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The Phantom Tollbooth Paperback – October 12, 1988

by Norton Juster (Author), Jules Feiffer (Illustrator)

1,608 customer reviews

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Hailed as “a classic. . . . humorous, full of warmth and real invention” (The New Yorker), this beloved story--first published more than fifty ago--introduces readers to Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond.

For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . . .

Features an appreciation by Maurice Sendak, award-winning author of Where the Wild Things Are!

“I read [The Phantom Tollbooth] first when I was ten. I still have the book report I wrote, which began ‘This is the best book ever.’”—The New York Times

“The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland.”—The Guardian

“The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you’ll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time.” —Entertainment Weekly

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Editorial Reviews

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

From the Inside Flap

Illustrated in black-and-white. This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom.

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Product details

Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Lexile Measure: 1000L (What's this?)

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Bullseye Books; Reprint edition (October 12, 1988)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0394820371
ISBN-13: 978-0394820378
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 1,608 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #35 in Books > Children's Books > Classics
- #36 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy & Magic
- #47 in Books > Children's Books > Action & Adventure

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Isabeau

One of the best books ever

September 24, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I remember adoring this book when I first encountered ir, but I hadn't read it in forever. I am delighted that the Suck Fairy (who visits beloved childhood books and turns them into utter tripe that can't have been the same book it was before!) has been nowhere near this book; it is just as delightful and whimsical and wonderful as it has always been. And it ages well -- nothing about it feels dated or irrelevant.

Especially if you are an incorrigible punster (do not incorrige), read this book. It is well worth it.

7 people found this helpful

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Jessica McCormick

For the love of language

April 6, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

At 10 years old, this was the first book that ever truly seemed to speak my language. Two decades later, I still feel a measure of understanding, and being understood, when I read "The Phantom Tollbooth".

10 people found this helpful

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Still my favorite.

March 7, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

My first love. And to be honest, if you asked what my favorite book is, as long as I didn't pause to censor myself and choose another more "age appropriate" selection, this would still be my answer.
If you want philosophy suitable for a young mind, this is excellent. If you're not above reading a "children's book" if you're not a child, it's still great philosophy, mythology, word play, and creative genesis. Sure, as a society we first need to learn rules, what things mean. But once the rules are learned then you need to learn when they should be broken. Not everything has to make rigid sense. Once a surface meaning is discovered you don't quit searching, you can keep digging for the underlying meaning and learn more about the world and more about yourself. This is like beginner semiotics, early lessons in meaning-making. Sometimes watches tick. Sometimes they tock. Also it's fun!

4 people found this helpful

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LOVE!

September 2, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A favorite book of mine ever. I read it a month ago while driving to Montana from Oklahoma and it went much quicker than I thought it would! I would have brought two books had I known. I suppose it was just that fun to read that I flew through it! I will be re-reading it! I intend to teach it for Classical Conversations at some point so I am reading it and the other reading for Challenge B ahead of time. Even without my ambition I think it is a wonderful book full of linguistic fun!

2 people found this helpful

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December 7, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

My philosophy professor made us read this book because it does an excellent job of discussing the Two Cultures debate. I was really impressed by how Norton Juster took a complex topic and made it a fun and clever children's book. I was really blown away by all the symbolism. This book was just chalk full of meaning and references. I loved it.

2 people found this helpful

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Rachael

Wonderful! Every kid should read this.

November 8, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Great book that highlights the importance of many life lessons and skills, such as forethought, motivation, decision-making, solid reasoning, and word choice. Presented in a way that is humorous to children, but does not "preach". It is full of puns, which is better for 3rd grade level and higher. Lots of great vocabulary.

2 people found this helpful

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Calladus

"It goes without saying..."

November 3, 2014

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The Phantom Tollbooth is the book I wish my parents had read to me when I was a child.

This book explores English and mathematics, and connects them together in a world of their own. A world filled with puns and wordplay.

Milo is filled with ennui, and can find nothing that interests or excites him. The arrival of a cardboard tollbooth and little electric car send him into a world of adventure and exploration where his expectations are overturned.

His traveling companion is Tock, a dog with a clock in it's middle. He turns out to be both lovable, and offers often dry comments on the situation at hand. I never warmed up to the Humbug, who seemed to me to be part snake oil salesman. Yet he has his lovable moments.

If you have not read this book to your child, or have not given it to him or her to read on their own, then I think they are sadly deprived children.

3 people found this helpful

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MamasGottaRead

Whimsical journey into the English language...

November 20, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

What a wondrous journey into a whimsical world of puns, idioms, and hyperbole! Though marketed as a children’s novel, it is certainly worth a read by any adult who enjoys the intricacies of the English language. I had tremendous fun in teaching this novel, and the children enjoyed it just as much. It goes without saying that this book is a classic, and one that can be read and reread, with various nuances being discovered each time. Norton Juster is brilliant, and I was interested to learn that he is just as colorful a character in real life, as the characters he’s created in this primo novel.

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Most recent customer reviews

A. Collins

One of the best!!

I read this book to my kids more than once when they were young, then recently re-read it myself many years later. Still one of the best ever written!Read more

Published 4 days ago

AmazonMom

The best book I have ever read!!!

I am a kid who can be anything, and this is the best Inspiration I have ever seen!

Maya 7, Vermont Ferrisburgh

Published 6 days ago

B Schafer

I remember reading this book at least four times when ...

I remember reading this book at least four times when I was in third or fourth grader. Now that it's almost summer, I'm buying a copy so my children can read it.

Published 8 days ago

Jeremy Prime

Great Book

I decided to read this after hearing about it on two major sitcoms within the same week. I'm surprised I never heard about this book when I was younger.Read more

Published 10 days ago

C. Watts

I absolutely loved it! Norton Juster's creativity was excellent and put ...

I'm a Junior in high school and read the Phantom Tollbooth in 8th grade. I absolutely loved it! Norton Juster's creativity was excellent and put things in a new perspective.Read more

Published 19 days ago

benathan

Four Stars

This item is exactly what I was expecting

Published 21 days ago

April Kyle

Three Stars

The CDs keep getting “stuck” ...poorly cared for.

Published 23 days ago

Tony Stark

A must read book for all ages.

One of the best children's books of all time. The book was in perfect condition and the appreciation remarks in the front of the book were really nice to read ad well.

Published 1 month ago

nate skinner

Phantom Tollbooth Review

This book is small and charming. It is great for small children who may grow up to be authors. The creative details are wild and fantastic while the narrative structure is...Read more

Published 1 month ago

Mathew Beaver

Great Product

I was definitely paranoid, Now I'm happy.

Published 1 month ago

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