The Indian in the Cupboard

Rating:
Summary: probably my favorite kid's book ever
Review: Mrs. Bedwell read this book out loud to my third grade class, and years later as I finish up grad school it still holds a special place in my heart.
The adventure begins when Omri discovers that a magical cupboard given to him on his birthday brings to life plastic toys. When he animates Little Bear, a plastic indian that lived about the time of the French Indian War, Omri's perspective on life changes.
What's special about this book is the how resectfully and seriously it takes the it's young characters and their conflicts. Omri and his friend Patrick discover that Little Bear is no toy, he is a real human being with actual life experiences. He has killed people, eats and sleeps, and remembers his own life and culture. As the two boys deal with the reality of keeping a real person concealed from others, they realize that they can't trifle with others' lives. It is this realization, and Omri's ultimate decision regarding Little Bear that make this a lovely coming of age story. Omri and Patrick learn to repect others and their beliefs.
Although Little Bear, the Native American toy brought to life is called an Indian, this book, I feel, is not chracterized by racism or stereotypes. Little Bear is not a western move redman, he's a real human being with a real human personality, and portrayed respectfully and realistically (as much as he can be, considering the plot).
This book is a definite must read for any kid, or kid at heart, who wonders what would happen if toys came to life.
"The Indian in the Cupboard" is one of four books, thought this one is the best. The final book, in which readers learn what makes the cuboard magical in the first place, detracts from the magic amd mystery of the first three books.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a magical return to childhood fantasies
Review: One of the best read aloud books ever, Indian in the Cupboard takes us on a magical journey to childhood where fantasies seem real. A young boy is in charge of a tiny, feisty indian whom he keeps in a special cupboard with a key that only he holds. He learns the excitement, value and caretaking responsibility of another human being. The imagination and detail draw the reader right into the story. As a school teacher and mother, I have experienced an emotional bonding with my students and son through this book. My son, 9 at the time, put his hands over his face and said, "Mom, this is my favorite book in the whole world." I felt a surge of joy as I watched my son become hooked on reading. One student unknowingly gave Lynne Reid Banks a wonderful compliment when I attempted to show the class a sketch of a picture in the book..."No! Don't show us the pictures!", and quickly covered his face. The descriptions and story-line of this book make it a DON'T MISS for your child's growing up years! RaNae Palme

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Summary: Review of the Audiobook - Educators Beware
Review: I recently purchased the audiobook of The Indian in the Cupboard for use in my classroom. I work with students who struggle with their reading and reading along with an audiobook increases student comprehension of the material. I was disappointed to discover that the author (Lynne Reid Banks) changed parts of the audio version. At first, I only noticed a few changes, such as trousers for leggings. Then I discovered that she completely changed parts of the text by doing adding descriptions and by changing Little Bear's name to Little Bull. I'm not sure why the author felt it necessary to make these changes, but it makes it difficult for students to follow along in the book when the audiobook does not follow the text word for word. If you plan to use the audiobook in an educational setting, be aware of these changes.

On the plus side, Lynne Reid Banks has a very pleasant reading voice. It is enjoyable to listen to her.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a magical return to childhood fantasies
Review: One of the best read aloud books ever, Indian in the Cupboard takes us on a magical journey to childhood where fantasies seem real. A young boy is in charge of a tiny, feisty indian whom he keeps in a special cupboard with a key that only he holds. He learns the excitement, value and caretaking responsibility of another human being. The imagination and detail draw the reader right into the story. As a school teacher and mother, I have experienced an emotional bonding with my students and son through this book. My son, 9 at the time, put his hands over his face and said, "Mom, this is my favorite book in the whole world." I felt a surge of joy as I watched my son become hooked on reading. One student unknowingly gave Lynne Reid Banks a wonderful compliment when I attempted to show the class a sketch of a picture in the book..."No! Don't show us the pictures!", and quickly covered his face. The descriptions and story-line of this book make it a DON'T MISS for your child's growing up years! RaNae Palme

Rating:
Summary: The Indian In the Cupboard a review by Curtiss
Review: Have you ever wished your toys would come to life? In the novel Indian

In The Cupboard the author Lynne Reid Banks tells us about a little boy

named Omri and his mysterious cupboard he got for his birthday. Omri then

places an Indian doll into the cupboard.

