The Indian in the Cupboard (Library Binding)

by Lynne Reid Banks (Author), Brock Cole (Illustrator) "Omri and Patrick had spent many hours together playing with their joint collections of plastic toys..." (more)
Key Phrases: seed tray, seed box, Little Bear, Bright Stars, Action Man

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
What could be better than a magic cupboard that turns small toys into living creatures? Omri's big brother has no birthday present for him, so he gives Omri an old medicine cabinet he's found. Although their mother supplies a key, the cabinet still doesn't seem like much of a present. But when an exhausted Omri dumps a plastic toy Indian into the cabinet just before falling asleep, the magic begins. Turn the key once and the toy comes alive; turn it a second time and it's an action figure again.

The Indian in the Cupboard is one of those rare books that is equally appealing to children and adults. The story of Omri and the Indian, Little Bear, is replete with subtle reminders of the responsibilities that accompany friendship and love. For kids, it's a great yarn; for most parents, it's also a reminder that Omri's wrenching decision to send his toy back to its own world is not so different from the recognition of their children's emerging independence.

The Indian in the Cupboard is also available in Spanish (La Llave Magica.) (The publisher recommends this book for children ages 9-12, although younger kids will enjoy hearing it read aloud.) --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Review
Praise for The Indian in the Cupboard 'An assured piece of story-telling, well able to stand comparison with older classics." Times Educational Supplement "Enthralling and hair-raising reading." TLS "The Key to the Indian is a swiftly-moving, tightly-plotted, exciting, funny tale, which will keep the reader firmly hooked and frantically turning the pages." Carousel Praise for The Secret of the Indian "There have been many famous stories in which children's toys come alive: this book is in the same great tradition." School Library Association --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439518866
• ISBN-13: 978-1439518861
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (125 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning imaginative journey, August 14, 2004

By	S. D Haynie "girlranger" (carlsbad, nm United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Indian in the Cupboard (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is fascinating in many regards. One, it's got magic: a real, true, amazing bit of magic. Two, it explores the friendship between two kids, complete with the sudden I-hate-yous and all. Three, it presents children with some thought-provoking scenarios. Should the children continue to make people until everybody has a wife, etc, or should the children return all the people to plastic after they've witnessed the real emotions and personalities of those people. The book asks deep moral questions in a way that kids can handle.
This would be a great book to read aloud. It's got enough action and a fast-paced storyline that kids would just love to hear you read it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story , August 6, 2007

By	CookieBooky (www.CookieBooky.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indian in the Cupboard (Mass Market Paperback)

It's Omri's birthday and his brother and his friend have gotten him gifts that don't seem like the best gifts in the world. His brother gave him a cupboard that he found in an alley. And his friend, Patrick, gave him a plastic Indian figure. There's nothing too magical about these items and Omri is less than interested in them until he finds a key among his mother's extra keys that fits the cupboard.

He finds that when he puts a plastic figure in the cupboard and then locks the cupboard with that particular key, the figure comes to life! With a little experimenting, he finds that if he then locks the live figure back in, it returns to its original form.

Now Omri has a live Indian (a very small live Indian) living in his room. Sounds pretty neat, huh? Well, Omri soon finds out that it's not so easy to be responsible for another human being no matter how small they are.

The Indian's name is Little Bear and he makes demands on Omri such as asking for supplies to make a longhouse, paint for decorations and - most importantly - food. Omri has to go to great lengths to help Little Bear while at the same time keeping the Indian a secret from his family and friends. When he finally does tell his friend, Patrick, Omri regrets it.

Patrick wants to play with the cupboard but he doesn't care that the figures are occupied by real human beings with real feelings. This gets both he and Omri in trouble.

This book is an interesting look at what happens when something that seems like it would be the coolest thing can turn out to not be so fun once reality hits. It is also interesting to see the empathy that Omri has for these small beings and how he tries to care for them and show Patrick how to care for them too. It also explores the dynamics of their friendship and touches lightly on the familial interactions between son and parents and brother to brother.

While this is a book about boys, the story is not for boys alone. Girls will enjoy this story about a 'magical' experience. Boys will definitely love this and may even try locking up their action figures in every cupboard in the house to see what happens. It's a quick and interesting read for those who are easily distracted.

I am concerned about the descriptions of all the historical characters especially the Native American (as one reviewer has been specific about the 'racist' nature of it.) So I would not recommend this for someone looking for an accurate description of Native Americans, cowboys or WWI medics but perhaps it could be used to start a discussion about stereotypes. Also I would not recommend this to someone looking for a fantasy novel.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for people with imagination!, July 15, 2002

By	Mocha Chip (Southern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Indian in the Cupboard (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was amazing! I find many books that I liked but this one's in the top ten. Lynne Reid Banks must have a lot of imagination if she is able to create a full and exciting book with a boy and an action figure.
I remember that when I was growing up I always wanted to have my toys come alive. This story is terriffic and now that I have the sequel I can't wait to read it. I also plan on reading the other books. I got the list of this series and listed it below.

The Indian in the Cupboard

The Return of the Indian (the one I'm reading)

The Secret of the Indian

The Mystery of the Cupboard

The Key to the Indian.

I plan on reading all these books in order and enjoying them from cover to cover.