Books › The secret of the Indian
The secret of the Indian
First published 1989 · 208 pages
A wondrous but tense childhood fantasy where the magic in the bedroom suddenly carries the heavy, real-world weight of history.
What it feels like
This classic childhood fantasy shifts the experience from pure, wondrous play into something distinctly more urgent and complex. The magic that once felt contained now spills over into high-stakes historical peril, creating a reading experience that is both thrilling and laced with a palpable sense of anxiety. The narrative moves at a brisk clip as the protagonists grapple with the terrifying realization that their magical actions have real, bloody consequences in another time. It feels less like a cozy bedroom adventure and more like a frantic rescue mission, asking its young readers to wrestle with the heavy burdens of responsibility, empathy, and the bittersweet necessity of letting go. It delights readers who crave imaginative magic but are ready for the shadows that history casts upon it.
- Mood
- wondrous
- tense
- nostalgic
- high-stakes
- Tone
- earnest
- adventurous
- anxious
- reflective
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- burden of responsibility · historical empathy · consequences of magic · loss of innocence
- The writing
- Straightforward and accessible, yet grounded in vivid, sensory details that make the miniature world and its historical realities feel intensely tangible.
- The arc
- Begins with the familiar thrill of magical discovery before plunging into the overwhelming anxiety of managing real-world historical crises, culminating in a bittersweet realization about letting go.
- Who it's for
- Middle-grade readers who love imaginative 'what if' scenarios but are ready for the moral complexity and higher stakes that come with growing up.
Content notes
- outdated cultural depictions
- historical warfare
- injury and blood
- peril
About the book
As his adventures with Little Bear continue, Omri travels from the French and Indian wars to the present, and then back to the Old West at the tum-of-the-century.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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