The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster
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Read in May, 2007
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 al...more
When the story begins, Milo gets home one afternoon expecting to go through the same humdrum after-school routine he al...more
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Read in October, 2007
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 a...more
In style the book seems to be written for a particular a...more
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Read in February, 2008
This book is about a boy named Milo who, as said in the book, didn't know what to do with himself.
One day he gets home from school, and discovers a surprise package in his room. Not know who sent it to him, he opens it to find a very nice little toolbooth.
Milo takes in adventure. going through the city Dictionopolis where he is sent on a quest, that is sumed up very well by the Humbug.
"'All that he would have to do," continued the worried bug, "is travel through miles...more
One day he gets home from school, and discovers a surprise package in his room. Not know who sent it to him, he opens it to find a very nice little toolbooth.
Milo takes in adventure. going through the city Dictionopolis where he is sent on a quest, that is sumed up very well by the Humbug.
"'All that he would have to do," continued the worried bug, "is travel through miles...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
hmmm...
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. ...more
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. ...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
children and adult book lovers
The Phantom Tollbooth was one of my favorite books when I was about 10, so it was a trip to read it again at 35 (it definitely reinforced that I was a nerdy bookworm).
Milo is a bored kid who finds a mystery present in his room: The Phantom Tollbooth, as well as a map and tokens for his trip. Soon he's in the Kingdoms of Wisdom, such as Dictionopolis, ruled by King Azaz the Unabridged, accidentally jumps to the Island of Conclusions, and fights his way through the Mountains of Ignorance - fac...more
Milo is a bored kid who finds a mystery present in his room: The Phantom Tollbooth, as well as a map and tokens for his trip. Soon he's in the Kingdoms of Wisdom, such as Dictionopolis, ruled by King Azaz the Unabridged, accidentally jumps to the Island of Conclusions, and fights his way through the Mountains of Ignorance - fac...more
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Read in January, 2008
"'Dig in,' said the king, poking Milo with his elbow and looking disapprovingly at his plate. 'I can't say that I think much of your choice.'
'I didn't know that I was going to have to eat my words,' objected Milo.
'Of course, of course, everyone here does,' the king grunted. 'You should have made a tastier speech.'"
I'm extremely concerned about my copy of The Phantom Tollbooth. It dates to the early eighties, and it shows: the cover's coming off and the glue in the binding i...more
'I didn't know that I was going to have to eat my words,' objected Milo.
'Of course, of course, everyone here does,' the king grunted. 'You should have made a tastier speech.'"
I'm extremely concerned about my copy of The Phantom Tollbooth. It dates to the early eighties, and it shows: the cover's coming off and the glue in the binding i...more
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recommends it for:
Everyone and their dog
This book ties with Paradise Lost as my favoritest book of all time. There's this kid, Milo, see, he's super bored with life. He's all of what, 15? and he's already super bored. He's so bored that when he walks home from school to his apartment, he stares at the sidewalk the whole way. The sidewalk is more interesting than the things going on around him. He goes home and sees this crazy contraption that takes him on a million great adventures where he's not bored, at all. He meets a dog w...more
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Read in March, 2008
This was at least the third time we've read The Phantom Tollbooth aloud over the last 3-4 years. Each time we find new jokes and wordplay. It also seems that the Humbug becomes funnier with each reading. Juster apparently wrote the Tollbooth as a bunch of chapters or sketches then fit them together later. This contributes to the shifting plot emphasis depending on how and when you read it. As our children get older, different sections of the book resonate more strongly with them and this af...more
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Read in December, 2007
YA. Milo -- a dull, unimaginative child -- comes home from school one day and finds a mysterious box in his room. Once assembled it becomes a tollbooth, and because he doesn't have anything better to do, he hops in his toy car and drives through to a fantastic world where he learns the importance of words, numbers, and learning from your mistakes.
Boy, that sounds thrilling, doesn't it? But it is! I loved it as a kid -- the quest, the crazy characters Milo meets, the puns, the illustrations -...more
Boy, that sounds thrilling, doesn't it? But it is! I loved it as a kid -- the quest, the crazy characters Milo meets, the puns, the illustrations -...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
intellectual types and 5th/6th graders
Although the message is very clear and a little preachy, I could not love this book more! It is the articulation of the quest for knowledge and the integrity and hopefulness required to achieve the seemingly impossible.
The very first page broke my heart and sucked me in:
(The first 3 paragraphs)
There once was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself -- not just sometimes, but always.
When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. O...more
The very first page broke my heart and sucked me in:
(The first 3 paragraphs)
There once was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself -- not just sometimes, but always.
