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Summary: No need to speak my praise, it "goes without saying" !
Review: Having never read this book as a child, I picked it up after graduating from college and found wisdom there beyond its years. Looking for inspiration in your life? A carpe diem message? Hope? Lost dreams? Then this is the book for you. I especially appreciated Juster's fabulous play on language, and the awesome sense of adventure. My only gripe is that I wish the supporting characters of Tock and especially the Humbug had been developed more.
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Summary: A Feast of Words and Numbers for Young and Old Alike...
Review: A small boy who is bored gets a mysterious parcel in the mail and suddenly finds himself having the adventure of a lifetime! An original imaginative book, delightful in it's play on words and numbers. Many an adult could benefit by jumping with Milo into his red little car and looking at the world through his eyes for a while. This is the kind of book one CANNOT put down until finding out "what happens next" and one is never dissapointed by the medley of adventures and unforgetable images author Norton Juster proliferates. A MUST read for all ages!
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Summary: Incredible -- don't miss it!
Review: Every single line of this book is written with the care one would use in writing poetry. I heard the author took many years in writing this book -- it shows; I don't believe you could change a single word and make it better. There are so many beautifully paradoxical turns of phrase, like: "As he and his unhappy thoughts hurried along (for while he was never anxious to be where he was going, he liked to get there as quickly as possible) ..." Just think about that for a minute! I have probably bought 6 or 8 copies of this book and given them away as gifts. That's about the best recommendation I can give!
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Summary: 96% of Reviewers REALLY Aren't Wrong
Review: I found the book on a friend's bookshelf on the wettest of British summer afternoons about 10 years ago. I was early twenties and neither the name of the book nor the author rang any bells, but the title intrigued me so I read on. Early on in the book there is a description of Milo's sigh which causes a sparrow to rush home to be with its family.... I was utterly hooked. I would urge anyone who didn't like this book if they read it when they were young to really give it a go later in life. There's something about the inexorable passage of time which heightens ones senses to descriptions of the importance of making the most of life and living the 'Carpe Diem' anthem. I can understand how some folk might feel a little patroised by some of the seemingly over-simplistic specific imagery like numbers vs words, but the real importance lies in the ideas of balance, and probably the most significant figures of the piece really are the Princesses themselves, Rhyme & Reason. Without the warmth of art and the focus of fact, life becomes less clear, and much colder. The creeping menace of some of the characters Milo meets in the mountains towards the end of the book become so much more malevolent and chilling when one has spent an entire day on the telephone sorting out a 'five minute job' and there went a day that could have been spent painting, songwriting, meeting someone new ANYTHING but answering the phone!! Read the book when you are a little older - I promise you, you will never touch another Stephen King again...the truth is much scarier! Thanks for reading. Bye!
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Summary: A MUST-read for children and adults alike!!
Review: I first read this book in school in the fourth grade and I was always wonderfully surprised and delighted at the variety of characters and the turn of events in the story. Even though I was young, I knew there was a lot of plays on words throughout the book. I just recently bought the book again and at 19 years old, I am STILL impressed with this story. It's fun, interesting, and really makes one think about life and what it's worth. It's a great story to share with others and hopefully one day I will get the chance to read it to a child and share with them this story that combines a child's imagination and an adult's artful mind. Whether 10 or 90, buy this book. I will always treasure MY copy.
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Summary: not for us:(
Review: We thought (my friend and I)this book would have been much better if we were not forced to read it. Maybe if we were a little bit older it would have been bettet because it seemed very confusing. We would not recomend this book for young readers. There was a very good use of puns, also there were so many characters it was hard to keep track of them all and what their porpos was. We don't mean to discourage you, and we hope you enjoy it but it just was not for us!
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Summary: Awesome use of literature! What a summer treat.
Review: Norton Juster's Phantom Tollbooth use of language was truly a delight. As an elementary school teacher it was refreshing to revisit this piece of literary genious. I am excited and motivated to incoporate this book into my entire year's curriculum. Everything from Language to Mathematics to LIFESKILLS. Don't pass up this clever, ingenious use of language. A book you will truly enjoy!
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Summary: Great, very funny, and great use of imagination!
Review: We had to read this book for our Language Arts class. I looked at the cover and didn't think it was going to be very good. But after the first chapter I already loved it. I really enjoyed this book and I recomend it if you like fantasy books.
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Summary: This is a great book!
Review: I am reading this book for my 6th time. It is very interesting and is very funny. My favorite part is probably (though I'm not really sure, it's so good) the ever-present word snatcher. I think he's really funny, though he is trying to be a demon.
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Summary: A REQUIRED BOOK FOR EVERYONE
Review: I don't remember the first time my mom read me this book. I don't even know how many times I've read it in my short 15 years. A Lot is probably an understatment. This is a book that has something for everybody. When its read aloud to little kids they see and love the engrossing story and oddball world. Everytime I've read The Phantom Tollbooth I've found something new and wacky that I hadn't seen or understood before. When I was little I didn't get three quarters of the puns and now they're what keep me literally rolling on the floor each time I read it. You can tell I really love this book by looking at my well-worn, taped together copy. By the end you'll be asking yourself "how can I explore my world?" and you'll be dying to tip over the nearest rock and watch those facinating bugs at work for hours. I'm not kidding. You really will.
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