At first, Omri is unimpressed with the plastic Indian toy he is given for his birthday. But when he puts it in his old cupboard and turns the key, ...
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Oct 13, 2007
Kacey
rated it: 
I read this as a kid and I just re-read it last week b/c I'm teaching it to my 4th graders. I love it for the vocabulary (wielded, lithely, haughtily) that I get to expose them to. I love it for the well-defined characters. Yesterday my students wrote from the perspective of Little Bear and they loved it. (Me cold. Who this big man? What want?) And I love it for the fantastical story. Great book for kids and fun to read again as an adult.
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Dec 16, 2009
Tortla
rated it: 
Meh. I don't remember this book much. I guess it was okay.
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Feb 08, 2011
Shanna
rated it: 
When Omri, a young English boy, puts a toy Indian in a medicine cabinet and turns a special key, the Indian magically comes to life. But the Indian is not merely a toy come to life, but a real person with a history who has been transported into Omri’s time, in miniature form. Complications arise when Omri’s thoughtless friend puts his toy cowboy in the cupboard to see if they will fight. The two boys then endanger the small people by taking them to school.
Unlike other fantasies wh More...
Unlike other fantasies wh More...
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Jul 26, 2008
Sophie
rated it:
This is a great book that I want to recommand to anyone. This is a fantasy which means not a book about real life but this book has the author's great imagination. Like the title, it's about the indian in the cupboard. If you put any plastic toys in the cupboard it all become real. The main character in this book is Omri and he got a cupboard for his birthday present. First he thought it's such a nothing but when he dicided to put a little indian that he got from his friend in his cupboard and l
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Dec 30, 2008
Lanae
rated it:
I read this book as a light read to jump start my near dead reading habits. It did exactly what I wanted. The narrative achieved its purpose of giving me enough conflict/suspense to keep turning the pages. I know that it is definitely below my reading abilities and feel a bit guilty for reading a children's book. However, it served the purpose and has interested me in reading again. Since it was such a quick read I get the immediate gratification of saying I've read an entire book. It did
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Dec 09, 2011
Tanya D
rated it:
Just read this to my seven year old and we both liked it. I appreciated that the author made the main character smarter than most kids in other books. For example, Omri does experiments on the cupboard to see how it works, he asks all sorts of practical questions and has to deal with lots of real consequences. At times this made the story a little sad, but I appreciated the realism in a magic story. I thought it was much better written that other similar books. The only weird part is reading the
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Nov 21, 2011
Stephanie
rated it:
Apparently many people feel that this book is full of racist stereotypes. I can see where they're coming from, starting with the outdated term Indian, as opposed to Native American (or Iroquois, in this case). Not only that, but the Indian in the book, Little Bear, speaks in very broken English, and he has a seemingly simplistic, stereotypical outlook.
However...it's hard to be mad at a book for being racist when it portrays the Indian as the wisest, bravest, most hard-working chara More...
However...it's hard to be mad at a book for being racist when it portrays the Indian as the wisest, bravest, most hard-working chara More...
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Nov 14, 2011
Mark
rated it:
This story amazed me as a child, it was one of my most favorite books, and it always made me wonder about what I would do if I ever found a cupboard like the one in the story. Of course, it is only natural for a child to want their toys to come to life and be able to talk to them and get to know them as though they were real living people. I never did pursue this vein of childhood dreaming in my writing, at least not to any extent I can identify right now. For me though, there are some thing
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Aug 12, 2011
Karl
rated it:
I'll admit it. I have a tendency to judge a book by it's cover. When a teacher- former or otherwise- hands me a book that looks like I wouldn't like it (especially a classic even though I've always loved every classic I've ever looked at) I'm always apprehensive. A perfect example of this is "The Call of the Wild" terrific book. I gave it 4 stars (now revised to five) because my teacher had me read it. If I had read that book alone I would have loved every second. So I give this
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Jan 23, 2011
Carin
rated it: 
I never read this modern children's classic, but a friend recently pushed it on me, and I'm glad she did. I definitely think it would have been a much better read if I were a kid, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Omri (what a weird name, and it isn't explained!) got a plastic Indian for his birthday from his friend Patrick, and his brother got him an old cabinet he picked up from an alley. They found a key in his mother's key collection that actually fit and worked! Omri put the Indian i More...
Omri (what a weird name, and it isn't explained!) got a plastic Indian for his birthday from his friend Patrick, and his brother got him an old cabinet he picked up from an alley. They found a key in his mother's key collection that actually fit and worked! Omri put the Indian i More...
