Monday, November 26, 2012

Review #18: The Indian In the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Title: Banks, Lynne Reid. Indian in the Cupboard. Doubleday Books for Young Readers. 1985. Tr. $16.95. ISBN 978-0385170512
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Reading Level/Interest Level: 5.0/Grades 3-6
Awards: None
Series:The Indian in the Cupboard

·         Book 1: The Indian in the Cupboard
·         Book 2: The Return of the Indian
·         Book 3: The Secret of the Indian
·         Book 4: The Mystery of the Cupboard
·         Book 5: The Key to the Indian
Similar Titles: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling




Upon receiving an old cabinet from his brother for his birthday, young Omri isn’t quite sure what to do. Then one day, he places his Indian figure in the cupboard, and using his grandmother’s long unused key, finds that turning it just the right way in the lock of the cupboard door turns the tiny Indian, Little Bear, to life, bringing him out of his own time and his Iroquois tribe and into Omri’s room in the present day.

After giving in to peer pressure, once his best friend finds out about Little Bear, Omri is forced to bring to life a new tiny companion that is the beginning to the end of the book, as well as the beginning of Omri’s difficulties with his conscience, wondering if removing these little souls from their worlds is really the right thing to do. When one such tiny character, Boone, the cowboy, is almost killed accidentally,  and Little Bear demands a wife, Omri begins to realize that these are real people and the gravity of the situation is more serious than just plastic figures becoming animated.

Can Omri distance himself enough to let Little Bear go? Can he come to terms with the magic and responsibility of the Indian in the Cupboard to make things right for everyone?

In this emotional and empathetic book, readers learn how to look at the world through to others’ eyes and will come to realize that what they want, might not necessarily be what is best for the situation or the people involved. I highly recommend this book to children as young as 8, but definitely recommend that if you find, like me, that you become attached to the characters brought to life, that you carry a hanky as well.

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