Phantom Tollbooth

Title: Phantom Tollbooth

Author: Norton Juster

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Year of Publication: 1961

Reader's Rating: 3

     Excerpt: There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always.When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he’d bothered. Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have.

     In a Nutshell: Milo, a very bored little boy, receives an unusual package one day: a make- believe tollbooth. When he drives through it in his electric toy car, he is suddenly transported to the Lands Beyond, a fantastic world of imagination. On his way to Dictionopolis, one of the country's two capitals, he meets Tock, the watchdog who joins him on his journey. In Dictionopolis, Milo meets King Azaz who presides over the world of letters and words. Azaz sends Milo on a mission to rescue two princesses, Rhyme and Reason, who are imprisoned in the Castle in the Air, which floats hundreds of feet off the ground.

(SUMMARY NOT BY ME.)*

   The Fantastical Stuff: Phanton Tollbooth is filled with an enormous amount of creativity and some good humor. I enjoyed reading about all the people and animals Milo, Tock and their friends met up with on the way to Digitopolis and the pictures were marvelous. (I love books without pictures but, I'm not gonna lie, I'm a sucker for ones with them. haha!) Anyway, this book was imaginitive and fun and I took great pleasure in reading it. 

The Not-so-fantastical Stuff: Although Phantom Tollbooth was highly creative, I felt it was somehow a knock-off to Alice in Wonderland. Now, Alice in Wonderland is an amazing book but authors should be able to come up with more of their own ideas. Actually, though, this book was pretty different from Carrol's writing, but I could tell there was something similar and I didn't exactly like it. Also, with a lot of crazy things happening in Phantom, they start to become repetitive and drone on and on. After a while, I kind of got bored of the same book and was some what relieved when I flipped to the last page. 

Wrap Up: Norton Juster had the mind of a child and it shows through the pages of his stories. Phantom Tollbooth is an interesting and enjoyable tale filled with a magical essence that you are sure to love. Even though it is not on the top of my list of favorites, I recommend it to you entirely. As you're snuggling up to your little ducklings in bed or hugging your child to keep warm, read this book to fill your hearts with imagination, love, and happy thoughts galore.

*SUMMARY FROM HERE: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/tollbooth/summary.html