Aug 20, 2010
Robert
rated it:
The Indian in the Cupboard is absolutely a classic and one of my favorite books from my own childhood. Having just told you that, I think you’ll agree that there’s little point in my bothering with a review. I loved this book as a kid, I read all of the sequels, and having only just rediscovered it as an adult, I found I loved it no less for having grown up (sort of). I’ve tried a couple of times to watch the movie version, but I just can’t get into it—probably because they cast American actors
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Jun 11, 2010
Justina
rated it:
The Indian in the Cupboard is about a boy who is given a small cupboard by his mother for his birthday and his friend gives him a toy plastic Indian figure. He decides to the put the Indian in the cupboard and locks it and the next thing he knows the Indian has come to life and he realizes anything he puts in the cupboard will come to life once he locks the cupboard and then unlocks. The characters are well developed Omri, young boy, learns that the power he holds with this cupboard is larger th
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May 04, 2010
Logan
rated it:
It has been many years since I read this book in 5th grade, and I was a little worried that it was going to be some awful, racist book that made all "Indians" generic and fierce in a beast-like way. I'm still reeling from discovering how hard it was to read Little House on the Prairie, where I actually had to read aloud the words "the only good Indian is a dead Indian." But this book was *wonderful*! Banks presents The Indian and The Cowboy as real, multi-dimensional people r
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Feb 26, 2010
Kathleen
rated it:
I can see where this book is problematic for a lot of people - the stereotypical writing about the Indian Little Bear and the cowboy are cringe-worthy in so many instances. I was surprised to see that the copyright was as late as it was. Having said that, I think that every child dreams of having a toy come to life, but probably never thinks through the perils of being three inches tall in a giant world. I think the author does a superb job of showing the stress of looking after the miniature
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Oct 05, 2009
Morgan
rated it: 
What a racist, dull, unimaginative book. Full of stereotypes and negative images, this book should be taught only to teach young people how NOT to write books. I only read this book for a grad class and would never recommend it to anyone. First, the writing is cliched and boring. Secondly, the way Lynne Reid Banks has portrayed the Indian (apparently, Little Bear is Iroquois) is racist and offensive. Little Bear only speaks in grunts and incomplete sentences, and the cowboy Boone wants only to k
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Jan 31, 2012
Emy
rated it:
The Indian in the Cupboard is a very moving story about a boy named Omri who discovers he has a magical cupboard that can bring plastic toys to life.
In some places, the text seems a little racist, dealing mainly with stereotypes. The most noticeable occurance of this is Little Bull, who speaks in broken 'tv' English. e.g. "Me cold." However, it is not just the Indian (Native American) who is portrayed like this, but the cowboy as well. At first, this stereotypical way of po More...
In some places, the text seems a little racist, dealing mainly with stereotypes. The most noticeable occurance of this is Little Bull, who speaks in broken 'tv' English. e.g. "Me cold." However, it is not just the Indian (Native American) who is portrayed like this, but the cowboy as well. At first, this stereotypical way of po More...
Jul 02, 2011
Beth
rated it:
I first heard this story read to me by my fourth grade reading teacher and have never forgotten it. Omri is a nine year old boy who receives some unusual gifts for his tenth birthday. He discovers that if he puts these gifts together in a particular way a tiny Indian figure magically comes to life! Omri is fascinated with his new friend Little Bear and spends a lot of time providing the items Little Bear requests of him. Omri struggles with telling anyone about Little Bear and after revealing th
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Jan 28, 2010
HaloRanger555
rated it:
This is a good book, its about a boy named Omri who lives in England and has 2 brothers named Gillon and Adiel, and his friend Patrick, who lives a few houses down from Omri and he has no siblings. On Omri's birthday Patrick gave him a plastic indian, because Omri and Patrick have a big collection. Omri's brother Gillon gave him a white cupboard that he found in a back alley because he didnt have any money to buy a real gift. There was no key for the cupboard so he couldn't open it, so Omri aske
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Sep 10, 2011
Amy
rated it:
) Genre: Junior Book/Fantasy
2) Imagine locking a plastic toy in a cupboard and magically it comes to life! A young boy, Omri, befriends an Indian and a cowboy, Little Bear and Boone, when he does just this! Though it seems fun to meet a historical figure, Omri soon realizes that time have changed and it is difficult to accommodate the needs of someone from a different historical period. Will Omri decide to keep the toys “alive” or will he return them back to their plastic form?
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2) Imagine locking a plastic toy in a cupboard and magically it comes to life! A young boy, Omri, befriends an Indian and a cowboy, Little Bear and Boone, when he does just this! Though it seems fun to meet a historical figure, Omri soon realizes that time have changed and it is difficult to accommodate the needs of someone from a different historical period. Will Omri decide to keep the toys “alive” or will he return them back to their plastic form?
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Apr 30, 2009
Claire
rated it:
A proctoring-during-STAR-testing reread.
Pros: action-packed, good characterization of Omri and Patrick, moves quickly and has pretty good writing. Keeps kids instantly engaged and reading. Even as a critical, discomfited reader I was racing through and waiting to see what would happen next (I didn't remember it from my first read over twenty years ago).
Cons: "problematic" is an understatement when it comes the ridiculous stereotypes *combined* with the whole " More...
Pros: action-packed, good characterization of Omri and Patrick, moves quickly and has pretty good writing. Keeps kids instantly engaged and reading. Even as a critical, discomfited reader I was racing through and waiting to see what would happen next (I didn't remember it from my first read over twenty years ago).
Cons: "problematic" is an understatement when it comes the ridiculous stereotypes *combined* with the whole " More...
