The Key to the Indian is the end to a fantastic book series! I don't usually read the fantasy genre, but this is one series I'm glad to have expanded my literary horizons with.The final book ends with Omri attempting to achieve his most challenging adventure yet -- taking multiple people back in time to visit the Mohawk Indians and save his "toy" friend, Little Bear's, tribe.I'm so impressed with how the author brought Omri's parents into the adventure. Most books written for children try to show how much fun the main characters can have while not including their parents. I found the whole story to become more special because of how the adults were involved.Many lessons are learned, secrets are lifted, and history is unveiled.I would recommend this to anyone who likes British books (that is, British books that are about Native Americans!). Sometimes it reads more like a fantasy Western. But hey, I love it!Now that I finished The Indian in the Cupboard books... I just HAVE to find out what else this author writes.
A friend of mine recently said that after finishing a series, she wasn't ready to start another new book because it would be "rebound." We laughed but after finishing this series, I feel the same.While not on par with the fourth book, this final tale was fantastic in its own right. It was clear early on though that the author was determined to end the tale once and for all. It made reading it bittersweet but it was well executed. She clearly did her research on the Mohawk tribe and managed to demonstrate multiple sides of a complicated historical issue. I am sad to say goodbye to Omri, Little Bear, and so on but I am glad that the author did close all loose ends. And the beauty of such tales in storybooks is that one can re-visit them again and again as needed. If you haven't read the whole series, I strongly recommend you do so. It's good for adults and children.
Do You like book The Key To The Indian (2004)?
This book and the one previous to it in the series were not as good as the first three; the first three books capture the interest of a child as toy plastic Indians and cowboys come alive from different time periods in history. I would not suggest this as a children's book as it covers difficult topics of suicide and rape and it features an "Indian" massacre at the hands of white settlers. While these events have happened in history, conveying this information to children requires sensitivity. While the main plot of this book is for Omri and his dad (who accidentally found out about the cupboard and the Indians) to travel back to the time of Little Bull at his request to (vaguely) help them in their difficult relations with the English, the book is half over before Omri and his dad even go back. The ending ties up the series nicely.
—Mary-Jane
Omri's dad had just found out about the magic cupboard in the last book and this picks up right where that left off. Little Bear's tribe is in trouble and he needs Omri and his dad to help. Omri wants to help, but is not quite sure how to. Meanwhile his dad becomes obsessed with the idea of helping out. Also his brother starts to get a little suspicious of everything happening, but Omri doesn't want anything to affect their friendship. Especially now that he is working with his father, it is also more attention-drawing to his mother (that she will find out).I really enjoyed this book (and series), and I found that this was a really good way to end such a special series. I thought the author really put time and effort into writing these storylines and making them unique and different.
—Caleb
