On Indians and Cupboards

I read The Indian in the Cupboard over the past week. I've never read it and my son (9) will be reading it this next year. I wanted to tackle some of his books over the summer so I could help him out with it. It was a good read. Some of the themes that I encountered were well written into the storyline. The boy, Omri, matures quite nicely in the context of the story.
I like the way the boy matures. He goes from thinking it would be super cool to turn all his toys into real things to understanding that the living toys are really people, not just animated toys. I also like the way he turns from a kid who throws stuff anywhere to a kid who cleans up. Losing the magic key helped on that one. The developing friendships were also interesting. As Omri matured, his status quo friendship with Patrick had to evolve. This was rough at times, but evolve it did. The friendship that developed between Boone and Little Bear was also fun to see happen. One other thing I liked was how the boys learned that their candy-coated westerns and such did not represent real life for Indians or Cowboys. Even the World War One medic gave them a pretty good lesson in the reality of trench warfare.
Some criticisms though are pertinent. The family structure in the book is awful. It is clear that the kids run the house. They are afraid of their domineering parents who take action when things get too far out of hand, but they do not respect them. Same goes for the authority structure at school and the shop where the boys buy their little plastic figures.
The whole paradigm of alternate universes made me think in terms of the antithesis. The lesson of the book is that no matter who you are or where you come from (time, country, etc.) you can befriend your opposite and even become "blood brothers" with him.
Overall, I think I'll enjoy talking through this with my son.