Phantom Tollboth (Portals to Reading Series, Reading Skills through Literature)

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Phantom Tollboth (Portals to Reading Series, Reading Skills through Literature)

by Norton Juster, Jules Feiffer

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 97,681 ratings · 4,501 reviews

A journey through a land where Milo learns the importance of words and numbers provides a cure for his boredom.

Paperback, 55 pages

Published 1997 by Perfection Learning (first published 1961)

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May 12, 2007 Lisa Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children's lit fans, people who love words

Shelves: favorites, reviewed, fiction, childrens, novel, speculative-fiction, altta

My mother got this for us when I was 8 and it was first published in 1961. I still own that original edtion and it is not in great shape due to multiple readings. This is as much an adult as a children's book. Although I loved the story right away, it was more meaningful as I got older and I understood all the plays on words and deeper messages. Still worth rereading every decade or so as an adult, and it remains one of my favorite books. It's a very witty book. I'm a sucker for maps, however ba...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Mariel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mathletes

Recommended to Mariel by: puny punners

Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth made me happy. I loved the puns and playfulness. Even a dumb kid like me could appreciate the cool jokes. It's the language of words and numbers in a place that you can actually reach. Not "Learning is fun!" propaganda but "Hurry up, slow poke!" adventure stories in the vein of all the best ones. It's good for you.

I loved that Milo wanted to be away when he was home and away when he was home. No phantom tollbooth ever appeared to take me away (at least that...more

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Jul 30, 2007 Shivani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Anyone who has a passion for words and wordplay will enjoy reading The Phantom Tollbooth. In this charming children's book, author Norton Juster takes us on an adventure with his main character Milo, a young boy who enters a chaotic place called the Kingdom of Wisdom and finds that to restore order in the kingdom, he must save the banished princesses Rhyme and Reason.

When the story begins, Milo gets home one afternoon expecting to go through the same humdrum after-school routine he always goes t...more Anyone who has a passion for words and wordplay will enjoy reading The Phantom Tollbooth. In this charming children's book, author Norton Juster takes us on an adventure with his main character Milo, a young boy who enters a chaotic place called the Kingdom of Wisdom and finds that to restore order in the kingdom, he must save the banished princesses Rhyme and Reason.

When the story begins, Milo gets home one afternoon expecting to go through the same humdrum after-school routine he always goes through. But on this particular day, he arrives home to find a tollbooth waiting to transport him to a faraway place. Soon, Milo is traveling through the Kingdom of Wisdom, seeking to rescue Rhyme and Reason with the help of his companions, Tock the Watchdog and the Humbug.

Along the way, Milo meets some interesting and clever characters, such as the Whether Man (not to be confused with the Weather Man, "for after all it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be") and Kakofonous Dischord, Doctor of Dissonance, whom Milo meets on the outskirts of the Valley of Sound. Page after page, Juster's clever puns and witty plays on words make his characters memorable and his storyline entertaining.

On his journey, Milo travels to several places within the Kingdom of Wisdom, learning useful things along the way. In Dictionopolis, for instance, he discovers the abundance of words and the importance of choosing the right word for the right occasion. On his way to Digitopolis, a land ruled by numbers, Milo ends up on the Island of Conclusions. There, he decides to himself, "From now on, I'm going to have a very good reason before I make up my mind about anything," and he learns that "you can lose too much time jumping to Conclusions."

Armed with the knowledge he has gathered on his journey through the Kingdom, Milo finally reaches the Mountains of Ignorance, where he and his faithful companions dodge and outwit various demons and ultimately save the princesses Rhyme and Reason. In the end, Milo is transported back to the present with a newfound curiosity about the world and a greater appreciation for learning.

Juster's humor throughout the story is at times subtle, at times downright silly, but often clever and thought-provoking, making this book an enjoyable read for young and old alike. They say there's a child in all of us, and The Phantom Tollbooth truly is a children's book for all ages.(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 Drew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always read ravenously, but when I was younger, I didn't really understand the idea of going out and trying to find good books to read. Instead, I'd read the handful of books I had over and over again. Not that I only had a handful. At the head of my bed, there was a compartment maybe two feet wide, one foot deep, and one and a half tall, which was always full of books.* I'd stuff it so tight some of the books would come out warped, and I vaguely remember once having trouble getting any of...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Terence rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: sf-fantasy, for-the-younger-generation

Michael Chabon has written an introduction to a new edition of The Phantom Tollbooth, which is reprinted in the latest issue of the New York Review of Books (June 2011 - you'll need a subscription to read the whole thing), and which prompted a reread.

