Summary

The Indian in the Cupboard

Author Lynne Reid Banks

Lynne was born in London, England in

the year 1929 to a Scottish doctor and
an Irish actress. She was their only
child. During World War II, her family
moved to the Canadian prairies of
Saskatchewan for five years. In the
1950s she was both an actress as well
as one of the first women TV reporters
in England. She later moved to Israel
with her husband where she taught
English. Finally, in 1971, she and her
family moved back to England where she eventually wrote over
forty-five books. The most famous of these books was The Indian
in the Cupboard which has now sold over ten million copies.

Genre (Type): Realistic Fantasy

The setting, characters, and plot are a combination of realism and

fantasy. Some of it could happen in real life…some of it could not.

Point of View: 3rd Person

Setting

1. Place – England…mostly Omri’s bedroom

2. Time – Modern (1990s)

 Characters

Omri: He is the main protagonist.

As a nine-year-old boy, his world
is changed when his plastic Indian
comes alive. In many ways, he is a
dynamic character. The process of
caring for someone else changes
and matures him.

Little Bear: Little Bear is a plastic

Iroquois Indian who comes to life
in Omri’s cupboard. Though he is
very small in size, he is a strong
character. Little Bear has an inner conflict with himself, often
losing his temper and then feeling guilty for his actions.

Patrick: Patrick is Omri’s best friend who originally gave him the
toy Indian for his birthday. Patrick is slower than Omri in the
maturing process. Omri handles Little Bear and Boone with great
care, quickly realizing they are real people. Patrick, however,
takes longer to realize the serious effect his actions have.

Boone: Boone is a plastic cowboy that

Patrick chooses to bring to life in
Omri’s cupboard. His existence is also
a paradox in that he is a strong
character with a small size. He is also
a complex character who is tough on
the exterior, yet often bursts into tears.

Adiel & Gillon: Omri’s brothers have

typical sibling fights. They never
realize Omri is attempting to care for a
live Indian and cowboy in his bedroom, and sometimes make life
unknowingly difficult for Omri.

Antagonists: Fear of Discovery / Rat

Major Conflicts

 Omri vs. Himself

 Little Bear vs. Boone
 Omri vs. Patrick
 Omri & Patrick vs. The Teacher & The Principal
 The Rat vs. Little Bear & Boone

Important Events

 Little Bear comes to life in the cupboard

 Omri invites Patrick home to see Little Bear
 Patrick brings Boone to life in the cupboard
 Omri takes Little Bear and Boone to school
 The boys are called in to Mr. Johnson’s office
 Patrick reveals Little Bear and Boone to Mr. Johnson
 Omri purchases a wife for Little Bear
 Patrick takes up for Omri when he is accused of stealing
 Little Bear shoots Boone with an arrow
 Little Bear finds the cupboard key and is nearly caught by
the rat
 Boone recovers from his wound
 Little Bear falls in love
 Omri and Patrick send Little Bear and Boone back to their
own worlds
 Literary Devices

Metaphor: describes something in a way that is not LITERALLY

true…but helps explain or make a comparison

Simile: a metaphor that uses “like” or “as”

Historical Allusions:
1. French & Indian War
2. World War I
3. Penicillin discovery

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1

Nine-year-old Omri receives several birthday presents: a

skateboard, a wooden cupboard, and a plastic Indian. After
locking the plastic Indian in the cupboard, he awakens to find the
Indian is alive.

Vocabulary

 Alley
 Dustbins
 Basin
 Peered
 Clutching
 Ferociously

Chapter 2
Omri goes to school excited about his new Indian friend.
However, he is crushed to find him turned back into plastic when
he returns home. However, the Indian comes “back to life” and
Omri gets to know him better.

Vocabulary

 Slang
 Coax

Chapter 3

Omri figures out that only plastic (not metal) will come to life in the
cupboard. So, he brings a plastic horse to life for Little Bear to
ride.

Vocabulary

 Wrench
 Genie
 Rummage
 Pommel
 Hypnotize

Chapter 4

Little Bear rides his new horse outside in the yard. Later, the
horse kicks and injures him, prompting Omri to bring to life a
World War I medic.

