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 | The Indian in the Cupboard Study Guide for the book by Lynne Reid Banks
Grade Level: 5-7
Setting: Contemporary England, Imaginative
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Study Guide . . . . Item #305 PDF Format (CD) . . . . Item #305CD Teacher's Set . . . . Item #305M PDF Format by Email . . . . #305PDF
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Book . . . . Item #305B Current Retail Value (See our Online Store) | | |||||||
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On his birthday, Omri is somewhat disappointed to receive nothing but a small plastic Indian from his friend Patrick, but he is pleased when his brother Gillon gives him a white metal cupboard. Omri discovers that a key, once belonging to his great-grandmother, fits the lock on the cupboard perfectly. He puts the plastic Indian in the cupboard for the night and locks the door.
In the morning Omri is shocked to discover that the cupboard has somehow brought the Indian to life. Keeping it a secret, Omri helps the Indian adjust to his new home in Omri's bedroom, providing him with food and shelter; but Omri learns that the Indian is more than a novelty. He is a real person, an Iroquois brave. He has a name - Little Bear - and he lived in the past over 200 years ago.
Omri cannot keep Little Bear a secret forever. He lets Patrick in on the discovery. Patrick, unlike Omri, does not understand that Little Bear is a real person, not a toy. He demands that Omri use the cupboard to bring a plastic cowboy to life for him. Omri has a hard time convincing the cowboy and Indian to get along, and when Patrick forces Omri to bring the little men to school, neither of them foresees the trouble that results.