“But it’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters.”

Milo is a bored little boy with nothing much to do or reason to do it. Till one day arriving home from school he unexpectedly finds a miniature tollbooth waiting for him. Deciding he has nothing better to do anyway climbs in his toy car, pays the fare, and passing through finds himself on a journey into the Kingdom of Wisdom…

During his travels he is found and rescued by the watchdog Tock (who ticks) and with his newfound and loyal friend they journey deep into the kingdom on a quest to rescue the Princesses Rhyme and Reason. On their travels they pass through the Capitals of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, learning about worlds of words and numbers.
A large collection of characters are encountered along the way that want to help or hinder him as he tries to reach The Castle in the Air. There is the Humbug & the Wordsnatcher, Dr. Dischord and his sidekick the Awful Dynn, the Soundkeeper, the Whetherman and Chroma - the orchestra leader who conducts the colors of the day. The list of amusing eccentrics gos on.

Milo’s quest is a noble one, filled with entertaining wordplay, puns and cliches. Along the way he learns many lessons about the importance of truth and life and the fact that it is an amazing world if one will just look around. A great book for both older children and adults young and old, wonderful to read for the first time and a joy to reread for a second or third.
This book was first published in 1961 with illustrations by Jules Feiffer who lived in the same building in New York that Norton Juster did.

Purchase:
The Phantom Tollbooth

Norton Juster
Jules Feiffer

The Bookstore Mouse, Peggy Christian, Good Book US $1.00 End Date: Sunday Nov-23-2008 11:04:10 PST Buy it now | Add to watch list