Reviews

Surprise Attack of Jabba the Puppett: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger

fionak's review

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4.0

I'm a big fan of books where kids band together to make adults listen.

bak8382's review

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4.0

Dwight is back at McQuarrie Middle School, and not a moment too soon as Origami Yoda is needed now more than ever. All the elective classes have been replaced by the FunTime Education System in an effort to improve standardized test scores. With Captain Dwight and Origami Yoda orchestrating, Tommy is appointed the leader of the Rebel Alliance. He works with his group of friends to come up with a plan to stop Funtime for good, but has Origami Yoda finally met his match?

Like previous titles in this series this is written as a case file with Tommy as the editor of sorts commenting on contributions from all the kids. Harvey adds his two cents at the end of every story while Kellen is the illustrator. This is the first time I've read a title in this series instead of listening to it, and I have to admit I missed listening. There was a little too much happening on the page, and I kept forgetting who was telling the story.

Once again [a:Tom Angleberger|3172535|Tom Angleberger|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1307441716p2/3172535.jpg] is spot on with his description and dialogue for middle school students, and sadly Funtime isn't too far off from what is happening in some schools as standardized test scores become increasingly important. Readers of this series will not be disappointed except perhaps for the cliff-hanger ending.

sandraagee's review

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4.0

The fourth Origami Yoda book definitely pleases. I love how now just about all of the main characters have their own personal origami characters. There are definitely more Star Wars references included in this story than in books past, and while some might find that a bit cheesy I loved it. The rebellion against the school's new curriculum was really interesting to read about, and it's pretty clear that the issue will be explored even more deeply in the next book. Can't wait!

cogsofencouragement's review

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5.0

Enjoyed each book in the series & can't wait for the next one due out in a few weeks.

bethgiven's review

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3.0

Not quite as heart-warming as the original ([b:The Strange Case of Origami Yoda|7150174|The Strange Case of Origami Yoda (Origami Yoda #1)|Tom Angleberger|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1441744261s/7150174.jpg|7415356]), but still true to the heart of the series: some loyal, good-hearted middle-schoolers tackle the next big problem. This had a lot of references that adults will appreciate (Common Core, anyone?) and I enjoyed the reveal of Jabba the Puppett at the end.

We did this as an audio book on our recent road trip. Usually it's a fight between my oldest (a true bookworm) and my two middles about whether we listen to music or the book -- but this time everybody wanted the book. That's saying something. Us adults enjoyed it, too -- plenty of funny moments. Once you've listened to Harry Potter and are looking for something that everyone in the car will more or less enjoy, this might be next. (I realized while listening to this one that these books have a lot of doodled artwork in the margins, though, that I am missing on audio. I can't comment on that.)

Also, an important note: though most books in this series are stand-alone, this one doesn't -- be sure to have [b:Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue|18685287|Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue (Origami Yoda #5)|Tom Angleberger|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388984959s/18685287.jpg|26526427] ready to get the rest of the story. (We lucked out; I'd checked out both.)

Parents: these aren't your classic wholesome novels (if you're reading aloud, be prepared for "butt" and "crap" and "sucks"), but I do like the values of the characters. I'd pick this one over the Wimpy Kid series for sure.

gallaghergirl12's review

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5.0

This series is my absolute favorite and now I'm even more glad I already have Princess Labelmaker from the library. Also this one comes as a close second to being my favorite in the series, the first being fortune wookie

abstract_amber77's review

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5.0

I love this book just as much as the books that came before it, if not more so. The story of Origami Yoda continues, but this time in the form of a political statement regarding standardized testing and what the government is doing to the public education system. The fact that it ties in Star Wars characters just makes it that much more entertaining, and also help the kids to understand the concept of the book. I'm really loving this author and the message he is putting out into the universe. There is currently only one more book in the series. I hope he will soon write more.

jbojkov's review

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4.0

I'm not sure why I love this series so much- but I do. I rarely read a whole series- especially junior fiction, but I will be finishing this one. Frankly- it just makes me laugh and I love the fact that the nerds prevail.

orangerful's review

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4.0

I think this book was a big improvement over [b:Darth Paper Strikes Back|10803806|Darth Paper Strikes Back (Origami Yoda #2)|Tom Angleberger|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328766873s/10803806.jpg|15717191] and slightly better than [b:The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee|13591296|The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee (Origami Yoda #3)|Tom Angleberger|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1334086312s/13591296.jpg|19179331]. You can tell that Angleberger lives in the MD/DC/VA area because the students of McQuarrie Middle are being "punished" for the low score on the previous year's standardized tests.

I like this book a lot more because it got the entire student body involved and there was just as much story and plot as there was silly Star Wars references. It does end on a cliffhanger, so be warned! I am very curious to see how Angleberger wraps up this story, since the tests that the students are rebelling against are nationally mandated now. Can he write a conclusion that is satisfying to readers?

Guess we will have to wait to find out!

staceyw81's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

3.25