Vocabulary
 Clung
 Chapter 5

The World War I medic successfully patches Little Bear’s wounds,

and Omri turns him back into plastic. Before leaving for school,
Omri gathers materials for Little Bear to begin building his
longhouse.

Vocabulary

 Ax
 Saracens

Chapter 6

Omri goes to school distracted. Afterwards, he purchases a

plastic Indian chief that he brings to life. Upon seeing Omri, the
old and terrified chief keels over dead. Little Bear then announces
he is now chief and wears the headdress.

Vocabulary

 Squash
 Scalping
 Manure

Chapter 7

Omri hesitantly allows Patrick to come home with him. Omri finds
his brothers in his room amazed at the longhouse Little Bear has
built. However, they never see Little Bear. After they are gone,
Patrick meets Little Bear.
Vocabulary
  Marrow

Chapter 8

Now, Patrick wants a live toy of his own and brings his cowboy to
life while Omri is out of the room. However, the cowboy shoots
him in the cheek with a bullet. Once Patrick’s wound is patched,
he reluctantly leaves the cowboy with Omri for the night, insisting
he bring Little Bear and Boone to school the next day.

Chapter 9

Boone breaks down into tears saying Omri is a terrible

hallucination and will not look at him. Little Bear asks Omri to get
him a wife.

Vocabulary

 Tomahawk
 Willow bark
 Revolver
 Squeeze
 Varmint

Chapter 10

Little Bear challenges Boone to a fight. After finishing his

breakfast, Boone agrees to a fight with no weapons. After a while,
Omri insists on a truce because it is time for school.

Chapter 11
Omri gets himself and his little “friends” ready for school, putting
them in his pocket. When he hands Boone over to Patrick at
school, a nosy classmate starts asking questions. However, they
run inside the school and escape the curiosity of their classmate.
Later, Patrick gives Boone back to Omri so he and Little Bear can
keep each other company.

Vocabulary

 Hailstones
 Fiendish

Chapter 12

Patrick takes charge of Little Bear and Boone at lunch, and Omri
is horrified at Patrick’s careless and unthoughtful behavior. The
cowboy and the Indian are real people, and Patrick doesn’t seem
to understand that. Later, their teacher sends them to the
headmaster for arguing in class. Patrick gives away their secret
and shows Mr. Johnson the live figures. Mr. Johnson believes he
is hallucinating thing, and leaves school in shock.

Vocabulary

 Stealthily
 Gesticulating
 Apparatus
 Anticipation

Chapter 13

Omri keeps Little Bear and Boone with him, telling Patrick he is
not capable of taking care of them. In art class, Omri discovers
that Boone is an amazing artist. After school, Omri purchases a
plastic Indian to be Little Bear’s wife. The shopkeeper sees him
putting Little Bear and Boone into his pocket and believes he is
stealing. However, Patrick comes to his defense and Omri agrees
to let Patrick come home with him.

Vocabulary

 Flummoxed
 Rummaging
 Mold
 Vouch

Chapter 14

Upon returning home, they discover Omri’s brother has hidden

the cupboard in the attic. Although they find the cupboard, they
cannot find the key that enables them to bring toys to life. Later,
Little Bear becomes angry and shoots Boone in the chest with his
bow and arrow. Boone is seriously injured, and Little Bear feels
guilty.

Vocabulary

 Detention
 Chaotic
 Myriad

Chapter 15

The boys want to bring back the World War I medic to tend to
Boone’s wound, but still cannot find the cupboard key. Suddenly,
they realize the key must be under the floorboard. Little Bear,
anxious to help, agrees to go underneath to retrieve the key.
Though he comes in close contact with a pet rat, Little Bear
successfully retrieves the key. They bring the World War I medic
back, and he tends to Boone.

Vocabulary

 Lopsided
 Vulnerable
 Bulb
 Blasted

Chapter 16

Boone recovers and Little Bear falls in love with the wife Omri
purchased for him. Little Bear wants lots of Indians to come to his
wedding, and realizes the best thing is to go back to his own
world with his Indian tribe. Omri and Patrick say goodbye to their
beloved people. In the end, Omri gives the cupboard key back to
his mother to be sure it is not lost.

Vocabulary

 Bewilder
 Jolt
 Pebble