This is the 2nd book in the series by Lynne Reid Banks. It follows the first book The Indian in the Cupboard. In this book Omri has moved to a new town and away from his best friend Patrick. Omri decides to use his past experiences from the first book to write a short story which he enters into a competition. All of this causes him to reminisce about the past and he starts to get the urge to bring back his old friend Little Bear. Patrick on the other hand has convinced himself that it was all make believe and that none of it ever actually happened. Omri finally decides to bring back Little Bear to tell him all about his successful short story, but things are not the way he expected them to be. This begins a new adventure in the series which brings old friends back together to tackle new issues that have come up.
Lynne Reid Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. During World War II she was evacuated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, but she returned as soon as the war was over. She was educated at St Teresa's School in Surrey. She became an actress, and also worked as a television journalist. In 1960 she publisher her first book, The L-Shaped Room, which was a best-seller.
In 1962 she moved to Israel to join an Israeli kibbutz Yasur as a teacher. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson. They had three sons together. They returned to England in 1971.
She has written over 40 books, including the best-selling children's book The Indian in the Cupboard, which has sold over 10 million copies.