Review Detail

I think we can all agree that nothing about Star Wars is normal. We aren’t aided by a group of intergalactic policemen known as Jedi, the closest thing we have to Jabba the Hut is Honey Boo Boo Child’s mom, and Darth Vader’s breathing problems could be easily fixed with an inhaler. But just because the world of Star Wars isn’t normal, doesn’t mean it’s not awesome!

That’s the message that Tom Angleber explores in “Darth Paper Strikes Back,” the second book of his Origami Yoda series. Through the adventures of Tommy, Dwight, Harvey and the gang, Angleberger shows that just because someone or something isn’t normal, it doesn’t mean it, he, or she should be feared or censored. Take Dwight for example. He goes around school giving advice through a paper Yoda puppet, and a lot of people think that’s just whack. One person in particular, the principal at McQuarrie Middle School, thinks Dwight’s abnormalness is a disruption to a properly functioning learning environment.

What “Darth Paper Strikes Back” shows young readers, however, is it’s exactly Dwight’s strange ways that contribute to learning. Dwight on his own is a bit lacking in social grace and doesn’t quite understand how to interact with others in a “normal” way. What makes Dwight a stand up guy is that he works his hardest to find a way that he is comfortable interacting with people, and sure, it’s through an origami space elf, but those interactions result in important lessons for his friends that they eventually rely on. So in the end, who cares if Dwight isn’t all that normal? Not only is he not hurting anyone, he’s enriching the lives of those around him. Maybe abnormal is becoming the new normal.