It’s not that Omri didn’t appreciate his best friend Patrick’s birthday present. He was really very grateful . . . sort of. It was, without a doubt, very kind of Patrick to give him anything at all, let alone a secondhand plastic Indian that Patrick didn’t want anymore . . . but when Omri toss the Indian into the cupboard that his brother found in an alley and locks the door with a special key . . . well, that Indian goes from being the dullest present in history to the most exciting thing that has ever happened to Omri! This book is just one adventure after another. . . . you just never know what’s going to happen next. ( )

When a boy's toy Indian figure comes to life, adventure ensues!

Intermediate
Independent Reading

Primary
Second and Third grade read aloud

The adventures that Omri gets to experience in this book is any young boys fantasy. It all starts with an old cabinet and a "plass-tick" indian that Omri gets for his birthday. He is not really overly pleased with either gift but soon discovers there is more to both of them than he ever imagined. His birthday gifts end up being more amazing and entertaining than ever before. He discovers that when he puts his indian into the cupboard and locks it with his grandmother's old key, the indian comes alive. Although he is very demanding, Little Bear becomes someone special to Omri. The adventures they share range from gathering supplies for his longhouse, making fire, finding a woman indian, to becoming bloodbrothers with a cowboy named Boone. I enjoyed this book and will be reading the sequels. I like how Omri had some moral dilemmas and decisions to make in this book. A lot of great questions arose within myself so I would be very interested in reading this to students and seeing where this fantasy novel takes them.

780 L, Adventure