I love that my kid is so into Star Wars instead of some other crap that I wouldn’t be able to like or share with him. Although there have been some hints of Pokemon popping up, I may assign that to my husband. Mommy ain’t got time for that.
So this is a kid-focused Star Wars-adjacent book. The story takes place at McQuarrie Middle School, with the kids in 6th Grade. It’s presented as a “case file,” investigating whether an Origami Yoda finger puppet made and wielded by the weird kid (Dwight) is real, and actually uses the force. Dwight’s the oddball kid who has trouble communicating normally. He’s kind of friends with Tommy and Kellen, the main storytellers. Harvey is the antagonist, the kid everyone hates but doesn’t know how to get rid of.
Tommy gets kids at the school to tell stories about their encounters with Origami Yoda and how the puppet helped them. It helps a boy not cry when he strikes out in PE, gives another boy courage to dance with a girl. Yoda seems to know things that no one else knows, like when a pop quiz is imminent, and how to make the school fundraiser work better. Not everyone buys it, and the principal in particular really doesn’t like the puppet.
Like I said, this book is targeted at kids, so it’s not exactly my cuppa, but my son loves this stuff, and I don’t mind reading it with him. This is the first book in a series, which we’re working our way through (like we do). He wanted to make sure that I said that this is a good book for kids, even though he’s only going into 3rd grade, and that some of the language and behavior in the book aren’t always great examples. That’s my boy.