When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. O...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
The Phantom Tollbooth is my favorite book ever. Period. Not favorite children's story, or novel, or obscure passage found in elementary school textbook. Favorite book.
The novel details the journey of plain Milo who's floundering away in a constant state of boredom. Upon trying out a mysterious package containing a child-size car and tollbooth setup, Milo is warped in a crazy world where no pun is untouched and societal norms are questioned. With the grand task of searching for (the pr...more
The novel details the journey of plain Milo who's floundering away in a constant state of boredom. Upon trying out a mysterious package containing a child-size car and tollbooth setup, Milo is warped in a crazy world where no pun is untouched and societal norms are questioned. With the grand task of searching for (the pr...more
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
Everyone
This book is for kids (of any age) who enjoy playing with words, laugh at overly-literal interpretations, and embrace a young protagonist who lets his ennui drive him through life. Milo comes home one day to find a kit that has him build a small tollbooth, also supplying a map (often printed on the inside cover of the book) and a coin to put in the coin-box. As he rides his small electrical car through the tollbooth, he finds himself in a strange land...
Characters, which offer a great examp...more
Characters, which offer a great examp...more
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone in a rut
I never read <i>The Phantom Tollbooth<i> as a kid. It wasn't until a friend recommended it that I picked it up. I'm so glad that I did. The whole book had a very William Carlos Williams vibe to it.
This lovely little story tells the tale of a hopelessly bored boy name Milo and his fantastical and educational journey. His boredom ends when a mysterious tollbooth appears in his home. He hops in his sweet ride and is off on an adventure.
Through his travels, Milo meets many...more
This lovely little story tells the tale of a hopelessly bored boy name Milo and his fantastical and educational journey. His boredom ends when a mysterious tollbooth appears in his home. He hops in his sweet ride and is off on an adventure.
Through his travels, Milo meets many...more
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Read in July, 2007
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. ...more
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. ...more
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Read in February, 2008
My bookclub just finished this book and I was so glad to read it again. My grandmother, who always supplemented my school reading list, had me read it when I was younger, but I enjoyed it so much more now.
Written in the 60's, the characters are all very relevent to modern-day living. Milo, a boy living in a big city, travels to a land where words and numbers mean everything. He is sent on a quest to resore the princesses Rhyme and Reason to their thrones. He learns about what is truly im...more
Written in the 60's, the characters are all very relevent to modern-day living. Milo, a boy living in a big city, travels to a land where words and numbers mean everything. He is sent on a quest to resore the princesses Rhyme and Reason to their thrones. He learns about what is truly im...more
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Read in March, 2004
I read this book years ago and had forgotten the story. The only reason I remember reading the book is that I recognized the illustrations. It was a much faster read than I expected, having finished it in a little over an hour. This is one book that every kid should read, both young and old. It's a great story that takes a deep look at imagination and its role in life. Full of puns, likable (if two-dimensional) characters, and a fun story, this is a book that should be read when young, and then ...more
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I first found this book in my fourth grade classroom. I must have read it so much that year, I even stole the book at the conclusion of fourth grade. Recently my mother found a fresh copy at a thrift store, thankfully, because my old copy was falling apart.
This book annoyed much of my family, they felt and still feel as if it is a strange and quirky (too quirky) story. It influenced much of what I have become, I'd like to think. After all, it was my favorite childhood story. I think at ...more
This book annoyed much of my family, they felt and still feel as if it is a strange and quirky (too quirky) story. It influenced much of what I have become, I'd like to think. After all, it was my favorite childhood story. I think at ...more
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
Everyone!
This is one of my all time favorite young adult books. I have read this at least 20 times, in fact I haven't read it lately and will have to pick it up again!
The story is about a young boy who is so bored with his "ordinary" life, that he falls into this fantasy world which begins when an oddly shaped box, which contains a tollbooth, shows up in his bedroom.
Milo's first friend is a Watch Dog named Tock, who ticks, and that is just the beginning of the many strange, interestin...more
The story is about a young boy who is so bored with his "ordinary" life, that he falls into this fantasy world which begins when an oddly shaped box, which contains a tollbooth, shows up in his bedroom.
Milo's first friend is a Watch Dog named Tock, who ticks, and that is just the beginning of the many strange, interestin...more
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Read in January, 1993
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...
I have heard cr...more
I have heard cr...more
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Read in September, 2004
recommends it for:
anyone not opposed to thinking
This is, arguably, where many children's book authors looks to gather inspiration. During a time when publishing companies were churning out books for kids that set serious doubt upon the intelligence of kids, this book assumed that kids like to think too! It still holds up, years later, but not in the same way. I am forced to either read this as a whole class (in order to make sure they "get" all the ideas) or assign it to my highest reading group. The use of language and the expl...more
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