The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee (Origami Yoda Series #3)

by Tom Angleberger

Overview

With Dwight attending Tippett Academy this semester, the kids of McQuarrie Middle School are on their own—no Origami Yoda to give advice and help them navigate the treacherous waters of middle school. Then Sara gets a gift she says is from Dwight—a paper fortune-teller in the form of Chewbacca. It’s a Fortune Wookiee, and it seems to give advice that’s just as good as Yoda’s—even if, in the hands of the girls, it seems too preoccupied with romance. In the meantime, Dwight is fitting in a little too well at Tippett. Has the unimaginable happened? Has Dwight become normal? It’s up to his old friends at McQuarrie to remind their kooky friend that it’s in his weirdness that his greatness lies.

This is the third case file in the blockbuster bestselling Origami Yoda series, written by Tom Angleberger, author of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side, showcasing his proven knack for authentically capturing the intrigues, fads, and dramas of middle school in “a satisfying tale of friendship and just resistance to authority” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

Praise for The Secret of the Fortune Wookieehas crafted a worthy follow-up to his break
STARRED REVIEW
"Angleberger’s third in the series continues the fun. A chorus of spot-on middle school voices and plenty of laughs are wrapped around this tale of friendship and seasoned with Star Wars references."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Tom Angleberger offers a hilarious third book in his best-selling series starring origami Star Wars characters. Angleberger’s grasp of middle-school emotions, humor and behavior is spot-on, and parents who want to get a sense of what it’s like be a preteen these days might consider reading this book. But you'll likely have to pry it out of your young reader’s hands first."
—Scripps Howard News Service

Award
2013 ReadKiddoRead Kiddos - FINALIST

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419703928
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	08/07/2012
Series:	Origami Yoda Series , #3
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	166,398
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tom Angleberger is the bestselling author of the Origami Yoda series, which includes The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and Darth Paper Strikes Back. He is also the author of Horton Halfpott and Fake Mustache. Visit him online at www.OrigamiYoda.com. He lives in Christiansburg, Virginia, with his wife, the author-illustrator Cece Bell.

Editorial Reviews

The seventh graders of McQuarrie Middle School are back—except for Dwight, creator of the original Origami Yoda, who is stuck at nearby Tippett Academy after getting suspended in Darth Paper Strikes Back. But the kids still need wise, Star Wars–themed advice, and thus the Fortune Wookiee is born. (In one of the funniest gags, the paper Chewbacca's fortunes consist of variations on "MMGGGGHHHRRRRR," requiring translation from a second puppet, Han Foldo.) As with the previous books, this story's greatest strength lies in the way Angleberger develops, distinguishes, and humanizes the main characters, who take turns narrating in chapters brought to life with a variety of typefaces and scrawled cartoon marginalia. From Kellen's romantic cluelessness and Sara's savvy to some poignant material about Dwight, who isn't doing as well at Tippett as he would have his friends believe, Angleberger shows an uncommon ability to get into the heads and hearts of middle-schoolers, while keeping humor at the forefront. Plans for a fourth book appear to be underway: as Origami Yoda puts it, "A great battle ahead I sense." Ages 8-12. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

A short time ago in a middle school not far away… The forces of good have lost Dwight and Origami Yoda to Tippett Academy. McQuarrie Middle School is suddenly as boring as linoleum flooring. On the second day of the post-Dwight era, Sara, Tommy's sorta girlfriend and Dwight's neighbor, arrives at school with a fortune Wookiee (a cootie catcher shaped like Chewbacca) and says Dwight has sent Chewie to help in Origami Yoda's absence. Kids ask advice. Sara counts off their favorite movie, spells the name of their favorite Star Wars character, lifts a flap and: "Mmmrrrgggggg!"--Chewie offers sage advice. Thankfully, Han Foldo's there to interpret, usually offering a Han Solo quote from the movies. Chewie solves several student problems as Tommy compiles a case file with stories from each, but Tommy's also concerned that Tippett Academy seems to have drained the weird from Dwight. Will Harvey expose the fortune Wookiee as a fraud? Will Dwight return to McQuarrie? Will principal Rabbski outlaw origami and destroy what little fun there is to be had at school? Angleberger's third in the series continues the fun but relies on knowledge of its predecessors, but unlike the movies, going back to the prequels is no hardship. A chorus of spot-on middle school voices and plenty of laughs are wrapped around this tale of friendship and seasoned with Star Wars references. The end is foreboding…all young Jedi rejoice! There will be a sequel. (Graphic hybrid fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews