
| Publisher | Amulet Books |
| Publication date | 2010 |
| Pages | 160 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-810-98425-3 |
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a children's book written by Tom Angleberger and published in 2010. It is the first of the two books in a series called "Origami Yoda." This page also works as the "Darth Paper Strikes Back!" page.
The novel takes place at a fictional middle school, called McQuarrie Middle School. In the sixth grade is a kid named Dwight, who is the loser of the school, and a big oddball. One day, Dwight makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. But the thing is, Origami Yoda gives advice that always seems to work, and can even probably predict the future. Soon, the students at McQuarrie are convinced that Origami Yoda has a special connection to the Force. Another kid named Tommy, with the help of his friends Kellen and Harvey, arrange a case file that includes the stories of some kids' experiences with Origami Yoda.
Angleberger has mentioned that partial inspiration for the book came from Origami artist Fumiaki Kawahata, whose origami Yoda has been seen around the web. It also was from Star Wars' unique style of writing.
The theme of The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is stories of how Origami Yoda helps sixth graders. Their names are Tommy, Kellen, Mike, Sara, Cassie, Lance, Quavondo, Murky, Jennifer, Amy, and Rhondella and a seventh grader named Caroline.
Set one year after the events of the first book, "Darth Paper Strikes Back" signals the return of Origami Yoda, Tommy, Dwight, and the rest of McQuarrie Middle School, but also the return of Harvey. Who, this time, has created a new origami creation: Darth Paper. Harvey gets Dwight suspended, and so Dwight also might be expelled; but before Dwight left, Origami Yoda asked Tommy and Kellen to make a new case file for him, to prove Dwight's innocence. The book is a case file, just like the first.
A young "detective", Tommy seeks to know the truth about Dwight and Origami Yoda. He is in the sixth grade in the first book and the seventh grade in the second book. It was his idea to make the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. He has a big crush on a girl named Sara, and becomes Sara`s boyfriend at the end of the book. He writes a comment at the end of almost every file.
Not very popular, but actually cool, Dwight is the genius behind Origami Yoda, Origami Chewbacca and Origami Admiral Ackbar. Dwight has left McQuarrie to go to Tippett Academy, where his girlfriend, Caroline, goes to school after his mother decides McQuarrie Middle School`s principal is being unfair at a school board meeting after she says Dwight still might be expelled even after Tommy and Harvey make it clear that Dwight is a good kid. He is always doing weird things like wearing the same T-shirt for a month and asking people to call him "Captain Dwight". He is also one of the two worst softball players in the whole school the other one being Mike.
The hero of the series. He guides the students of McQuarrie Middle School, and gives them advice. The original Origami Yoda meets his end when thrown into the garbage along with some baked beans after Tommy tells Dwight to stop being a loser. But Dwight soon remembers the folding pattern for Yoda and re-builds him.
He is created by Harvey. He is the main antagonist of the second book, Darth Paper Strikes Back. He teases Tommy and gets Dwight expelled. He is behind an unannounced grand scheme. But ultimately, he turns good and becomes Origami Anakin.
The main antagonist of the books, Harvey has one goal on his mind, and one thing only—to prove that Origami Yoda is NOT real. Harvey is always complaining and insulting everyone. He is the creator of Darth Paper and is always boasting that his Darth Vader imitation is better than Dwight's Yoda imitation. He was Tommy and Kellen`s best friend at the beginning of the first book but they turn against him because they'd had enough of him criticizing everyone. He writes a comment at the end of almost every story.
A friend of Tommy. Kellen doodles in the case file, and he believes in Origami Yoda to the point that he NEVER even doubts him. He has a crush on a girl named Rhondella, and becomes Rhondella`s boyfriend at the end of the first book. He has Tommy write down the stories he tells through a voice recorder in the case files that he tells because he thinks writing things down is too much like homework.
