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PARMA, Mich. (AP) — He makes being the weirdest, nerdiest kid in school seem pretty cool.
That's probably because the force is with Tom Angleberger. Yes, that force from Star Wars. But not in the way you might think.
Angleberger's force - which he used on Parma Elementary School students on Tuesday, Sept. 16 - involves mesmerizing kids to read with Star Wars-themed books, origami and an awkward kid named Dwight.
"He's so funny and he's so weird," said 10-year-old fifth-grader Anna Burk. "And Origami Yoda is so cool."
Angleberger is the author of the best-selling Origami Yoda series of children's books, which include "The Strange Case of Origami Yoda" and "The Secret of the Fortune Wookie."
His visit to Parma Elementary School was arranged by third-grade teacher Colby Sharp, who's become friends with Angleberger through The Nerdy Book Club, an online blog for people who love books - especially children's books.
"He finds a way to get kids to love reading while writing high-quality books for them," Sharp said of Angleberger. "If you're going to have an author come to your school, he is the one."
Eight-year-old fourth-grader Liam Gollakner couldn't agree more, the Jackson Citizen Patriot (http://bit.ly/1rrH9Nb ) reported.
"He's my favorite author," Liam said. "He puts really good details in his books. I've read all of them so far at least 10 times. I even like to make origami."
Origami Yoda is a finger puppet created by the books' main character, Dwight, who does odd things and uses the puppet' to give his friends advice.
"We can't keep these books on the shelf," Parma Elementary School Principal Sue Haney said. "He's wonderful at getting the kids excited about reading and understanding how to create a story."
Zachary Rife, 8, invited his dad Steve to see Angleberger with him at his school. It was a natural fit since Steve Rife loves everything Star Wars and the fact his son loves reading the Origami Yoda books.
"I like Origami Yoda because he's always giving advice and telling people what to do," Zachary said.
Angleberger's advice for Parma's students was to turn their ideas into stories.
"You can think big, and you can dream big," he said. "You are free to be an author."
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Information from: Jackson Citizen Patriot, http://www.mlive.com/jackson
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