Monday, January 23, 2012

MMGM: DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK

I'm cutting back to one Marvelous Middle Grade Monday a month (on the fourth Monday), this year, mostly because I felt like, last year, they took over my blog.

This week, I am (respectfully) disagreeing with those reviewers who didn't like Tom Angleberger's DARTH PAPER STRIKES BACK as much as they liked his THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA. If you haven't read the first one, you can click here for my review.

Darth Paper Strikes Back (Origami Yoda #2)
I put off reading this one because I didn't want to be disappointed (sequels are often disappointing), but this one is delightful. Seriously, if my middle-school-aged self had gone to school with Dwight, there's a good chance I'd have been crushing on him. I thought the ending even more brilliant than the first book's. The way Angleberger portrayed the student interaction with the various teachers and administrators reminded me of E. L. Konigsburg's THE VIEW FROM SATURDAY (my favorite Konigsburg novel). Angleberger captures the emerging independence (problem solving), the cruelty, the awkward compassion, and the defiant loyalty that set this age group apart. And he does it with humor.

I highly recommend this one, especially for Star Wars geeks. It even includes a 5-Fold Origami Yoda that converts into a 10-Fold Darth Paper. But . . . read THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA, first, you must.


If you'd like to read about more Marvelous Middle Grades, the following people would love to oblige you: 


Shannon Whitney Messenger (our founding mother)

   

14 comments:

  1. This sounds like fun. I love the title. Thanks for sharing it.

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  2. I know I want to read this along with origami Yoda, but oh goodness my tbr list is getting forever long. I will make my way to it though, I know I will.
    Thanks for the reminder :)

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  3. I haven't read either of them. I wasn't sure they were my thing. But I like what you say about the "emerging independence" and the "cruelty, the awkward compassion, and the defiant loyalty that set this age group apart." It's true, I remember well (especially the cruelty). So perhaps I'll give them a shot.

    Hmmm . . . I like your idea of cutting back on MGM. If you only post a few times a week, it can take over. Maybe I'll switch back and forth between MG and YA, since I read so much of the later.

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  4. I haven't read either of these, even though I've heard so much about them. And sequels are a hard thing . . . I agree.

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  5. I really want to try these ones on my daughter (7). I think they'd be more her thing than mine.

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    1. Anglehorn, I wouldn't hand these to a seven-year-old. I mean, I wouldn't take them away from one, but an older child is going to appreciate them more. The main characters are twelve and thirteen year olds. Of course, I wouldn't hand Harry Potter to a seven-year-old for the same reason, and I know there are a lot of younger readers who have read and enjoyed them.

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  6. Read these both, I have. (Reviewed this one, I did.)

    Nice job, Myrna. I agree that they're both hilarious.

    And I share your love of The View From Saturday, although From the Mixed-Up Files will always have a special place in my heart.

    And I understand what you mean about the blogging. Hope that works out for you, but I'll miss your insightful MG reviews on the other Mondays.

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  7. Yay for delightful sequels, Myrna! I have Origami Yoda in a to read pile (er, box, we moved and much is still packed up).

    Thanks for sharing this one, enjoy the rest of your Monday!

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  8. I have this book and can't wait to read it. I loved Yoda and I'm sure I'll enjoy this one, too.

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  9. This series is definitely more for middle school. Sorry to hear that you are cutting back on middle grade-- I always do middle grade Monday because I do middle grade EVERY day! There's so much YA blogging out there.

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    1. Actually, I'm not cutting back on middle-grade. I'm cutting back on blogging and internet in general.

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  10. I've been wanting to read these. I think this is the third recommendation I've gotten for these books, and that usually puts it closer to the top of my pile.

    Thanks!

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  11. Oh man, my son would love this. I need to look into the Origami Yoda, too. :) Fun!

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