I will uncritically and unreservedly recommend this book to everyone. It's been my experience that while no singular author or book has ever consciously "blown my mind," many have done so unconsciously, including this one. How can you not love a wor...more

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Nov 02, 2007 rebecca rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: hmmm...

Shelves: readandloved

oh man. it's like amelia badelia for halfway-grownups.

here's what i think of when i think of the phantom tollbooth:

-people trying (and failing) to feed themselves with five-foot long spoons
-people having to (but not wanting to) eat their words
-semi-philosophical ideas about time and being and the way people treat themselves and each other*

what a doozy of a book! is it enough to say that i la-la-love it? no? okay, well let me add this: i think you should read it. really.

and yes, i do mean YOU sp...more

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Jul 04, 2009 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-fantasy, what-ya-and-children, what-humor

Kind of a cross between Lewis Carroll and Terry Pratchett, this amusing child's fantasy is based on puns and figures of speech taken literally. The story is simplistic enough to amuse children but most of the humor would go right over most children's heads. It's fun for adults, too, as I've learned by re-reading it now. It's a true classic as it's just as entertaining and apt now as when it was written nearly 50 years ago.

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Oct 06, 2007 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: children who like wordplay

I wasn't as impressed with this book as many of my friends. Perhaps that is because of my high expectations for the book or perhaps because of my preferences in writing style. So those who love this book can use one of those two reasons to blow off my review. However, the fact remains that I was not very interested from page to page, and if not for a commitment to a book group, I am afraid I would not have had any desire to finish it.

In style the book seems to be written for a particular age gro...more I wasn't as impressed with this book as many of my friends. Perhaps that is because of my high expectations for the book or perhaps because of my preferences in writing style. So those who love this book can use one of those two reasons to blow off my review. However, the fact remains that I was not very interested from page to page, and if not for a commitment to a book group, I am afraid I would not have had any desire to finish it.

In style the book seems to be written for a particular age group ranging from 8-11, depending on the vocabulary and maturity of the reader. And, for the preteen sense of humor, the wordplay was appropriate and would be quite funny to the intended audience. However, the wordplay was really the only interesting aspect to the book, and I'm tempted to say as much for the joke books my niece reads to me.

The plot was simple and was secondary to both the wordplay and the multiple morals of the story. In fact, a new moral was introduced with every chapter (some chapters containing more than one moral), and each chapter was only a few short pages long. This was the main drawback to the book. Not to say that morals aren't important in a work, but too many morals are detracting. Introducing, then immediately leaving a moral behind decreases the likeliness that it will be remembered once the book is finished.

My other main problem with the book was the lack of description to help the reader enjoy the fantastical and quite creative world Juster introduces. Here one moment, and there the next, the reader is left wondering...How did Milo find his car again (he was lost only a moment ago)? Where are they? What do they see? This book, whose main moral is to teach a child to notice the world around them, simply forgot to take a look around. (The spectacular scene with Chroma and his orchestra being the exception.)

Overall, an interesting book, leaps and bounds above the other children's literature of Juster's contemporaries, but not my favorite.(less)

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Aug 11, 2007 Kaitlin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who love imagination and clever word play mixed with a love of learning

I've read this book many times, starting when I was about nine years old, and never have I been disappointed by it. It's a great story of a young boy, Milo, who just can't get excited about anything in life. One day, Milo embarks on an adventure by driving through a mysterious phantom toolboth that arrives for him through the mail. Through his journey, he learns the importance of thought and learning as he tries to rescue Princesses Rhyme and Reason and restore them to their throne (don't you lo...more

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Dec 21, 2009 Peter added it · review of another edition

When he left the Navy, Norton Juster began writing a non-fiction book about urban planning. As an outlet from the grueling work, though, he spent his free time concocting the imaginative scenes that later became The Phantom Tollbooth. One publisher’s advance later, he gave up on the scholarly work and finished The Phantom Tollbooth instead. And we’re all better off for it.

Part Alice in Wonderland, part secular Pilgrim’s Progress, The Phantom Tollbooth takes ten year-old Milo on a journey out of...more

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Mar 25, 2009 Harriett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After the first 50 pages I know this will be on my bedside table for the rest of my life!

