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Summary: A favorite of mine
Review: I am fourteen now, and I've moved on to more advanced books. Childrens books are still some of my favorite, due to my dreams to someday be WRITING childrens books, but they're not something I normally read. Lately I have been reading books from "A Series of Unfortunate Events." Hey...they may not be Dickens or Hugo, but they're so fun to read. Well, anyway, this is one of the first books I read that I really loved. I read it in fifth grade and I remember I was so proud of myself for reading a book that was a sixth grade reading level. I really enjoyed this book as a way to escape from the world around me. I must admit, my life is a very good one, and there are not many unfortunate things in it, but you still need to get away from it all, and I find this book can STILL do that for me, four or five years later. I just want to thank the author, Norton Juster, for a truly unbelievable and well-written novel that kids can escape to and adults can marvel at the beauty and overall simplicity that is The Phantom Tollbooth.
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Summary: THE BEST BOOK EVER MADE!!!
Review: I will tell you why this is the best book ever made. It is a cross between "Alice In Wonderland" and "Gulliver's Travels". The land behind the Phantom Tollbooth is the best land ever! In dictionopolis, they sell letters to eat! Tock, the "watchdog" is a good add to the story. Soon,Tock,Milo, and the new member, the Humbug, travel to rescue the princess' Rhyme and Reason and to end the fight between King Azaz's Dictionopolis, and Digitopolis of numbers. They meet everyone, like Professor Dischord who makes sounds, Chromo who orchestras the colors of the world, the dodecahedron, who has twelve faces for each expression(!)and Alec Bing who grows from the air down(!)(Wow, two of those ! in one sentence). Here is some wonderful dialogue I have chosen. Letter man: Take the Z, for instance-very dry and sawdusty. And the X? Why, it tastes like a trunkful of stale air. That's why people hardly ever use them. Alec Bing: For instance, from here that looks like a bucket of water, but from an ant's point of view it's a vast ocean, from an elephant's just a cool drink, and to a fish, of course, it's home. Milo(after trying to go on the road to Infinity): I should have known it. This is just like the line that goes on forever, and I'll never get there. The book might have been even beter if the Spelling Bee had gone with them, instead of the much less likable Humbug. Then again, if he'd gone, it would be annoying for him to always spell things all the time. T-i-m-e. My favorite part is the climax with all the demons. This is where the "Gulliver's Travels" stuff comes. For example, the faceless Terrible Trivum is a way of poking fun at people who do useless things. The other demons, like the Wordsnatcher and the Gelationous Giant are wonderful too. PLEASE, READ THIS BOOK!!! It is the most imaginitive book I have ever read.
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Summary: When nonsense makes perfect sense...
Review: Is life ordinary, unexciting and boring? That's what Milo thought. He "didn't know what to do with himself." Until a mysterious package arrived in the mail, containing "one genuine turnpike tollbooth", which Milo assembles, and finds himself driving through into a fantastic land of words and numbers. This land features two main cities: Dictionopolis (marked by a love of words) and Digitopolis (marked by a love of numbers). In Dictionopolis, Milo is faced with the peculiarities of the English language, as abstract words turn into concrete individuals. He meets the Spelling Bee (who is always spelling words), a Which called Faintly Macabre (who is not so wicked), and the Whether man (who says its more important to know whether there will be weather, rather than what the weather will be.) At the word market place, he has the opportunity to buy a bag of pronouns, and letters of the alphabet. After an encounter with the police Officer Short Shrift, Milo ends up in the palace of king Azaz. Here he meets the cabinet, composed of a duke who makes mountains out of molehills, a minister who splits hairs, a count who makes hay while the sun shines, an earl who leaves no stone unturned, and an undersecretary who hangs by a thread. Dictionopolis is inhabited by strange fellows such as these and the unforgettable Kakofonous A. Dischord (Doctor of Dissonance), as well as a strange places such as the "Island of Conclusions" (which you get to, of course, by jumping). Juster's word play is so skilful and delightful, that at first you suspect that this wordy excellence will be impossible to match when Milo visits Digitopolis, the city of numbers. But not so - the fun keeps right on going. Whereas Dictionopolis had offered food like synonymn buns and required banqueters to eat their words, Digitopolis offers a diet with things like subtraction stew (the more you heat, the hungrier you get). Numbers are so essential, Milo discovers, to measure the height of high hopes, and also because narrow escapes come in all different widths. And as for the smallest number, it is infinitely small that it is