A friend of Tommy and Kellen. Lance believes in Origami Yoda and is described by Tommy as being kind of weird.H becomes Amy`s boyfriend at the end of the first book. He helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
He cries when he gets worked up but he claims his tears are angry tears not "boo-hoo" tears. Mike believes in Origami Yoda. He becomes Hannah`s boyfriend at the end of the first book. He helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. He is described as being one of the two worst softball players in the whole school, the other one being Dwight.
He is a kid at McQuarrie who believes in Origami Yoda. Quavondo had the nick name "Cheeto Hog" at the beginning of the first book. Then he asked Origami Yoda for help and after he listened to Origami Yoda people stopped calling him Cheeto Hog. He helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. He becomes Cassie`s boyfriend at the end of the first book.
Tommy`s girlfriend and Rhondella and Amy`s best friend. Sara believes in Origami Yoda. She lives next door to Dwight. In Darth Paper Strikes Back, Sara is briefly Tator Tot`s girlfriend but she dumps him after they play miniature golf and Sara wins at putt-putt and Tator Tot starts being really mean and she goes back to Tommy. Sara helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
Kellen`s girlfriend(although she hated him in the second book after he hung up a campaign poster that he hoped would help her become vice president but instead it made her lose) and Sara and Amy`s best friend. Rhondella believes in Origami Yoda. She helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
Lance`s girlfriend and Sara and Rhondella`s best friend. Amy believes in Origami Yoda. She helps With the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
Quavondo`s girlfriend.Cassie believes in Origami Yoda although she is of often reluctant to take his advice.Cassie helps with the case files in The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back.
Dwight`s girlfriend. Caroline is one year older than Dwight and Tommy.She always wears hearing aids.In the first book she is a seventh grader at Mcquarrie Middle while in the second book she is an eighth grader at the private school, Tippitt Academy.
At the beginning of the first book Hannah is the girlfriend of a seventh grader named Mark and then at the end of book,for reasons unknown,she dumped him and became Mike`s girlfriend.Hannah does not help with any of the case files but she does believe in Origami Yoda.
A popular, athletic boy who never listened to Origami Yoda. He was Sara's boyfriend briefly in the second book, but after Sara and Tater Tot played miniature golf and Sara won at Putt-Putt Tater Tot started being really mean, so Sara dumped him and went back to Tommy. Mike was jealous of him at the beginning of the first book because Mike always struck out and Tater Tot always got home runs.
A Popular girl who, surprisingly, believes in Origami Yoda because she is a huge Star Wars fan. In the second book she asks Origami Yoda to help her get into the cheerleading squad and when Origami Yoda responds with "The zero hour is coming. Prepare to meet your doom". She decides never to ask Origami Yoda anything ever again and then Harvey convinces her to tell on Dwight. Later she realizes Origami Yoda meant she would be kicked out of the cheerleading squad because she got a zero in english.
In the first book Marcie is an 8th grader who asks Origami Yoda for advice and when Origami Yoda says he will tell her tomorrow she insults Dwight and the next day Origami Yoda gives her the wrong answer on purpose as a punishment for insulting Dwight. As a result she does not believe in Origami Yoda.
A school bully who is one year ahead of Dwight and Tommy but, according to Tommy, he probably failed two or three times and is probably about fifteen years old. He got attacked by Dwight in the first book after he broke Caroline`s pencils. Tommy also says that after he called a kid an idiot, who was Zack's cousin, Zack attacked him and that another time he punched Harvey in the back and that Harvey said it was for no reason but Tommy thinks it was because Harvey said something insulting.
Murky is a sixth grader at McQuarrie who is friends with Kellen. Murky, like a lot of the rest of the characters, is a big Star Wars fan. He often makes up phrases called "Murky-isms" such as "total stooky stuff" and "massively bolt", which he said in his story in Tommy's case file in Darth Paper Strikes Back.
A friend of Murky`s, Ben is a sixth grader in Darth Paper Strikes Back. He is the one who figures out how to make Dwight`s five-fold Origami Yoda into a ten-fold Darth Paper when Harvey refuses to show Tommy how to make Darth Paper.