The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Harvey decides to make his own Origami Yoda. He looks origami up online, finds instructions, and painstakingly works out how to fold it properly. He brings the puppet to school, where, he claims, all the boys like the puppet much better than Dwight’s. Tommy says Harvey must be an expert.

Harvey’s Yoda also gives advice. Kellen asks if Sara likes Tommy. Harvey’s Yoda promptly replies: “Hates you she does […] Laughs at you with her friends she does” (119). Just then, Sara’s table laughs at something, and Tommy looks crestfallen. Harvey tells him that, had he known what Yoda was going to say, he’d have “tried to let you down easier” (119).

Tommy comments that he never called Harvey an “expert,” and that Harvey’s description of the boys’ excited reaction to Harvey’s Yoda is a bunch of lies. He admits, though, that Harvey’s Yoda looks better than Dwight’s. He also says that Harvey is probably right about Sara.

Dwight shows up to school with a new Yoda, who promptly tells Tommy that Sara really is interested in him. Harvey waves his own Yoda at Dwight and says his is much better. Dwight admits that Harvey’s version, called the “Van Jahnke Yoda” (122), is one of the best, and that Dwight once built one himself. He points out, though, that Harvey’s Yoda lacks the crisp, accurate folds of expert origami. Harvey, angry, tries to grab Dwight’s Yoda and crush it, but the other boys intervene.

Dwight’s Yoda suggests a duel: Whichever Yoda has better answers, wins. Kellen suggests a question that might settle the issue—whether Sara likes Tommy, as Dwight’s Yoda claims, or dislikes him, as Harvey’s believes. Tommy can ask Sara to dance during the May Fun Night—it’s at the end of the week—and her answer will decide the issue. Reluctantly, Tommy agrees to think about it.

Harvey comments that he now believes in Yoda—his Yoda, that is. Tommy replies, “Yeah, right!”

Tommy goes back and forth about whether to help Dwight by asking Sara to dance. He’s tired of Harvey’s arrogance, and he’s also tired of his own timidity about declaring who his friends are. He wants to finally stand up for Dwight. To do so, he must also take a stance with Sara. As Fun Night nears, he dithers.

At Fun Night, Tommy hopes Sara isn’t there so he won’t have to ask her for a dance. But she’s there— “the cutest girl in the whole cafeteria by a million miles” (131-32), dancing with her friends. Standing by the stage, Tommy’s group notices a miracle: Lance and Amy are talking, Quavondo is dancing with Cassie, Mike is dancing with Hannah, and Dwight is dancing with Caroline. Tommy, Kellen, and Harvey are the only boys in their group who aren’t dancing.

Tommy realizes that Dwight took Yoda’s advice and fought Zack, which made Caroline fall for Dwight. He also realizes with a shock that Yoda’s insights come from Dwight, who used Yoda to get their attention and even get himself a girlfriend. All along, Dwight has been the wise one.

Dwight and Caroline, holding hands, walk up to Tommy. Dwight asks if Tommy has asked Sara to dance. Tommy tries to beg off, saying he’ll ask her at the next dance. Yoda appears and says sadly: “Still do you not believe?” (137) Tommy realizes that everyone else who took Yoda’s advice did well. He says he’ll do it.

Dwight whispers in Tommy’s ear that Sara recently asked Yoda if Tommy likes her as much as she likes him. Yoda told her to come to the dance and find out. Tommy looks toward Sara: She’s looking at him. He starts to walk toward her, but Harvey reminds him that he doesn’t know how to dance. Tommy hesitates and Harvey laughs at him.

Dwight’s Yoda says: “The Force—always may it be with you” (140). At that moment, the loudspeaker announces that the next dance is the Twist. Most of the kids don’t know what it is, but all of Tommy and Sara’s groups jump up and dance: “And without me ever having to ask her, Sara and I were together wiggling our knees and trying to do the Twist while holding hands—which isn’t easy—and laughing our heads off” (141).

Harvey writes, “No comment.”

Tommy talks Dwight into showing him how to make an Origami Yoda. Tommy makes a mess of it, so Dwight shows him a simpler way. Kellen draws the instructions, which are diagramed for readers on two pages.