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May 19, 2012 Pallavi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had never heard of this book as a kid. I and my sister were exposed to more British books than American ones. (Well, I didn't even know Dr. Seuss until the World Wide Web came into our lives and by then I was a teenager!). As kids, we owned tonnes of Enid Blyton books (around the age when we should have read this book), and as we grew older more American books (Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys) found their way into our lives. Then it was back to Harry Potter and Tolkien! I came across this book w...more I had never heard of this book as a kid. I and my sister were exposed to more British books than American ones. (Well, I didn't even know Dr. Seuss until the World Wide Web came into our lives and by then I was a teenager!). As kids, we owned tonnes of Enid Blyton books (around the age when we should have read this book), and as we grew older more American books (Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys) found their way into our lives. Then it was back to Harry Potter and Tolkien! I came across this book when someone I follow on Goodreads rated this generously with a note that this book should be interesting no matter how old the reader was. Well, it is never too late to catch up with good literature, is it? A, I just jumped to 'Conclusions'!!

The Phantom Tollbooth is about a kid named Milo, who is completely disinterested in his life. Enter a magical 'DIY' tollbooth that seems to have appeared from nowhere (*cough* Sweden?) with precise instructions on how to use it. A drive through the tollbooth (on the road to Expectations), takes Milo into the kingdom of Wisdom , but not before briefly being lost in Doldrums (!). The kingdom is a place in turmoil because the two nutty brothers who rule each half (Dictionopolis and Digitopolis) have banished rhyme and reason from it. As in literally! Rhyme and Reason, the princesses who tried to knock sense into their warring brothers' brains,were unsuccessful and booted out of the kingdom.

Milo ends up with the unlikeliest of companions, a watchdog and a humbug (again, quite literally so!)and travels to bring back Rhyme and Reason. Along the way he meets more characters and places, whose names are such witty puns on the characteristics they embody, that you can't help but chuckle.

While I went into this book knowing well that it was a children's book, I was somewhat surprised by the amount of word-play and mathematical reasoning depicted in here. I am not sure every kid who read this book or had this book read to him, would have fully appreciated the meaning behind it, but I guess some of them have gone back to re-read it as adults. One star off, only because I kept getting lost in 'Doldrums' myself at some points in an effort to keep up with the puns and navigate the typos in my ebook. Some parts of the story were just plain silly to me, but they would have entertained a kid perhaps. I think at a point I was trying to find puns where there weren't any, and as someone who dislikes mathematics, I did not enjoy being in Digitopolis :-)

I'll leave you with my favorite lines from the book by the SoundKeeper;
..."And it's the same for all sounds. If you think about it, you'll soon know what each one looks like. Take laughter for instance," she said, laughing brightly, and a thousand tiny brightly colored bubbles flew into the air and popped noiselessly. "Or speech," she continued. "Some of it is light and airy, some sharp and pointed, but most of it, I'm afraid, is just heavy and dull".(less)

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Mar 10, 2009 Ben Siems rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Having spent much of this winter in less than wonderful health, I have been happily accepting donations of reading material from friends. One friend, on a lark, dropped off her copy of this old classic, which I last read probably at age 13 or so.

In re-reading it, I was reminded of the ambivalence I had about it on my first read back then. The level of cleverness is indeed impressive, at times dazzling, and for certain there are some fantastically humorous moments. It is also nice to read a moral...more

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Dec 18, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My main problem with it is that part of the book deals with personal demons (like wasting time, having bad habits, etc.) which kept pulling me out of the story and making me think "I should be doing something productive instead of sitting here reading" which was a little annoying! Otherwise a sweet book - I'll have to go back and watch the movie from the beginning now...

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Dec 02, 2008 Lstirl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Ages 8-12

A classic fantasy that will keep any child from becoming “lost in the doldrums.”

Young , ever- bored Milo, upon finding a child sized tollbooth in his room one day after school, sets out on a surreal adventure into another dimension. Full of puns and double speak, this journey into the imagination is both charming and entertaining. Along the way, he meets such interesting characters as the “Which,” Half-Boy, The Whether Man, and the Mathemagician. I...more The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Ages 8-12

A classic fantasy that will keep any child from becoming “lost in the doldrums.”

