BOOK NOOK

What we're reading together...The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Origami Yoda is a realistic fiction book (Level T 5th grade). It's the first book in a New York Times Bestselling Series of four.

Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it's a novel in graphic cartoons so it's important for kids to see the pictures as you read and it's a great book for a shared reading time via projector.

The main character Tommy has a problem. Should he trust Origami Yoda's advice or will that just make him look foolish?

This book is written on a fourth or fifth grade reading level but the subject material (tween girl and boy relationships) and some of the language are more appropriate for 6th grade. It uses phrases like "pain in the butt" and "full of crap" that some parents may object to so be cautious.

Here are a couple of our accompanying activities:

• Learning origami-- the Japanese art of paperfolding: while the instructions for folding Origami Yoda are in the back of the book, there are plenty of internet directions for any type of object you might want. Plus, origami is great for teaching symmetry and reflections in math.
• Dancing the Twist-- watch it on YouTube and then try it out!