Lynne Reid Banks

A nine-year-old boy receives a plastic Indian, a cupboard, and a little key for his birthday and finds himself involved in adventure when the Indian comes to life in the cupboard and befriends him.

The Indian in the Cupboard

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Sarah Sammis

The book was an interesting read. It uses the magical, never quite explained cupboard and key to introduce some key points of American history and culture and race relations. Setting the story in England added another dimension to the story that gave the author reason to add extra explanations to Little Bear and Boone's needs.

Christine

One of those classics I read years ago and still reread.

Meagan Fischer 

Fun and...informative? I'm not sure how culturally accurate these books were, but I have the sense that they at least tried to sort of provide insight into cultural misconceptions, like that not all American Indians lived in tepees. The Indian character in this story lived in longhouses! That was cool, and the story itself is fun and enchanting. It also gets kind of deep, as the boy realizes that these are real people, not toys - a charming way to bring history to life for kids.

Ashley Wendt

4.5…I loved this just as much as I did as a child. I think as a child, I loved the magic of the toy coming to life most. As an adult, I appreciated the friendship, the bond and the love that Omri & Little Bear created…I also appreciated that the author acknowledged that some of our views of Native Americans & Western Settlers “cowboys” were not accurate. Was the book as culturally sensitive as it could be? No. But it was published in 1981! We’ve come a long way since then…and it’s book like these that were catalysts in trying to understand culture and history from another perspective, giving way to other authors to improve that viewpoint, giving readers the ability to be more empathetic, etc. I, honestly, am so happy I re-read this. It was one of my favorites as a child and I will happily continue to share this with others a great classic!

The Indian in the Cupboard

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