The Phantom Tollbooth
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The Phantom Tollbooth description
"It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull. Norton Juster received (and continues to receive) enormous praise for this original, witty, and oftentimes hilarious novel, first published in 1961. In an introductory "Appreciation" written by Maurice Sendak for the 35th anniversary edition, he states, "The Phantom Tollbooth leaps, soars, and abounds in right notes all over the place, as any proper masterpiece must." Indeed. As Milo heads toward Dictionopolis he meets with the Whether Man ("for after all it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be"), passes through The Doldrums (populated by Lethargarians), and picks up a watchdog named Tock (who has a giant alarm clock for a body). The brilliant satire and double entendre intensifies in the Word Market, where after a brief scuffle with Officer Short Shrift, Milo and Tock set off toward the Mountains of Ignorance to rescue the twin Princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Anyone with an appreciation for language, irony, or Alice in Wonderland-style adventure will adore this book for years on end. (Ages 8 and up) |
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The Phantom Tollbooth Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
One of my favorites
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"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." If you liked the fun wordplay above you will love the Phantom Tollbooth.
Milo was always bored. Then a tollbooth mysteriously appeared in his bedroom. So he dusted off his car, paid the toll, and went through. Milo enters a fantasy world where the literal meaning of words is used, but the real meaning is confused, mangled, and lost, which makes for a very exciting, interesting, and humorous story. Milo meets a "watchdog" named Tock who goes "tickticktick" all day. Tock tells Milo all about time. After Milo meets Tock they enter Dictionopolis pick up the Humbug and together they go on a quest to rescue the two princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Milo finds he is not bored anymore. Milo's world is now exciting to him, full of adventure and unexpected surprises.
The Phantom Tollbooth takes place mostly in the Lands Beyond, but also takes place in Milo's bedroom at the beginning and end of the book. The Lands Beyond is a fantasy world made up of kingdoms with problems. Dictionopolis and Digitopolis are kingdoms ruled by different kings who disagree so much that Milo says, "Then each of you agrees that he will disagree with whatever each of you agrees with . . . and if you both disagree with the same thing then aren't you really in agreement?" It's a nonsensical and confusing world where people eat half-baked ideas (such as "the moon is made of green") and get hungrier when they eat subtraction stew (you are full before you eat). There is even an island called Conclusions that you can only get to by jumping. I like the setting because it seems almost magical and yet very logical. It makes for an extremely silly and humorous story. The events seem real in the world of the book.
There are three main characters; Milo, Tock, and The Humbug. Milo is a boy. He is bored in his room then he becomes adventurous once he starts his journey through the Lands Beyond. Milo is bravely curious because he rescues the princesses. Milo is a believable character. Tock is a watchdog and is a male. He is a watch with half a dog on either side and is loyal and brave. He stays with Milo and he growls at people when Milo is angry at them. The Humbug is a giant super over-sized dumb, illogical bug. He came out of the Sea of Knowledge dry. He says the wrong thing at the wrong time. His illogical reasoning provides humor.
Norton Juster, the author of the Phantom Tollbooth, wrote the book in the early 1960s while living in Brooklyn, New York. He has written eight other books, but his main focus in life has been architecture. Juster dreamed of being an architect as a child. In 1970, Juster co-founded an architectural firm in Massachusetts. From 1970 until 1992 he was a professor of architecture and environmental design at Hampshire College. Juster currently lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
I think the Phantom Tollbooth is fantastic. I like this book because it's fun, funny, and interesting. People who like fun wordplay, are easily overcome by suspense, or who like exploring will love this book.
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