Young , ever- bored Milo, upon finding a child sized tollbooth in his room one day after school, sets out on a surreal adventure into another dimension. Full of puns and double speak, this journey into the imagination is both charming and entertaining. Along the way, he meets such interesting characters as the “Which,” Half-Boy, The Whether Man, and the Mathemagician. I had read this book as a child, and remember loving it, but a second time through as an adult, I had a whole new appreciation for the cleverness and wit of the language play. The characters are original, and Milo, as a protagonist is oddly appealing.
A true classic in the children’s fantasy genre, this book holds broad appeal, much in the way of Roald Dahl. The imaginative dialogue and inventive descriptions bring the story to life and make me wish there were a sequel. Silliness, humor and delightful nonsense fill each chapter, but there remains an undertone of seriousness as we realize there is more going in this story than what meets the eye. A treat for the imagination.

From the Publisher
Illustrated in black-and-white. This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom.
This is more a description than a review.
Children's Literature
Hero Milo "didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always." One day he returns from school to find an easy to assemble tollbooth and when he drives through it, Milo finds wild adventures in Dictionopolis, the land of words; Digitopolis, the world of numbers, and many locations in between. He is on a quest in this nonsensical land to bring back the Princess of Sweet Rhyme and Pure Reason. The book is filled with wild characters like the Spelling Bee who spells more than he speaks. There are silly word plays like the time Milo makes a speech at dinner and is surprised to find out how he has to eat his words. Life philosophy is mixed with tons of punny, funny humor. He is so changed by his travels that when he returns home he is only momentarily disappointed when the tollbooth disappears. As Milo says, "there's just so much to do right here." A children's classic for parent and child to enjoy together.

Yes, this book does teach a lesson on how to cure the doldrums. I like the description here, but it barely touches on the books magical quality.
(less)

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Jan 08, 2009 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not only do I love this book, but I just finished reading it to my seven and five and ahalf year old, who now adore it as well. As a matter of fact, instead of beginning another "big kid" book tonight, as planned, they have requested that we start Tollbooth again, which is high praise from two little kids with rather short attention spans. We broke it up into litter sections, sometimes stopping in the middle of a chapter, and it helped to be able to say "Oh, guess what, Next, Milo gets to visit...more

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Jun 25, 2008 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the greatest childhood books ever. I still enjoy it.

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Sep 13, 2012 Miranda (M.E.) Brumbaugh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, books-read-2012, favorite-reads, fantasy

What a fun read! This is right up there with Harold and the Purple Crayon on the list of books every child must read. It is not only an imaginative story, but you are exposed to moral lessons, as well as grammar and math concepts.

The plot begins with a young boy named Milo who finds life boring and tedious. He discovers a teleportational tollbooth in his bedroom, which transports him to a world where letters are served on silver platters as a delicious delicacy, and Rhyme and Reason are princes...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Margot B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Phantom Tollbooth occupies such an interesting place in the canon of children's books. It's not exactly considered a classic, but it's not NOT considered a classic, either. (The Guardian has a write-up of it as "Classic of the Month," but only three different editions exist, that I know of, which says a lot-- A Wrinkle in Time has had at least eight.) It has a devoted following and yet has received almost no critical attention since it was first released in 1961, when it received great but h...more The Phantom Tollbooth occupies such an interesting place in the canon of children's books. It's not exactly considered a classic, but it's not NOT considered a classic, either. (The Guardian has a write-up of it as "Classic of the Month," but only three different editions exist, that I know of, which says a lot-- A Wrinkle in Time has had at least eight.) It has a devoted following and yet has received almost no critical attention since it was first released in 1961, when it received great but hesitant reviews that acknowledged that it might be beyond the vocabulary level and intellectual scope of most children.

Those reviewers! They're so silly!

Part of the reason this book is so interesting to me is precisely because of that weird liminal space it inhabits between being and not being a classic; the timing of its publication is also strangely liminal. 1961 is not exactly the beginning of "the swingin' sixties," since socially and politically in America the fifties were still very much present, but it's not exactly the fifties either: JFK is already President, Marvel Comics is born, and so on. The Vietnam War begins. It's such a fascinating year, full of contrasts, and I feel like The Phantom Tollbooth encapsulates that time so perfectly, as neither here nor there.

