Tom Angleberger

When I was looking up more info on El Deafo by Cece Bell I learned that her partner is author Tom Angleberger. One of the "advanced prompts" for the 2026 PopSugar Challenge is to read books by real-life partners and when I saw Two-Headed Chicken I couldn't resist. It sounded way too absurd to pass up AND I love chickens.

This is, in fact, one of the most absurd comics I've ever experienced. There's a two-headed chicken being chased across the universe by a green moose — the chickens have a show more cap that allows them to BZOOOOP to a new universe but it takes 42 seconds for the cap to charge. (42...the answer.) They meet a fish that talks about FEELINGS and the reader who tells them to just HURRY UP ALREADY. There are quizzes by Jimmy (who IS Jimmy?) and potty humor. Plus I learned that a moose has a dewlap which is the flap of skin that hangs below their chin — because OF COURSE it has a name.

It is everything a kid would want in a book. I've never read Captain Underpants but I think this has the same vibes. show less

I don't get to read many books aimed at the 8-12 market (I wish we had a cool term for this age band like the Americans who use Middle Grade) but when I do I tend to find myself thinking that I ought to read more. Most of the titles I've read are fun and fast-paced, Horton Halfpott is certainly no exception.

The opening pages are devoted to a map of the area around Smugwick Manor and drawings of the cast of characters. Each chapter also starts with a drawing of one or more characters, I show more found these entertaining and endearing. The book has 48 short chapters, I was glad there were so many as it meant I got to see so many illustrations.

The book is narrated by an unnamed narrator who breaks the fourth wall time and time again, often with a witty aside. This works well for the plot, it keeps it moving and adds humour to an already entertaining story. I can imagine that this book would work very well if it was read aloud, the way it's written certainly feels like it would lend itself to this.

The plot is a bit like a child friendly version of an Agatha Christie story. Something mysterious happens, a famous detective is brought in to investigate, more mysterious things happen and then the mystery is solved. The addition of a potential love interest for Horton acts as an entertaining subplot, the two are woven together very well.

The cast of characters are brilliant, there are quite a few but I found I could keep track of who was who pretty easily. A lot of them are caricature-like, but this works well within the style of the book - they're often outlandish without becoming over written or silly. I couldn't begin to pick a favourite character, there were just too many that I loved.

Horton Halfpott is a thoroughly entertaining read, I enjoyed every minute of it. Throughout the book other stories about M'Lady Luggertuck are referenced, I do hope that Angleberger goes on to write them. show less

I love reading books aimed at children, well sometimes I do and others I just want to throw my hands up in the air and wonder about the wisdom of the Authors. With this book this was not the case, this is a great read, and I don’t care that I’m old and crusty with grandchildren, this is a book series I will keep on my shelves and re-read as a pick me up.

If you are a reader that loves Star Wars, or even if you come of the other camp of Trekkers, this book will have you chuckling and show more making you wonder how you ever made it through 6th grade yourself without the wisdom of Yoda. If you have no clue who any of the above are, read it just for the sheer enjoyment of being able to be a kid again. This little piece of fun is also a great way to get middle school children invested in reading, as the whole series pulls on characters they most like recognise from the movies, and what could be easier than that.

Like most children’s books there are no complex characters to wade through, no diabolical plot lines, this book is just kids being kids and brooding over the major concern of their time; does an origami Yoda really give sound advice that can be followed? For example: “How do you get out of a potentially embarrassing situation when you're in the bathroom and you spill water on your pants so that it looks like you peed yourself? Origami Yoda says: "All of pants, you must wet." But for all the fun stuff in this book, the little drawings and side notes as different classmates weigh in on the Origami Yoda conundrum, this book discusses a serious topic in an easy to understand way for children; tolerance. Just because one person thinks another is strange doesn’t mean we are all going to think that way, and this book is able to covey the wonderfulness of difference and tolerance in a world that is becoming more uniform and intolerant. Don’t over analyse this book hence the short review just enjoy it, and when you’re done with it use the diagram at the end to create your very own origami Yoda.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone really, and if you’re thinking of reading this in the dark don’t forget to have your trusty lightsaber on hand to help see the pages young Padawan.

“Much to learn you still have.” … “This is just the beginning!” ~Yoda
I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/08/25/review-the-strange-case-of-origami-yoda-or...





This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. show less

Something amazing happened. A weird kid named Dwight made an origami finger puppet of Yoda. (That wasn't the amazing thing--just typical Dwight weirdness.) the amazing thing was that Origami Yoda gave great advice. He could predict the date of a pop quiz, tell a guy if a girl likes him or not, and keep kids from embarrassing themselves in a dozen different ways. Most of the sixth graders were convinced he was using the Force.

But now, a year later, it's a dark time at McQuarrie Middle School. show more Dwight has been suspended and may be expelled, which means no more Origami Yoda. Even worse, Darth Paper, a puppet created by Dwight's nemesis, Harvey, has taken Yoda's place. He spews insults and evil and just may be responsible for getting Dwight kicked out in the first place. Now the kids of McQuarrie are trying to build a case to save Dwight. This is their case file. show less