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Jan 05, 2010
Long before there was Toy Story or Night at the Museum, there was The Indian in the Cupboard. In this absorbing, fast-paced fantasy, a young boy, Omri, discovers that when he puts his plastic toys in an old medicine cabinet and turns the key, the toy figures come to life. First, it's a miniature Iroquois Indian, then an Arabian horse, a medic from World War I, a cowboy, and, finally, an Indian maiden. Omri shares his magical secret with best friend Patrick and together they experience real-world
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Jul 24, 2009
Megan
rated it:
I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a well-written, exciting story. Many children have fantasized about their toys coming to life and will find this a fun read. However, reading this with an eye toward its treatment of Native Americans, I did see some troubling things. Little Bear speaks in the stereotypical one or two word phrases, and his speech is described as "grunting" or "snarling" rather than "speaking." Little Bear's headdress and behavior als
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Jul 31, 2010
Jacqueline
rated it:
The boys and I just finished this one. It was great. So nice to read a fun interesting book after the last few we have dragged ourselves through. Everyone begged for the story and sat still and listened which is not always the case.
There was no great message here. I guess you could say that treating each other right no matter how different would be the main lesson. But mostly this was a story that illustrated the magic of childhood. Kids live in a world where things like this More...
There was no great message here. I guess you could say that treating each other right no matter how different would be the main lesson. But mostly this was a story that illustrated the magic of childhood. Kids live in a world where things like this More...
Jun 28, 2010
This series of books are very popular among young readers. They are great stories and are very entertaining. Once again I loved this story because it stretches your imagination. I think that young adults are beginning to lose their imagination with all the fancy technology we now have. This story is very relate able and has a good story line. Omri discovers that he has a magic cupboard that with the use of a magic key can bring toy figures back to life. He brings back to life a Native Amer
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Dec 26, 2010
Linda
rated it:
This book sat on the book shelf for a long time and reading this delightful tale today felt as though I found a piece of chocolate in last Winter's coat pocket.
I marvel at the creativity that went into the concept of a young boy who is given an old cabinet and a key. When his friend gives him a plastic Indian toy as a birthday present, he locks the toy in the cabinet.
Surprised at hearing noises emanating from the cabinet, upon opening the door, a tiny Indian is found alive an More...
I marvel at the creativity that went into the concept of a young boy who is given an old cabinet and a key. When his friend gives him a plastic Indian toy as a birthday present, he locks the toy in the cabinet.
Surprised at hearing noises emanating from the cabinet, upon opening the door, a tiny Indian is found alive an More...
Jun 17, 2009
Callie
rated it:
Tema says, "I wish I could give it a 6! I liked it because the cupboard could change people and that the cowboy and the indian, and they all had weird names. It was interesting. I learned that it's not true, and I learned about longhouses."
After that euridite review from Tema, I probably don't need to add anything. But I'll say that it was a very interesting read-aloud; I was just as interested to find out what would happen next as my 6 yr old was! The vocabulary was a More...
After that euridite review from Tema, I probably don't need to add anything. But I'll say that it was a very interesting read-aloud; I was just as interested to find out what would happen next as my 6 yr old was! The vocabulary was a More...
Oct 15, 2010
Firetruck
rated it:
The Indian in the Cupboard is a fiction book about a young English boy, named Omri and a magical cupboard. It all stars out on Omri’s birthday when he gets a cupboard. It didn’t come with a key, but surprisingly he finds a key that fits it in his mother’s room. The next day his best friend, Patrick, gives him a small toy Indian man. He later puts it in the cupboard and forgets about. That night he was awoken by a thud in the cupboard.
This is not just your average story. It takes th More...
This is not just your average story. It takes th More...
Oct 24, 2011
Jack Harper
10-21-11
2 Period
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard is a book about adventure through the eyes of a young boy named Omri and his magical cupboard. It takes place in Europe. Omri gets a cupboard for his birthday from his brother. He also got a plastic Indian from his friend Patrick. He thought a good place to store the Indian would be in the cupboard; the only problem is that the cupboard is locked. He got a special key from his mo More...
10-21-11
2 Period
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard is a book about adventure through the eyes of a young boy named Omri and his magical cupboard. It takes place in Europe. Omri gets a cupboard for his birthday from his brother. He also got a plastic Indian from his friend Patrick. He thought a good place to store the Indian would be in the cupboard; the only problem is that the cupboard is locked. He got a special key from his mo More...
Jul 20, 2011
Hannah
rated it:
Oh my, I had never read this book before as it seems almost all children have. I am 20 years old and I loved it! The best books are the books that span the age range! The Indian in the Cupboard is about a boy named Omri living with his family in England. For Omri's birthday, he gets two seemingly odd birthday presents. From his best friend, Patrick, he gets a plastic indian that Patrick had no use for, and from one of his brothers, an old cupboard that he found outside. The indian bores and almo
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Apr 11, 2010
Ningerbil
rated it:
No, I've never read this before. My best friend recommended it. This is a very charming story, mixing real life with magic in a very believable and credible way. Omri is given two birthday gifts that at first are less than thrilling: an old medicine cabinet from his brother and a plastic Indian figurine. But when he puts the plastic figurine in the cabinet, Omri discovers the Indian comes to life. Omri is thrilled but soon discovers that there are unexpected complications and responsibilities th
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