The Phantom Tollbooth (Paperback)

by Norton Juster (Author), Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) "There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always..." (more)
Key Phrases: Senses Taker, Spelling Bee, Officer Shrift (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"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) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
"I read The Phantom Tollbooth first when I was 10. I still have the book report I wrote, which began 'This is the best book ever.'"-Anna Quindlen, The New York Times

"A classic--Humorous, full of warmth and real invention."-The New Yorker -- Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Bullseye Books; First Edition edition (October 12, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394820371
• ISBN-13: 978-0394820378
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (567 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,457 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

82 of 85 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars “WELCOME TO EXPECTATIONS”, April 22, 2006

By	Amanda Richards "Modest to the extreme" (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Milo’s bored with everything
And couldn’t see the reason
For learning math or spelling bees
No matter what the season

At home one day he found a box
Not round, but not quite square
ONE GENU-INE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH
The label did declare

Intrigued, he jumped into his car
Although this was a toy
Through the tollbooth he then passed,
One jaded little boy

He found himself quite somewhere else
It happened very fast
“WELCOME TO EXPECTATIONS”
said a signpost that he passed

But in this land there was a feud
Between two stubborn brothers
One thought words were number one
While numbers were the other’s

Milo, Humbug, faithful Tock
Must help to set things straight
Get Rhyme and Reason to return
so the feuding will abate

The brilliance of this story lies
In the author’s verbal skill
The places and the characters
Provide a learning thrill

The characters are wonderful
The plotline never dull
You’ll read this story several times
Until your brain is full

So if you are a child at heart
From two to ninety two
I strongly recommend this one
To you, and you, and you



Amanda Richards, April 22, 2006

109 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The childhood favorite that's still with me, September 3, 2000

By	Zagnorch (Terra, Sol System) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Phantom Tollbooth (Mass Market Paperback)

After my first reading of 'The Phantom Tollbooth', it became,and still remains, my favorite young reader book. I wrote two book reports on it for my middle school reading classes. I even received a copy of it as a tenth birthday present. Ever since, I've read it from cover to cover at least once a year.

As a child, I enjoyed reading the strange adventures of a bored Milo embarking on his legendary quest. As an adult, I enjoy the tome's play on words, such as the Whether man ("It's more important to know whether there will be weather, rather than what the weather will be") and the Isle of Conclusions, a place you have to jump to to get there. I also love the book's personifying such abstract concepts as statistics, like the (literally) half a child that Milo meets who's the end result of the average family having 2.58 children. It also has neat takes on people's points of view, like the boy who grows down, rather than up. Needless to say, it's pretty apparent that even though I loved this book as a kid, I appreciate it much more as an adult.

If you remember reading this as a child, I strongly recommend you give it a look again. You'll likely pick up on quite a few things in the story that you might not have gotten the gist of in your youth!

'Late

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable classic of great originality., June 30, 2000

By	E. Chen (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I first had this book read to me by my third grade teacher, and begged my mother to buy it for me soon thereafter, that I might read it for myself. It was my first "favorite book" (for all those what-are-your-favorite-book questions), and it continues to be a treasured classic on my shelf.

The story follows the journey of Milo, a boy bored of basically everything around him. One day he receives a mysterious package that turns out to be a tollbooth. For lack of anything better to do, he puts it together and begins to play, only to find himself driving in an entirely different world. There he meets all sort of curious creatures, from a giant watchdog (literally, a dog whose body is a watch) and a humbug the size of a person. Juster plays with words as if they were tangible objects to juggle, and continually surprises the reader by turning ordinary events into magical occurrences. This book very much exemplifies the quote (and I apologize for not naming the speaker, who slips my mind at this moment) "The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to get sharper."

Although Norton Juster's tale will probably never receive as much wild acclaim as the Harry Potter series, The Phantom Tollbooth nevertheless exhibits its own quiet charm. It is full of original characters and entertaining events, and I heartily recommend it for any child, or adult for that matter, who would like to be amused for a few hours on a rainy afternoon - especially if you think there's nothing to do! It is a wonderful book to read to a child, and the simple black and white drawings scattered throughout the text belie the vivid pictures that Juster paints with his words.