Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus (Origami Yoda)



Last updated Sunday, January 31, 2021

Author: Tom Angleberger
Date of Publication: 2014
ISBN: 141970933X
Grade Level: 4th    (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Jan. 2021

Synopsis: The final Origami Yoda case file from the kids at McQuarrie Middle School! After successfully fighting to save their field trip in Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue!, Tommy and the gang prepare for a well-earned day of fun and adventure in Washington, DC . . . but of course it won’t be that easy! This trip to the nation's capital will be full of shifting alliances and betrayals, carsickness and sugar rushes. Trouble starts even before the buses leave school, when Principal Rabbski decrees the field trip an "origami-free zone." Dwight secretly folds a Yoda from a Fruit Roll-Up, but will Fruitigami Yoda be a match for Harvey's sour, hate-filled pickle of darkness? Astronaut ice cream, a supersonic plane, a Johnny Appleseed sighting, and a near arrest are just some of the clues in the sweetest, stookiest, biggest, craziest Origami Yoda case file yet.

Note to readers:
•  This is book is a chapter book. Each chapter is from a different characters' point of view.
•  Read pages 1-43; pages 39-43 has a Haiku.

Discussion topics for before reading:
•  What is origami? A form of art that uses paper to fold into different creations.
•  Do any of the kids like Star Wars? This is a fun book about kids who enjoy Star Wars. You can try to point out references to Star Wars.

Vocabulary

•  Obsessed - very interested that it causes worry
•  Chaperones - an adult that looks after another person or group of people
•  Elementary - simple and straightforward
•  Veteran - a person with a long experience with something
•  Confiscating - to take away something

Discussion topics for during/after reading:
•  Do you know what a Haiku is? Short form poetry originally from Japan, 3 phrases, first line is 5 syllables, second line is 7 syllables, third line is 5 syllables.
•  What else can you make with paper? A hat, a boat, a book, a plane, etc.

Craft ideas:
•  Create a Haiku together
•  Create a Yoda origami https://www.pinterest.com/pin/201043570844283117
•  Create a paper hat https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4996249577483837
•  Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/january-2021-mysteries-new-adventures/

*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions. You can use them, but you don't have to use them. You can expand upon them, or add your own twist. Remember, though, that the focus of your time should not be on the development and execution of a craft; the focus should be on the read-aloud and the enjoyment of the book!