Indian in the Cupboard

I read "The Indian in the Cupboard" by Lynne Reid Banks.

The main character of this story is a young boy named Omri. The book does not say how old he is or how he looks. I think he is about my age, nine or ten years old. He is a nice kid who lives a kind of boring life. He likes to play with action figures with his best friend Patrick. Omri lives with his mom, dad and his brothers Adeil and Gillon and their pet rat.

I think the story is in modern day England. The author is not very clear of where and when. Mostly it takes place in Omri's room and partly at school and store called Yaps.

Omri gets a cupboard from his brother and a plastic Indian from Patrick on his birthday. Omri's mom gives him a special key that works in the cupboard. Omri puts his Indian in the cupboard and locks it. He hears a sound so he opens it up and finds the Indian is alive. His name is Little Bear and he is Iroquois from the 18th century. He is very bossy and wants a lot of things like meat, horse, fire, longhouse and to hunt. It is hard for Omri to keep this new friend a secret.

Omri shows the Indian to Patrick who wants to bring his cowboy to life too. Omri does not want to, but Patrick does not listen and when Omri is not around he brings the cowboy Boone to life. The Indian and cowboy don't get along. Lots of trouble begins when they bring Little Bear and Boone to school. The best friends keep fighting and get in trouble with the headmaster. Omri wants to send Boone back but Patrick does not.

When Patrick has a sleepover at Omri's house Little Bear shoots Boone with his arrow. Boone is really hurt. Omri wants to save him by bringing his medic toy to life, but the key is lost. Little Bear helps to find the key, but almost gets killed by a pet rat that is lost in Omri's room. Little Bear is lonely so Omri gets him a wife. He wants his Indian to be safe and happy and decides to send him, his wife and Boone back home. He gives the key back to his mom to keep.

I like this story because it is a cool, action filled adventure. You never know what will happen next. The characters are really funny. I laughed a lot reading how Little Bear talks to Omri and always tells him what to do. Some parts are sad like when the cowboy gets hurt or when Omri has to send them all back home. I was happy that the toys who were enemies became friends in the end. I really liked reading this book and can't wait to read the next one "The Return of the Indian".

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