kept in a box so small you can't see it, in a dresser so small you can't see it, in a house so small you can't see it... Milo tries to travel along a long line to the Land of Infinity, but is told that he probably won't like the land, and that "infinity is a dreadfully poor place. They can never manage to make ends meet." With his two faithful companions - the watchdog Tock (who "ticks" instead of "tocks", and whose body is the face of a watch"), and the Humbug - Milo goes on a perilous journey to rescue the two lost princesses, Rhyme and Reason. As you would expect, without Rhyme and Reason the lands of words and numbers have become rather chaotic. There are a variety of obstacles and enemies on the way, including the Everpresent Wordsnatcher (who literally takes the words right out of their mouths). To rescue the princesses, Milo and his company need to travel to the Mountain of Ignorance. Logically, the creatures who live in Ignorance are rather dangerous, but Milo manages to outwit them, rescue Rhyme and Reason, and returns through the tollbooth back into his real land. Comparisons with Lewis Carroll's legendary "Alice in Wonderland" are inevitable and perfectly appropriate. "The Phantom Tollbooth" is an award winning classic that will please adults as well as children for generations to come. Juster demonstrates a superb ability to make the abstract concrete, and to produce an unending stream of puns and plays on words and concepts. Yet unlike Carroll's "Wonderland", Juster's world is not nonsensical, but makes a great deal of sense. Words and numbers are dealt with strictly, literally, and logically. Because he has created a world that is new and apparently nonsensical, and yet one that plainly makes perfect logical sense, Juster's world is exceedingly understandable and enjoyable. For instance the fact that a Spelling Bee is a buzzing bee that actually spells is a fantastic notion, and yet one that makes more sense than what we've always thought a spelling bee was. This is a nonsense world that makes perfect sense. Yet Milo returns from this world as a changed individual. He has gained a new insight and appetite for the joys of words and numbers. A few tantalizing quotes to whet your own appetite: About expectations: "Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you're going. Of course, some people never go beyond Expectations..." About a box filled with words - "Most of them you will never need, some you will use constantly, but with them you may ask all the questions which have never been answered and answer all the questions which have never been asked. All the great books of the past and all the ones yet to come are made with these words. With them there is no obstacle you cannot overcome. All you must learn to do is to use them well and in the right places." But Juster also shares insights about real life. From the Terrible Trivium - "demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort and monster of habit" - Milo learns that by doing enough unimportant things you'll never get to where you're going. So it is that when Milo exits the tollbooth, he has a renewed perspective on life, and is no longer the boy who didn't know what to do with himself. The tollbooth has changed him. When he says goodbye to the tollbooth, he says hello to the real world, a world awaiting discovery and exploration. But the phantom tollbooth has a very real capacity to have the same effect on you the reader. If you are a bored little boy like Milo, this book might just change your outlook on life! And if you already love puns, and plays on words and numbers, you'll love this book anyway. Be sure of one thing: a journey through the phantom tollbooth is thoroughly enjoyable!
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Summary: Made a reader out of me!
Review: Long ago my mother was concerned because I did not like to read. She found this magical book called the Phantom Tollbooth that had just come out. She read it with me and I started to read. It was my favorite childhood book. I read it so much that the binder broke and the pages came out. I just bought it for my daughter and her grandmother who is visiting in 2 weeks. (...) What a gem.
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Summary: A road movie in a book, for little English lovers
Review: When a bored and self-indulgent little boy discovers a toy car and a cardboard toll booth in his bedroom, a voyage of discovery begins. A pun lover's dream unfolds as the diffident little Milo narrowly escapes the doldrums, visits Dictionopolis, and befriends the Watch Dog, a remarkable canine with a timepiece embedded in his side. My eight year old found the language a little too much, the pacing a little too slow, but my older child still calls it his first favourite book.
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Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: I've read this book at least 6 times, and it is still among the top of my favorite books. The Phantom Tollbooth is not only amusing and fun to read, but also presents many lessons and morals in an incredibly imaginative way.
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Summary: A feast for the imagination! (And I told the author, too.)
