The Secret of the Indian

-In this sequel to The Indian in the Cupboard and The Return of the Indian, Omri and Patrick are hailed as heroes after they ward off a burglary by a gang of hoodlums. Luckily for the boys, none of the adults take much notice of the miniature bullet holes in the walls, and with the secret of the magic cupboard intact, they are free to secure medical aid for Little Bear's band of wounded Indian braves. During the melee, Patrick finds a way to send himself back in time to the Wild West, and brings back not only cowboy Boone's girlfriend Ruby Lou for a miniature wedding, but a tag-along cyclone that almost destroys the city. Though the story will delight readers with the same richness of character and deft storytelling as its predecessors, show more the action scenes and cupboard time-travel sometimes stumble in an effort to top one another, obscuring the simple wonder and detail that distinguished The Indian in the Cupboard. For all the action, the pacing of this book is slowed down because of the several shifts in point of view and time. For example, as the tension builds over what to do about Little Bear's wounded comrades, the story switches to Patrick, who is coping with life in Boone's Wild West. The cyclone from Boone's time is a too convenient deus ex machina that drives all thoughts of ``little people'' from the adults' minds and causes enough confusion and damage to let the boys cover their tracks and protect their friends from the past. Not as tightly plotted as the earlier books and it does not grow up with its readers. Rereading at a late may produce many wholes such as the ethics of ripping people from their own time to keep as pets and meddling with history. Still it is a children’s’ book, albeit with several themes that American parents might not be fond of disclosing at this point. Good for children with imagination. show less

I'm re-reading these as an adult with no small listener to be enthralled. So the feel is different. While I hugely enjoyed Book 1 (and didn't find a copy of book 2, so far), this story is not as smooth and delightful. The time-travel aspects seem disjointed and the basic "magic" of the cupboard seems a bit lost. As an adult, I had difficulty enjoying the idea of bringing an entity of the past into such a strange future. Despite these misgivings, the younger reader/listener will probably find the adventure quite thrilling.

Too much plot, too little Little Bear yet the characters and soul of the Indian and the Cupboard series are irresistible. I know there only four. I would gladly read twenty.

The Secret of the Indian is the third book in Lynne Reid Banks' popular Indian in the Cupboard series. I recently read the series all the way through and although this one is a fun read, I felt that it didn't quite live up to its potential. A new person is brought into the secret: Patrick's cousin Emma. It's a pity that Banks didn't expand Emma's role more than she did, because it would have been very interesting to see how differently young boys and young girls would react to the magic of the cupboard. As it is, we do see Emma interact with a little person for one or two scenes, but nowhere near enough. I also thought Tamsin could have been played up more as the bratty cousin who drives you crazy (don't we all have cousins/relatives show more like that?).

All in all, I enjoyed this story but it felt like a "sequel" with many of the negative connotations of that term. It clearly sets up for another story (very little, if anything, is resolved in this tale). There is another great character introduced in the person of Ruby Lou, but even she can't redeem this tale from being my fourth-favorite of the series. Still, an entertaining book and one I will certainly read with my kids. show less

Been a long time since I read this book. Things got weird but nonetheless a solid installment.

t began with the highly acclaimed classic THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD when Omri discovered he could bring to life the miniature plastic Indian, the American cowboy, and his other toy figures. In THE RETURN OF THE INDIAN, Omri found he could even transport himself and his friend Patrick into the dangerous 19th-century world of their miniature friends

Now, in an incredible new adventure, Omri and Patrick are forced to share their secret with Patrick's cousin Emma. All of England is threatened by the disastrous cyclone they have brought back from the old American West, and Emma may hold the key to survival.

No one would imagine that plastic toy figures could be brought to life by a magic cupboard. Best friends, Omri and Patrick, made the discovery, though. Their adventures with Little Bear and "Boo-Hoo" Boone, who lived in the dangerous Texas Old West, are fun, exciting and dangerous.