100 Cupboards
Encyclopedia
100 Cupboards is a 2007
fantasy
children's book
by N. D. Wilson
. The first book in the 100 Cupboards Trilogy, it is followed by Dandelion Fire
and The Chestnut King
.
During another night, the plaster from Henry's attic wall starts coming off, revealing little locked cupboards. While he works on peeling the rest of the plaster away with his knife, he and Uncle Frank try to break through the door to Grandfather's bedroom, to no avail. Henry and Henrietta then find a way into Grandfather's bedroom when they are home alone, where they find a journal filled with a map of the cupboards. Henry finds out that a narrow cupboard leads to what appears to be a post office box
and receives a threatening letter, telling him that he could awaken an ancient evil if he continues. He and Henrietta also figure out how to open a black door to a place called Endor, where a mysterious hand cuts him after he attempts to pull an unconscious Henrietta out.
One morning Henrietta apperantly mysteriously disappears, and Henry crawls through a cupboard in Grandfather's room to find her. He eventually is reunited with her in a dark cupboard. They witness a group of people with wolves called "Witch-Dogs" kill a party, but they escape. Meanwhile, Uncle Frank attempts to find the two of them and opens the cupboard that leads to Endor. A witch
and her cat emerge from the cupboard and stab Frank. The witch is Nimiane, and she has been strengthened by Henry's blood. Aunt Dotty, Penelope, and Anastasia run up to see what's going on, and Aunt Dotty falls into a similar state. Henry and Henrietta emerge from their cupboard and struggle with the witch, but it is Zeke, a boy who was just dropping by to see if Henry was ready to play baseball, who knocks her out with a swing of his baseball bat. Dotty and Frank are rushed to the hospital but where they are healed.
Henrietta discoveres a creature that looks like a flying rhino in one of the cupboards. This creature, called a raggant, was the one banging against his cupboard, causing it to break through the plaster at the beginning of the book. Uncle Frank also tells Henry that he came from one of the cupboards as a child. The book ends when Henry receives another threatening letter from the post office box.
acquired the rights to a film adaption of the novel in the summer of 2010 CEO Michael Ludlum said:
2007 in literature
The year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
children's book
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
by N. D. Wilson
N. D. Wilson
Nathan David "N. D." Wilson is an American author of fiction, screenwriter, and Shroud of Turin skeptic.-Background:Wilson is a 1999 graduate of New Saint Andrews College, and holds a master’s degree in liberal arts from St. John’s College...
. The first book in the 100 Cupboards Trilogy, it is followed by Dandelion Fire
Dandelion Fire
Dandelion Fire is a 2009 children's fantasy novel by N. D. Wilson. It is the second installment in the 100 Cupboards trilogy, followed by The Chestnut King.-Plot Introduction:...
and The Chestnut King
The Chestnut King
The Chestnut King is a 2010 fantasy novel written by N.D. Wilson. It is the third and final installment to the 100 Cupboards trilogy. It's main character is Henry York Maccabee.-Plot:...
.
Plot
Henry P. York moves to Henry, Kansas to live with his Uncle Frank, Aunt Dotty, and cousins Penelope, Henrietta, and Anastasia after his parents are abducted. On his first night there he sneaks out of his attic bedroom to go to the bathroom but finds that the door is closed and the light is on. He waits and sees a short man emerge from the bathroom and enter Grandfather's bedroom, a room that has been locked since Grandfather died two years previously.During another night, the plaster from Henry's attic wall starts coming off, revealing little locked cupboards. While he works on peeling the rest of the plaster away with his knife, he and Uncle Frank try to break through the door to Grandfather's bedroom, to no avail. Henry and Henrietta then find a way into Grandfather's bedroom when they are home alone, where they find a journal filled with a map of the cupboards. Henry finds out that a narrow cupboard leads to what appears to be a post office box
Post Office box
A post-office box or Post Office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station....
and receives a threatening letter, telling him that he could awaken an ancient evil if he continues. He and Henrietta also figure out how to open a black door to a place called Endor, where a mysterious hand cuts him after he attempts to pull an unconscious Henrietta out.
One morning Henrietta apperantly mysteriously disappears, and Henry crawls through a cupboard in Grandfather's room to find her. He eventually is reunited with her in a dark cupboard. They witness a group of people with wolves called "Witch-Dogs" kill a party, but they escape. Meanwhile, Uncle Frank attempts to find the two of them and opens the cupboard that leads to Endor. A witch
Witch of Endor
The Witch of Endor, sometimes called the Medium of Endor, was a woman who called up the ghost of the recently deceased prophet Samuel, at the demand of King Saul of the Kingdom of Israel in the First Book of Samuel, chapter...
and her cat emerge from the cupboard and stab Frank. The witch is Nimiane, and she has been strengthened by Henry's blood. Aunt Dotty, Penelope, and Anastasia run up to see what's going on, and Aunt Dotty falls into a similar state. Henry and Henrietta emerge from their cupboard and struggle with the witch, but it is Zeke, a boy who was just dropping by to see if Henry was ready to play baseball, who knocks her out with a swing of his baseball bat. Dotty and Frank are rushed to the hospital but where they are healed.
Henrietta discoveres a creature that looks like a flying rhino in one of the cupboards. This creature, called a raggant, was the one banging against his cupboard, causing it to break through the plaster at the beginning of the book. Uncle Frank also tells Henry that he came from one of the cupboards as a child. The book ends when Henry receives another threatening letter from the post office box.
Main characters
- Henry York - The 12-year-old protagonist of the story, Henry lived with his adopted parents, Phil and Ursula, who were kidnapped a short while before the beginning of the book. Then when he has to move in with his aunt and uncle, Henry finds out that he originated from a world beyond the cupboards. Way Beyond.
- Nimiane - The main antagonist, Nimiane is the witch from Cupboard #8, Endor. She is an undying witch, and is seen as a shriveled, eyeless, hairless husk. She can see through the eyes of a servant cat whom is set loose at the end of the book.
- Frank Willis - Frank Willis was born Francis. He went questing through a portal and into Kansas as a teenager, where he married Dorothy ("Dotty") and had three daughters, Penelope, Henrietta, and Anastasia.
- Henrietta Willis - The middle daughter of Frank and Dorothy, Henrietta is portrayed as stubborn and too curious for her own good, with dark curly hair and green eyes.
- Penelope Willis - The oldest Willis daughter is sometimes called "Penny," mostly by Anastasia. She has nearly black hair and often acts as if she is too old for make-believe.
- Anastasia Willis - The youngest Willis daughter, Anastasia is small and wiry for a nine-year-old, freckly with brown hair that "looked like it wanted to be red." She is sometimes rude and pries into everyone's business.
- Dorothy Willis - Called "Dots" by her husband, and "Dotty" by others, she is the sister of Ursula, Henry's adopted mother.
- Zeke Johnson - A boy who often plays baseball with Henry. Anastasia often teases Penelope for having a crush on him. He comes to the rescue at the end and knocks out the witch Nimiane with his baseball bat.
Film
Beloved PicturesBeloved Pictures
Beloved Pictures was launched in 2007, and is managed by co-founders Caleb Applegate and Michael Ludlum.-Upcoming projects:The following projects are currently in development by Beloved Pictures:* A trilogy of films based on N. D...
acquired the rights to a film adaption of the novel in the summer of 2010 CEO Michael Ludlum said:
"This is truly one of the most outstanding works of fiction our company has ever had the pleasure to read, Wilson is an incredible writer with an imagination that knows no bounds. We are thrilled to help shepherd this instant classic to the screen, and believe it will garner the same type of fan loyalty and passion as other successful book-to-film brands."