Review: It's nearly impossible to heap too much praise on The Phantom Tollbooth. I read it for the first time 30+ years ago and I never, ever forgot it. I still read it -- and I'm 41 years old! One of the biggest thrills of my life (okay, so maybe I lead a sheltered life) was actually meeting the author, Norton Juster, on a book signing tour in the Milwaukee area about four years ago. After raptly listening to him read his favorite passages from the book, I walked up to his table, shook his hand and said, "I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed this book since I first read it three decades ago. It's still one of my favorite books. Thank you for writing it." I know that wasn't the most eloquent thing I could have said, but I was completely in awe. Norton Juster is an almost mythical author to me and his book The Phantom Tollbooth is legendary. The only thing that could have affected me more is if I'd met Crockett Johnson, author of Harold and the Purple Crayon. (That's the other kids' book that touched my soul and helped shape my soul.) Anyway, Mr. Juster signed the hardcover "anniversary edition" of The Phantom Tollbooth and I went on my way, smiling as broadly as if I'd just won the lottery. It's hard to describe the plot of The Phantom Tollbooth and do justice to its puns, literary style and mind-bending, imaginative scenarios. Basically, it's the story of a young boy named Milo who finds everything boring in life -- until he discovers a toy car that takes him on an incredible journey to a land sharply divided into the land of numbers and the land of words. The characters he meets along the way are among the most clever and memorable I've ever read. And the narrative is razor sharp, with plays on words flying fast and furious. Simply put, The Phantom Tollbooth is a feast for the imagination, a seven course meal for the mind, pure nourishment for the soul. Sure, this is considered a kids' book. Yet, there is still enough depth and complexity and entertainment to keep adults on their toes as well. If you're an adult who's never read The Phantom Tollbooth, go buy a copy. (Or order one from Amazon if you're shy about being seen buying one at your local bookstore.) If you have kids, do them a huge favor and give a copy to them (I'd tell you to read it to them, but some of the plays on words can only be discovered by seeing the words in print; they need to read it for themselves to fully appreciate it). There aren't many books around this intelligent and fun -- especially for kids. Do yourself a huge favor and order a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth today...and rediscover your imagination.
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Summary: The Phantom Tollbooth
Review: Milo, Tock, the Humbug, Spelling Bee, and many other exciting characters bring a wonderful story to life in The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster tells the tale of Milo, a boy who has plenty of time. He never appreciates anything, and takes everything for granted. But then one day, he finds a tollbooth in his bedroom, and decides to play what he thought was a game. He is taken into another world where everything he used to think of as boring suddenly becomes one giant mystery waiting to be discovered. He learns where words and numbers come from, the importance of sound and time, and comes face to face with the values of life. He sets on a journey to rescue the two princesses Rhyme and Reason, who are trapped in a castle in the air. He uses his mind and courage to succeed in this quest. But most important, he discovers that life is an adventure and not to take anything for granted.
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Summary: The Phantom Tollbooth
Review: Milo, Tock, the Humbug, the Spelling Bee, and many other characters bring a new light onto story-telling. Norton Juster continually teaches his readers lessons and morals in the exciting, adventure-filled novel. The Phantom Tollbooth is about a boy named Milo who doesn't appreciate anything and takes everything for granted. But one day, he finds a package in his room from- no one. He assembles it and it appears to be a tollbooth. Through this simple object Milo is taken for the ride of his life, finds himself on a journey to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason, and is taught some very important things about life, including the ever needed phrase "don't waste time." I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of eight, and especially to the person who is in search of a very good book.
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Summary: The Phantom Tollbooth-Gateway to Fantasy and Fun
Review: Milo finds everything in the world dull, boring, and pointless. Suddenly, he receives a tollbooth in the mail, and decides to drive through it using his miniature vehicle. Soon he finds himself in the Lands Beyond...a world where everyday things, such as words, numbers, time, etc. become a big adventure. Milo meets Tock, the "watch dog" and is sent on a quest to save "Rhyme" and "Reason". On the way, he learns how incredibly exciting life is. This is probably one of the strangest books I've read, yet one of the best. It is funny, imaginative and straight to the point- I personally hate to read a bunch of details and descriptions that I don't need to know. It's a cross between fantasy and humour. The setting is not specified; the story could take place anywhere where children go to school. I strongly recommend this book, especially to those who love to read humourous books. It is disappointing that there are no more books for children by the author, Norton Juster, although it might be interesting to read some of his other adult books.
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