The book follows Milo, a boy who suffers from BOREDOM. Life holds no mystery nor passion for him. He is passive and sleepy, until a mysterious tollbooth and tiny motorized car appear in his apartment, which he uses to travel to The Lands Beyond, an Alice-in-Wonderland for mid-century America, ruled by kings in elegant furs and princesses in towers, and yet full of thriving urban centres (so interesting!). He is joined by Tock, a watchdog-- literally, this dog is part clock-- and the Humbug, a pompous man-sized insect, as he travels from place to place and learns the history of the Kingdom of Wisdom. The book is filled with riddles and clever wordplay. At its heart, Tollbooth is about interrogating the expected in everyday life and opening one's eyes to everything taken for granted around us. Heavily episodic, the book sees Milo drive from one location to the next and solving problems or meeting characters whose existences rely almost entirely on Juster's cleverness. From meeting Alec Bings onward, the character development takes a back seat to indulging witticisms and is a bit thin until Milo reaches the Mountains of Ignorance, inhabited by terrifying and absurd creatures like the Gelatinous Giant and the Everpresent Wordsnatcher. The adventure aspects of the book have garnered comparisons to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but I really think Tollbooth is a sort of American midway point between Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the books of Roald Dahl. It definitely deserves more recognition than it's received...

... which I suppose is the point os this annotated edition. Published for the book's fiftieth anniversary, Leonard S. Marcus, a historian of children's literature, has written a full introduction and notes. The introduction is wonderful: Marcus includes first biographies of Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer, who both originally worked in unrelated fields, then includes information about the book's critical reception and writes his own analysis of the values and legacy of the book. This essay was fascinating. I was disappointed with the annotations, though. They mostly referred to wordplay and etymology, but I would have appreciated some heavier and more detailed annotations (it's not like there isn't space for them), including notes about any social relevance or commentary the narrative included, which I think is more than it seems at first. I wondered if the annotations were so brief so that a child could still read this book, but I don't think that's it; almost any notes at all would probably turn a kid off.

The story remains as fresh and wonderful as ever. I really hope this edition encourages more researchers and writers to give The Phantom Tollbooth a second look, if for no other reason than to fill in gaps that the annotations have left.(less)

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Jan 25, 2012 Ivan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Someone in a review said “The Phantom Tollbooth” was their first favorite book. Oh, how I wish I could make that claim [mine was “The Story of Babar”].

I didn’t start “really” reading until I was late into my teens; and so, with a few exceptions like E. B. White and Beverly Cleary, I didn’t read children’s literature – nothing in the independent readers or young adult genres. A few months ago I resolved to remedy that sad fact by reading those books I skipped while growing up.

What a treasure I’...more Someone in a review said “The Phantom Tollbooth” was their first favorite book. Oh, how I wish I could make that claim [mine was “The Story of Babar”].

I didn’t start “really” reading until I was late into my teens; and so, with a few exceptions like E. B. White and Beverly Cleary, I didn’t read children’s literature – nothing in the independent readers or young adult genres. A few months ago I resolved to remedy that sad fact by reading those books I skipped while growing up.

What a treasure I’ve discovered. Thus far I’ve read eight or nine books by Roald Dahl (now one of my very favorite authors), plus “Peter Pan,” “The Children of Green Knowe,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Borrowers,” “A Bear Called Paddington,” “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the lovely and bucolic “Wind in the Willows” and “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” (a true masterpiece on many levels).

Of all I’ve read Norton Juster’s “The Phantom Tollbooth” has had the most profound effect. Over the decades it has been favorably compared to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.” However, the work it most closely resembles is L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Like Dorothy, Milo in “Tollbooth” is a child removed from the boredom of everyday life and transported to a magical land full of wonders, mysteries and dangers. On his trek to find his way home he meets a score of memorable characters – most notably the clock dog Tock. Milo and Dorothy are cousins of a sort; they both discover that there’s no place like home and that home is a place filled with wonders and magic if only you open yourself up to experience them.

Claims have been made that Juster’s wordplay and puns are too advanced for younger readers. So what? George Bernard Shaw once said: “Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself,” which is a tenant I hold with. This book’s sophistication simply enhances its multigenerational appeal (not unlike all those Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies with classical and pop culture references only adults understood). “Tollbooth” was pure pleasure to read and had me grinning like the Cheshire Cat from beginning to end.

