Angleberger, T. (2010). The strange case of origami yoda. NY: Abrams Books. Sixth-grader oddball Dwight is the protagonist in The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. In the novel, Dwight makes an origami puppet of Yoda, which draws attention from the class when Dwight starts to give them advice in the voice of Yoda. While some students believe Dwight’s creation is some sort of relation to the Force, while Tommy remains doubtful and plans to discover if Dwight’s origami Yoda is real. The novel ends with Tommy believing Dwight’s Yoda and he gets together with Sara on the dance floor. The intended audience of the book might be for ages 9 to 12. Recommendations for follow up reading would be the remainder of Angleberger’s Star Wars children’s books, including Darth Paper Strikes Back!, The Secret of the Fortune Wookie, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett!, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue, and Empire Pickletine Rides the Bus, all by Tom Angleberger. I think a lesson that might come from reading The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is any readers who has ever struggled with who to believe in a situation similar to this should relate to the story and the characters involved. I think The Strange Case of Origami Yoda meets the mental developmental criteria because the book revolves around make-believe, whether Dwight’s classmates believe in his origami Yoda or not. The book also meets the social developmental criteria because Dwight, being an oddball, gains popularity among his peers when they believe in his creation. This causes segregation among Dwight’s classmates, divided between the believers and the non-believers.
