A review by stevenlikestoread
Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger
4.0
One Sentence Synopsis:
After finally defeating the FunTime Menace, the McQuarrie gang is rewarded with their promised school field trip that (like anything at McQuarrie) quickly takes a turn for the unexpected.
What I Loved:
This was a sweet conclusion to the Origami Yoda series and a chance to say goodbye to the characters that readers have come to know over the past 5 books. With the 7th grade characters off on their promised Washington, D.C. trip, we get to see the gang outside of their typical environment having the same misadventures as always. Principal Rabbski is along as a chaperone and bans all origami, which results in ridiculous food puns as the kids attempt to fashion their origami characters out of the snacks they brought along for the bus ride.
As a public school teacher who was reading these books, I have to say I’m a little bit obsessed with Principal Rabbski and the teachers in this book. They literally took the entire 7th grade on a field trip on the day the state standardized tests were supposed to happen. It’s only revealed in a brief scene, but the way Rabbski and the teachers stick it to the standardized testing culture that’s been ruining their school has to be one of the most badass teacher moves of middle grade literature. Or maybe that’s just my opinion… :-) Either way, I will never forget the moment she asks the students “how they did” on the tests they never took. Iconic. May real life principals be as bold.
I thought the way Tom Angleberger chose to end the series was also satisfying. The idea that Origami Yoda left to help another social outcast both preserved the mystery of his advice and gave the ending a “look how far Dwight and crew have come” aspect. While it was never explicitly stated during the series, it always seemed to me like Dwight was meant to be a young person on the autism spectrum or in some other way socially/developmentally atypical. The fact that he was an integral and needed part of the origami crew (in fact, the one who started it all!) makes me hope that many young readers get a hold of this story. Angleberger wrote a series celebrating differences cloaked in the fun of Star Wars. I’m looking forward to reading more of his books!
After finally defeating the FunTime Menace, the McQuarrie gang is rewarded with their promised school field trip that (like anything at McQuarrie) quickly takes a turn for the unexpected.
What I Loved:
This was a sweet conclusion to the Origami Yoda series and a chance to say goodbye to the characters that readers have come to know over the past 5 books. With the 7th grade characters off on their promised Washington, D.C. trip, we get to see the gang outside of their typical environment having the same misadventures as always. Principal Rabbski is along as a chaperone and bans all origami, which results in ridiculous food puns as the kids attempt to fashion their origami characters out of the snacks they brought along for the bus ride.
Spoiler
As a public school teacher who was reading these books, I have to say I’m a little bit obsessed with Principal Rabbski and the teachers in this book. They literally took the entire 7th grade on a field trip on the day the state standardized tests were supposed to happen. It’s only revealed in a brief scene, but the way Rabbski and the teachers stick it to the standardized testing culture that’s been ruining their school has to be one of the most badass teacher moves of middle grade literature. Or maybe that’s just my opinion… :-) Either way, I will never forget the moment she asks the students “how they did” on the tests they never took. Iconic. May real life principals be as bold.
I thought the way Tom Angleberger chose to end the series was also satisfying. The idea that Origami Yoda left to help another social outcast both preserved the mystery of his advice and gave the ending a “look how far Dwight and crew have come” aspect. While it was never explicitly stated during the series, it always seemed to me like Dwight was meant to be a young person on the autism spectrum or in some other way socially/developmentally atypical. The fact that he was an integral and needed part of the origami crew (in fact, the one who started it all!) makes me hope that many young readers get a hold of this story. Angleberger wrote a series celebrating differences cloaked in the fun of Star Wars. I’m looking forward to reading more of his books!