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He felt a draft of cold air. Instinctively he put his arms around his body. Then he looked down at himself and got a shock. He was naked...His first instinct was to hid. he scrambled over the earth floor of the longhouse and ducked under the curtain. Beyond was deeper darkness, but he could make out a sort of room with a raised section against the wall. On this was a mountain range covered with fur, in the shape of a sleeping giant. Omri stared all around, feeling the beginnings of panic. "Dad!" he whispered as loudly as he dared... There was no answer. Omri felt intensely vulnerable with no clothes on. Cold air embraced his skin from head to foot. He felt a sudden longing to go home. He hadn't reckoned on this--being separated from his dad, it being so dark and cold, so strange, so lonely.
The Key to the Indian
ANNOTATION As Omri, his father, and other members of his family learn more about the cupboard in his room, together and separately they are caught up in several dangerous adventures that reveal more about its powers.
FROM THE PUBLISHER In The Mystery of the Cupboard, Omri's father found out his great secret. When Omri and his father read together of the terrible plight of the Iroquois people, their abandonment by their British allies and their struggles with rapacious Eurpoean settlers in late 18th-century America, they realize that Little Bear, Omri's Iroquois friend from the past, is in urgent need of help..But how will they go back to the Indian, and what help can they possibly give? Father and son struggle to solve the problem of traveling together in time. Jessica Charlotte, Omri's ancestor whose magic gift may have been passed on to him, tries to help, but things go so wrong that Omri finds himself almost lost in an entirely different time and place, while his father has a hair-raising adventure of his own. Little Bear's need makes them persist in their quest, but they little understand the terrors that lie in wait -- for their Indian friends and for themselves. With history, mystery, humor, adventure, and all the surprising twists readers expect of its master storyteller, The Key to the Indian may be the most exciting and poignant of the five-volumen series so far. Readers are sure to ba absorbed to the last world of its astonishing final pages. FROM THE CRITICS Boston Globe Full of suspense, excitement, humor, and fantasy.
Hellmich - USA Today
. . .[O]ne of those magical children's books that is sure to delight. . . .filled with conflict after conflict. . .sure to amaze even the most imaginative child. Boston Globe Full of suspense, excitement, humor, and fantasy.
Publishers Weekly Only die-hard fans will want to enter this fifth series installment of the adventures that began with The Indian in the Cupboard. Newcomers will find it too confusing to penetrate (the artful little synopses at the beginning notwithstanding) and casual admirers of the series may decide that Banks has finally stretched her premise too thin. Now that Omri's father is privy to the time-traveling secrets of Omri's cupboard and to the magic that brings his toys to life, he eagerly joins Omri on life-threatening adventures and keeps their activities a secret from the rest of the family. He wants to help Omri keep their promise to the Indian toy-cum-18th-century-Mohawk-chief Little Bear to help lead his tribe to safety in the face of threats from the treacherous English. First, however, they have to solve various logistical problems--like getting another magic key to the past. Banks strews the plot with red herrings and dead ends, and the most interesting questions--namely, how to help Little Bear--are watered down with easily solved dilemmas (e.g., Dad is worried about the effects of tampering with the past, but all he finally has to do is read up on Mohawk history and tell Little Bear the best alternative). A few other 11th-hour disclosures suggest an end to the series; indeed, this soil has been farmed too long. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)
Children's Literature - Gisela Jernigan In this fourth sequel to the popular Indian in the Cupboard, Omni, his dad, and sometimes Gillon and Patrick, have exciting and scary adventures in early 20th century India, as well as in the 1700s. They try to help Little Bear and his Iroquois band in their struggle with newly independent Americans. Although well written and suspenseful, this fantasy novel might seem rather confusing to readers unfamiliar with the previous books. As in the other novels, the author seems to be sympathetic to Iroquois history and culture, but is not always accurate. In addition, many Native Americans find Little Bear's stilted "bad western movie" type of speech offensive.
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