Here is something special from The New Yorker about the books 50th anniversary http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/20... enjoy.(less)

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Mar 21, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, classic-literature, favorites, humor

This book is: Fantastic! Marvelous! Fabulous! Stupendous! Incredible! Thus would be the reaction of the cabinet of King Azaz the Unabridged of the Kingdom of Dictionopolis. In The Phantom Tollbooth, we find the meaning of such statements as “It goes without saying”, and “Half-baked ideas”. We learn what might be the best kind of sentence you can get from a police officer. We are taught the rules of The Doldrums: one being that you’re only allowed to smile slightly every other Thursday. And perha...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Joseph rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: epicly-loved

When I was a kid I used to read and re-read the Phantom Tollbooth like it was going out of style.

Flash forward to 2010, and here I am, finally reviewing one of the most precious books of my childhood. I'm sure it's been said once, but I'll say it again, this book is no children's book. Sure, it has many elements of a child's book, and at first glance it may seem as such, but upon re-reading it for the umpteenth time I realized how enjoyable the book can be to anyone. It simply doesn't matter how...more

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Sep 22, 2008 lisa z rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to lisa z by: trish

last summer i took ramona and levi on our first road trip, we drove from chicago to the appalachian mountains to visit several of our best friends. on our way back we stopped to visit the ever lovely randy and trish. trish loaned this book to ramona who sat in the sun in her swimming suit and damn near completed it in one sitting. trish told us that it was her favorite book from childhood and that she re-read it every few summers. ramona raved about it and read parts aloud to me and levi in the...more

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Oct 01, 2008 Marielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Victoria

A wonderful book based on a world of pure imagination that yet can be compared to your own day to day basis. This magnificent story is basically about a boy named Milo who will always be willing to quit school and can't help surviving all of those boring afternoons in his house doing exactly what is called nothing. Until one day he gets to his tedious room and finds a little car that will take him to a place that will soon become his only paradise. This world helps him escape from his dull real...more

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Aug 08, 2008 Snorkle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Snorkle by: Meredith L

Shelves: all-time-favorites-juvenile, juvenile, read-2008, favorites, own, review-on-blog

Milo is bored with living, he rushes to get places but once he is there he wonders why he even bothered. He can't seem to help that he finds everything so droll. That changes when he finds a mysterious tollbooth kit and decides that since he has nothing better to do he will build it, and that is when the real adventure begins.

From the very first sentence of this book I was hooked. I knew that this was exactly the sort of book that I would enjoy and I absolutely loved all the phrases and sayings...more

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Sep 17, 2007 sal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: young intellectuals, adults looking for an easy and clever read

I read THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH in the sixth grade in my English class, and I hated it. I remember thinking that it was the most ridiculous book I had ever read, and I felt that every moment of it was a waste of my time.

When I went to college, my math education professor kept using this book as an example of how to bring literature into our mathematics classroom. Since I remembered hating the book so much, I never took the time to re-read it.

For some reason, this summer, I picked it up. I don't kno...more

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Jul 11, 2008 Marissa. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone who's ever been bored

Really, I learned so many things.
Every single chapter has a lesson. A moral. And no cheesy moral, either. Something to get your gears in your mind really turning.
Somehow, Norton takes phrases and ideas and is able to create a world where he can make them quite literal.
A great book for all ages. That is, if adults can enjoy the lack of vulgarity and sex humor.
Philosophy is many things, but it is also a quest of knowledge.
I find that of many things, this book inspired the philosopher in me whe...more

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Aug 31, 2007 Gail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kiddielit, classics

I can clearly remember being fascinated by this book when my 5th grade class read it. The basic moral of the story can be as simple or complex as you want to make it--the gems are the lessons in perspective and interpretation that Milo, the main character, gets along the way. And of course, the bevy of fantastic characters, good and evil: King Azaz of Dictionopolis, the Mathmagician of Digitopolis, the Senses Taker (still makes me chuckle), the Spelling Bee and the Humbug...

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Apr 08, 2009 Tucker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Tucker by: me

This is one of the best books ever.I like it because some of the things in there are really funny and weird and awesome at the same time,i really think everyone should read this book. it rocks

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Mar 21, 2009 John rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you have children, you have to read this book to them. It is so much fun and the story is a great adventure. Then, when they get older, it's even more fun when they read it themselves.

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About Norton Juster

Norton Juster is an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children's books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award-winning animated film. He has collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on the libretto for an opera based on The Phantom Tollbooth. The musical adaptation, with a score by Arnold...more

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The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

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