The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is a children's novel written by Tom Angleberger that was first published on March 1, 2010, by Amulet Books. It follows the story of a young boy named Tommy who is trying to figure out if his classmate Dwight's origami Yoda puppet can actually predict the future or if it is a hoax that Dwight created.
It became the first in a series of popular Star Wars themed novels penned by Angleberger, which includes Darth Paper Strikes Back!, The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, The Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett, Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue, and Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus as well as an activity book titled ART2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling.
Plot Dwight is a sixth grader at McQuarrie Middle School who is considered to be weird. One day, Dwight folds an origami finger puppet of Yoda, a popular Star Wars figure. Through an imitation voice, Dwight offers advice to his classmates through Yoda. Some students at McQuarrie soon become convinced that Origami Yoda has a special connection to the Force, while others remain skeptical. A fellow sixth-grader named Tommy decides to write a case file to prove if Origami Yoda is real. He convinces a number of students to write about their experiences with Origami Yoda, while his friend Kellen illustrates the file. However, Tommy's friend Harvey, who has always been cruel to Dwight and is skeptical about Origami Yoda's wisdom, attempts to disprove Origami Yoda's connection to the Force.
Inspiration Angleberger has stated that partial inspiration for the book came from Origami artist Fumiaki Kawahata, whose origami Yoda has been seen on the Web.
Angleberger has stated that McQuarrie Middle School was inspired by S. Gordon Stewart Middle School in Fort Defiance, Virginia, which he attended as a child.
Main characters
The main characters in the book are Tommy, Dwight, Kellen, Yoda, Harvey, Sara, and many more.
Origami Yoda Dwight's finger puppet that he brings to McQuarrie Middle School. He is known for being able to predict the future using the Force. At first, many students believe that Yoda is entirely controlled by Dwight, and Harvey repeatedly attempts to prove he is a phony, but eventually almost every student at McQuarrie turns to Origami Yoda for advice. Yoda is generally willing to offer advice to whoever asks, though he might offer the wrong advice to someone who insults him, such as when he sabotages a rude eighth-grader in the spelling bee. Strangely, Yoda's opinions sometimes differ from Dwight's, such as when he recommends not seeing a vampire film, Parasite Within, because it will be "cheesy", but Dwight is excited to see the movie.
The instructions for folding the original Origami Yoda are never revealed, and it is unknown how Dwight randomly knew how to fold him. Instructions for two simpler versions of Yoda can be found in the back of the first two books, including an "emergency five-fold Yoda."
Dwight Tharp Dwight Tharp is the sixth (later seventh) grade oddball who owns Origami Yoda. He is best known for his outlandish behavior and many strange or disgusting hobbies; these usually get him in trouble or picked on. He provides the voice for Origami Yoda (which many consider a poor Yoda impersonation) and is said to have created this version himself (in the in-book universe, instructions for other origami Yodas exist). Despite Dwight's strangeness, Origami Yoda's wisdom has helped many students. Angleberger has stated that Dwight has undiagnosed Asperger syndrome.
In the second book, Dwight was suspended and faced expulsion for an apparent threat made by Yoda, as well as the possibility of being sent to the Correctional and Remedial Education Facility (CREF), a reform school for bad kids. After hearing Tommy's case file and Harvey's defense for Dwight's actions at a school board meeting, Dwight's mom understands the good her son had done for the school, though the board of education is not as understanding. This results in Dwight's mom telling off the school board and transferring Dwight to Tippet Academy, a private school his best friend (and implied love interest) Caroline attends.
In the third book, Dwight is shown to have given up Origami Yoda, and appears normal. The reason behind this is the other Tippet Academy students are emphasizing the need to care for "special" students and are treating Dwight differently from each other. Tommy and the rest of the students eventually convince Dwight to come back to McQuarrie Middle School where he will feel more at home.
In the fourth book, Dwight and Origami Yoda help Tommy begin the Origami Rebel Alliance against FunTime (an extremely basic and boring TV series designed to improve test scores), but Dwight eventually quits the rebellion for fear of getting in trouble again, though Origami Yoda remains a member. Later in the fifth book, Dwight is revealed to be "Princess Labelmaker", who helped convince Principal Rabbski to change sides and help get rid of FunTime.
In the sixth book, Dwight attends the field trip to Washington, D.C., with several lime-flavored Fruit Roll-Ups that he could fold into quick "Fruitigami Yodas" which could help guide the students on the trip. Later, he writes his first and only chapter for the case file concerning the departure of Origami Yoda in the "Mail-linium Falcon", which apparently was Yoda mailing himself to a kid named Micah.
Tommy Lomax Tommy Lomax is the main narrator of the books, he has written the case files that concern a question most students have (such as "Is Origami Yoda Real?"). He is shown to suffer from self-doubt, usually turning to Origami Yoda for an answer. He also appears to be greatly neglected by his rather dull parents. In the first book, he puts together the first case file when he has to decide whether or not to ask Sara to dance at McQuarrie Middle School's monthly PTA fun night. He eventually decides to do it, at which point Dwight reveals Sara does like Tommy, and had asked Yoda herself if Tommy felt the same way about her, with Yoda telling her to "go to the dance and find out".
