by Tom Angleberger
ages: 9+
First sentence: “The big question: Is Origami Yoda real?”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Two quick things about this book before I get started: 1) I cannot spell origami right to save my life (thank heavens for spell check!). And 2) I have not seen a more cleverly designed book in a long, long time. All the way through, from the cover to the end pages, it’s just a delight to look at. The only thing that would have made it better was if the little drawings on the bottom corners would have been a flip drawing. That would have been really cool.

Sixth-grader Tommy has a problem: see, Dwight — the really uncool kid who’s only saving grace is that he’s good at origami — has made this Origami Yoda that’s been giving advice out. And, interestingly enough it’s really good advice, even though Dwight is horribly annoying and not at all someone you want to take advice from. So, Tommy has asked Origami Yoda a question about a girl he’s had a crush on the entire year, and it’s imperative — mostly so he won’t make a complete fool of himself — that he figure out if Origami Yoda is really real or if he’s just a hoax. In a series of “interviews” and “testimonies” the story of Origami Yoda comes out, and if you’re not believing in the power of the Yoda by the end, then you’re completely heartless. (Yes, I still believe in the magic of Santa. Why do you ask?)

It’s an interesting concept, and as an adult there was much to think about, especially with Dwight: does he have aspergers? (He’s good at math, but nothing else; he has a hard time in social situations; he’s always acting up weirdly.) Or is it just an 11-year-old misfit’s way of trying to fit in? It’s difficult to tell because it’s told through the point of view of an outsider — which was brilliant, by the way: it added to the mystique of Origami Yoda — but there’s some intriguing questions there. Other than that, aside from Tommy, most of the characters are very… 11-year-old boy. Which keeps the book real, I think. And the characters are almost beside the point: it’s really about Origami Yoda and making things work out for the best.

It’s also got kid appeal, as well: C really liked it; she thought it was fun and interesting. And that’s what really matters, in the end.