It is Omri's birthday and he gets an antique cupboard that can bring toys

to life. One of my favorite parts of the story is when Boone gets shot by one

of Little Bear's arrows when Omri, Little Bear, and Boone are watching a

movie about the old western times. In the movie the cowboys and Indians

are shooting back and forth until Little Bear gets frustrated and shoots an

arrow and it hits Boone.

Another one of my favorite parts in the book is when Omri and Little

bear and Boone are in the school . Little Bear and Boone are in a pouch

and Omri's friend has the pouch. Then Omri's friend is getting ready to

show a student Little bear and Boone. Omri and his friend then get into a fight.

If you want to see what happens to Little Bear and Omri, I would invite and encourage you to read Indian In The Cupboard.

Rating:
Summary: The indian in the cupboard
Review: My book I reviewed was the Indian in the cupboard. I liked this book a lot. Its about a young boy named Omri who has a poor family. For his birthday he gets a wooden cupboard for his birthday and finds a magical key to lock it. Omri finds out that the little key and the cupboard turn plastic to life. He puts a little indian in and over night it turns real. The little indian and Omri become friends, but Omri has trouble hiding him from his family and from friends. The setting takes place mostly at Omris house and school. The theme is friendship. I liked the story and i incourage others to read it.

Rating:
Summary: Stirs the imagination!
Review: I'm reading this book to my 7-year-old son and each time we settle down for a read he starts screaming, "I LOVE this book!" He identifies with Omri's delight in his Indian coming alive and is struck by the way Omri learns to love and respect him. My husband and I are enthralled by the story as well. The author has done a tremendous job of "getting inside" a little boy's head! Well done and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The Indian in the Cupboard
Review: This book was first read to me when I was in the third grade. I just reread it thirteen years later and I got teary eyed and excited throughout the story. This book appeals to both adults and children. I think that this book opens children's minds and eyes into a world of compassion, friendship, responsibility, and magic. A lonely little boy is befriended for life by a toy figure and a wild cowboy, that are both only a few inches tall. I have never read the other books in the series, but I am now looking forward to it.

Rating:
Summary: The mysterious, but magical cupboard that will change Omri¿s
Review: Indian in the Cupboard is a fascinating book. It begins when Omri's (a young boy who lives in England) birthday arrives. As a birthday present, his best friend Patrick gives him an old plastic Indian of his. As you can imagine, this is not exactly what Omri had pictured. And, unfortunately, his family is poor, so his present from them is a cupboard that his older brother found in an alley. When Omri unwraps his present, he finds that there is no key included. So his substitutes the missing key with a key from his grandmothers prized box (With the permission of his mother, of course.). Omri was impressed with this present (surprisingly), because he could not stop thinking about all the wonderful things he would soon put in it. As Omri finaly takes the precious cupboard up to his room, he discovers something amazing as he places the Indian inside and locks the cupboard door...
I enjoyed reading this book because I thought it was a very descriptive book. Such, I thought I was right beside Omri every second I read the book. I could perfectly picture all the settings, the aged cupboard, the characters, and the events like I was one of the characters. Indian in the Cupboard has the perfect balance of action, suspense, and mystery, thrill, and even, fun! I loved this book, and I look forward to reading it again.
I would recommend this book to anyone! This is a great book. Like I said, it has just the right balance of every thing you could want in a book.
And, if you get done with this book, and want to read more about Omri and his adventures, there are more great sequels to Indian in the Cupboard.

Rating:
Summary: still a classic
Review: I still enjoy this book that I first read as I child. The sheer creativity of the story makes this such an enjoyable read for anyone of any age. I love the relationship that develops between the big kids of the 20th century and the little people they bring to life from the past. This is one of those classic books that I will never tire of reading.