The Mystery of the Cupboard

Banks's latest installment in this popular series hits the ground running as Omri's parents announce their plans to move the family to a country house they've inherited. The pace slows as Omri, keeper of the secret cupboard, finds a hidden family diary which sheds light on the mysterious cupboard and reveals some dark family secrets. The narrator's emotional reading of the diary's shocking confession justifies Omri's inability to put it down. Banks's performance hits a feverish pitch as Omri realizes the magic he uses to correct the wrongs of the past might have disastrous effects on the present. From start to finish, this is a first-rate mystery/suspense program for juvenile and YA listeners. M.P.T. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

March 29, 1993
In this latest installment in the award-winning Indian in the Cupboard series, Omri's fascination with the little people of the cupboard has matured into an obsession with discovering the origin of their life-giving magic. With the help of his great-aunt's hidden diary and a meeting with an elderly roof-thatcher, Omri is able to piece together his own family's history--one that gave rise to the wondrous events of the last few years. In the process he takes a big risk in allowing the secret to be disclosed to an adult. Relying much less on the sheer derring-do typical of earlier episodes, Banks takes an introspective turn here, weaving a more adult story of disappointment and heartbreak into Omri's ever-widening understanding of the cupboard's mystery. Banks's series has grown up, and though some readers may miss the magical Peter Pan-like world of earlier installments, these rich, well-rounded characters speak eloquently and entertainingly within a polished mystery structure. While observing the parameters of a series, Banks demonstrates an impressive versatility, never swerving from her trademark disarming candor and unaffected yet elegant style. Illustrations not seen by PW . Ages 10-up.