In the fourth book, Tommy becomes the leader of the Origami Rebel Alliance, with an origami Obi-Wan Kenobi. In the fifth book, he delivers a speech concerning the student's feelings about FunTime, and appears in the local newspaper the next day.
In the sixth book, Tommy attends the field trip to Washington, D.C., in the bus driven by Mr. Good Clean Fun, slightly disappointed that he is not on the same bus as Sara. He is one of the students who went to the National Air and Space Museum, and along with Kellen, Lance, and Harvey threw paper airplanes which got them in trouble with Mr. Howell, causing him to forcibly trade his group of students with that of Mr. Good Clean Fun's so he could watch them closely. Later after everyone had made amends with each other, Tommy and Sara have their first kiss, which makes Harvey angry enough to punch Tommy in the face, giving him a bloody nose. As Tommy recovers, he is told by Dwight's last Fruitigami Yoda to search his feelings, after which Tommy deduces Harvey's feelings for Sara and understands that whatever he says to Principal Rabbski will determine Harvey's future. Still seeing good in Harvey, Tommy covers for him and says that he tripped when walking down the bus aisle. At the end of the case file, he writes that Harvey is his friend again, and that Sara and himself were now an official couple.
Darth Paper Created by Harvey Cunningham, an antagonist of book 2, Darth Paper Strikes Back. He teases Tommy and gets Dwight suspended. He is behind an unannounced grand scheme. Ultimately, he turns to the Light side and becomes Origami Anakin.
Harvey Cunningham The main antagonist of the first two books, Harvey, is focused on a single goal—to prove that Origami Yoda is not real. Harvey always complains and insults everyone. The creator of Darth Paper, he repeatedly boasts 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 turned against him, as they are fed up with him criticizing everyone. He writes a comment at the end of almost every story. Angleberger has confirmed that Harvey is autistic, though this is never stated in the series itself.
In Book 3, Harvey turns to supporting Tommy, Kellen, and Dwight with some of his end comments, even to the point of adding his own contribution to the mini Dwight Case File.
In Books 4–5, Harvey joins the Origami Rebel Alliance with his Darth Paper (now Anakin Skyfolder) puppet in which he creates a longterm study of the effects of FunTime, which show that it decreases accuracy and focus, rather than increase it.
In Book 6, Harvey is once again the main antagonist, having created Emperor Pickletine, with a real pickle as the face, He also creates a "Flying Darth Vader" paper plane (which fell down and bounced off Mr. Howell's head). Revealed in this book, he had secretly been in love with Sara just like Tommy (there were several hints in the previous books). After Sara kisses Tommy, Harvey gives in to his anger and punches Tommy in the face, giving him a bloody nose, though he immediately regrets doing so. Tommy, seeing good in Harvey, covers for him and says that he tripped. Later, Harvey is now fully reformed and portrayed as being much more friendly and complains less, as well as accepting Origami Yoda.
Kellen Campbell Kellen Campbell is a sixth (later seventh) grader who believes in Origami Yoda and is Tommy's best friend. He enjoys doodling above all else and always adds doodles to the case files which Tommy allows as they look like real people. Kellen does not normally write his own chapters in the case files because he feels it is too much like homework and has trouble writing neatly (which his mom chews him out about), so he instead speaks what he wants written on a recorder and has Tommy write it down. In the first book, he is in love with Sara's friend Rhondella, and was seen dancing with her at the PTA fun night end of the book. But in the second book, he damages his relationship with her when he ruins her campaign for school secretary when he hangs up promotional posters he made that depicted Rhondella as Princess Leia.
In the third book, a sixth grader named Remi falls in love with him. Rhondella, who at this point believes she and Kellen couldn't be a couple since she has matured more than him, comes up with a plan with Sara to help Kellen know Remi's feelings for him, in which Sara makes a "Fortune Wookiee" and origami Han Solo that will tell Kellen he can't be with Rhondella, though this makes Kellen not believe in the fortune Wookiee.
In the fourth book, Kellen joins the Origami Rebel Alliance, with an origami Luke Skywalker.
In the sixth book, Kellen attends the field trip to Washington, D.C., in the bus driven by Mr. Good Clean Fun. As he exits the bus, Mountain Dew is accidentally sprayed on his pants by Lance, creating the impression that he wet his pants (mimicking an incident in the first book involving sink water). Additionally, several classes and students (including Rhondella) saw him, much to his embarrassment (ironically, Origami Yoda had prevented this same incident from being seen in the first book). He goes to the National Air and Space Museum, and along with Tommy, Lance, and Harvey threw paper airplanes on a balcony. His plane flies straight and gets stuck on the wing of the Bell X-1, requiring for an expensive claim to be filed to remove the plane, though it inexplicably falls off on its own (it appears to have been done by Fruitigami Yoda with the force). At the end of the case file, it is revealed that he and Cassie had become a couple.
Sara Bolt