The Indian in the Cupboard
#7063.92 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 1980–1998 Reading commitment Medium Lynne Reid Banks Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Lynne Reid Banks, a British writer, published the five Indian in the Cupboard novels between 1980 and 1998. On his ninth birthday a boy named Omri locks a plastic toy figure in an old cupboard, and it comes to life as Little Bear, a three-inch-tall Iroquois man. With his friend Patrick, Omri learns that the cupboard and its key can animate toys and can carry people through time. The sequels follow Omri's attempts to help Little Bear and the other tiny people he and Patrick bring to life, and in the fourth book explain where the cupboard came from. All five books share one setting and one set of characters. The series is complete.
Urban fantasy, Historical fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
The Indian in the Cupboard Lynne Reid Banks
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Indian in the Cupboard | 1980 | 1 | core | 3.94 (110,581 ratings) |
 | The Return of the Indian | 1986 | 2 | core | 3.86 (13,370 ratings) |
 | The Secret of the Indian | 1989 | 3 | core | 3.84 (9,781 ratings) |
 | The Mystery of the Cupboard | 1993 | 4 | core | 3.86 (5,963 ratings) |
 | The Key to the Indian | 1998 | 5 | core | 3.78 (2,931 ratings) |
Five children's fantasy novels about a boy, a magic cupboard and the toy figures it brings to life.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Indian in the Cupboard? The Indian in the Cupboard's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for The Indian in the Cupboard? Publication order, starting with The Indian in the Cupboard. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Indian in the Cupboard finished? Complete (1980–1998).
- How much reading does The Indian in the Cupboard take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books).
- How is The Indian in the Cupboard ranked? #706 in this site's official ranking, based on 142,626 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #706?
Ranked #706 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.92 across 5 core books.
- Backed by 143k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #705, Woran-Saga (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 5 books · Complete · 143k ratings · Ranks #706 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- The Indian in the Cupboard (1980)
- The Return of the Indian (1986)
- The Secret of the Indian (1989)
- The Mystery of the Cupboard (1993)
- The Key to the Indian (1998)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Pacific Northwest Young Readers' Choice Award, 1983: won: The Indian in the Cupboard
- California Young Reader Medal, 1985: won: The Indian in the Cupboard
- Virginia Young Readers Program Award, 1987: won: The Indian in the Cupboard
- Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award, 1988: nominated: The Indian in the Cupboard
- Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 1988: won: The Indian in the Cupboard
- Arizona Young Readers' Award, 1989: won: The Indian in the Cupboard
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Indian in the Cupboard and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Ash Mistry Chronicles Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.00
- Savvy Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 4.00
- Magic Shop Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 3.95
- City of Ghosts Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.94
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.92 across 142,626 ratings on 5 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Indian in the Cupboard (1980), The Return of the Indian (1986), The Secret of the Indian (1989), The Mystery of the Cupboard (1993) and The Key to the Indian (1998).