One might look at The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee, or any of the books in Tom Angleberger's enormously successful Origami Yoda series, and on first impression assume they are all about humor. That impression would not be accurate, however. There is an ample amount of humor in the books, for sure, but Tom Angleberger never makes a story without utilizing the full palette of literary colors, mixing shades of middle-school wisdom, intriguing plot design and spot-on characterization to paint a complete novel, not lacking in any regard. Picking up where Darth Paper Strikes Back ended, with Dwight Tharp suspended for the rest of the semester and assigned to attend another school until he's allowed back, we find even Dwight's closest friends having doubts about whether or not it's best for Dwight to retain his somewhat eccentric personality. Dwight himself may have doubts, which makes it all the more important for Tommy to start putting together another case file to help arrive at some answers, especially when a new origami Star Wars finger puppet enters the scene.
When Tommy's girlfriend, Sara, shows up to school with an origami Chewbacca (actually a kirigami Chewbacca, since it's formed out of multiple, cut sheets of paper) made to be used as a traditional cootie catcher fortune teller, it looks as if the craziness at McQuarrie Middle School isn't about to end because Dwight is temporarily out of action. Kirigami Chewbacca can't communicate on his own, though, since he speaks only in grunts, moans and low wails. He needs a sidekick, and who better to play the part than Sara's new origami creation, Han Foldo? Of course, Chewbacca and Han Foldo have more than just Sara's wisdom to back their advice. It was Dwight who gave Chewbacca to Sara, she announces to Tommy and the gang. That must mean the mysterious force which allowed Origami Yoda to dispense its pearls of wisdom in the past has now been delegated to Chewbacca, at least until Dwight is able to return to McQuarrie. The idea seems a reasonable one when Chewbacca quickly proves as trustworthy as Origami Yoda had been, fixing problems and presenting the truth even when there is no quick fix to be had. Harvey is as skeptical as ever, making it his mission to decry Sara's Chewbacca to anyone who will listen and prove the kirigami wookiee is nothing but a charade, but results speak for themselves. The advice being dispensed by the fortune wookiee is too good to believe it's all a trick.
Might there be more to the existence of the kirigami wookiee, however, than Tommy or his friends have guessed, despite Chewbacca's impressive track record? While Tommy and the others work to figure out the secret of the fortune wookiee, Dwight's situation at his new school is becoming increasingly stranger. The same idiosyncrasies for which he was routinely punished at McQuarrie are considered no problem at all in the new school, and are often even encouraged by the faculty. In fact, the other students in Dwight's homeroom have all made their own Yoda finger puppets, further marginalizing Dwight's Origami Yoda. Surrounded by students ambivalent to asking for Origami Yoda's advice and not inclined to follow its wisdom when offered, Dwight has shown a rapid trend toward behavior that for most would be considered normal, but for him is the exact opposite. What is really behind Dwight's willingness to shed everything that makes him special and act like a drone, when his friends at McQuarrie know there is so much more to him? If Tommy can't get to the root of the problem quickly enough, it could mean a permanent goodbye to Dwight, who is considering staying at his new school even after the suspension at McQuarrie has been lifted. Can Tommy find the right combination of words to let Dwight know there's no substitute for being who he truly is, even when being that person so often brings trouble into his life?
If there's a main point around which this story is centered, it's the words of kirigami Chewbacca as translated by Han Foldo on page one hundred forty-two, in response to Harvey's query about why people think him to be a jerk. "Not everyone speaks Wookiee," Han Foldo responds, which I think answers more than Harvey's personally specific inquiry. So much of the reason Harvey clashes with his peers is his driving need to prove he's right and everyone else is wrong, and to Harvey that's normal because it's what he feels the need to do. The other kids see it as annoying, rude, and sometimes even mean, but Harvey has a difficult time seeing it their way because proving himself right is simply part of his mental makeup. This sort of dissonance is, generally speaking, the larger reason for so much miscommunication and so many instances of hurt feelings between people, I believe. The way we look at the world differs from the way our friends and peers see it, and that disconnect accounts for boatloads of pain. If we would take it to heart to remember the truth that "Not everyone speaks Wookiee," it might do us a lot of good in our dealings with others. It could even help us understand the reactions of others who think us peculiar for being who we are, as hard as such unfair ridicule still may be to endure. This may also be the key for Tommy in trying to restore the Dwight everyone knows, especially if he can persuade Dwight to let the original Origami Yoda back into the picture to dispense one more round of advice. There's more to who we are as people than the perceptions of outsiders and trying to fit in with those perceptions. As Yoda says, "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter."
I'm partial to Tom Angleberger's writing, and might consider two and a half stars for The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee. More noticeably than in the first two books of the series, this one leads directly to the plot of the next, giving us a preview of what's likely to happen and setting the stage for the biggest Origami Yoda showdown yet. I look forward to the fourth book, and I recommend The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee to everyone who has had a good time so far with the first two volumes in the series.