The Phantom Tollbooth (Essential Modern Classics)
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- Create Date：2021-05-03 11:55:17
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Norton Juster
- ISBN：0007263481
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Summary
In this classic children's tale， Milo sets off through the tollbooth he finds in his bedroom and away on a magical journey to such places as the Land of Expectation， the Mountains of Ignorance and the Castle in the Air。 He meets the weirdest folk， such as the Threadbare Excuse， who mumbles the same thing over and over again。
Reviews
Maureen
，
My kids read this on their own。 I regret that！ I really liked this book and its message， told in such a funny/absurd， clever way。 I think it would have prompted lots of discussions and references in every day conversation。 Milo is a bored kid， not really interested in learning or doing anything。 One day， he gets a present， a toll booth， two coins。 He gets in his toy car and goes through the toll booth into a fantastical journey， where he learns some truths。"Why don't they live in Illusions？" sug My kids read this on their own。 I regret that！ I really liked this book and its message， told in such a funny/absurd， clever way。 I think it would have prompted lots of discussions and references in every day conversation。 Milo is a bored kid， not really interested in learning or doing anything。 One day， he gets a present， a toll booth， two coins。 He gets in his toy car and goes through the toll booth into a fantastical journey， where he learns some truths。"Why don't they live in Illusions？" suggested the Humbug。 "It's much prettier。""Many of them do， he answered， walking in the direction of the forest once again， "But it's just as bad to live in a place where what you do see isn't there as it is to live in one where what you don't see is。" 。。。"Does everyone here grow the way you do？" puffed Milo， when he had caught up。 "almost everyone，" replied Alec， and then he stopped a moment and thought。 "Now and then， though， someone does begin to grow differently。 Instead of down， his feet grow up toward the sky。 But we do our best to discourage awkward things like that。" "What happens to them？" insisted Milo。 "Oddly enough， they often grow ten times the size of everyone else，" said Alec thoughtfully， "and I've heard that they walk among the stars。" 。。。。"My my，" the man mumbled。 "I know one thing for certain; it's much harder to tell whether you are lost than whether you were lost， for， on many occasions， where you're going is exactly where you are。 On the other hand， you often find that where you've been is not at all where you should have gone， and， since it's much more difficult to find your way back from someplace you've never left， I suggest you go there immediately and then decide。 If you have any more questions， please as the giant。" 。。。more
Ella Mae
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Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。topapp。novelstar。top Awesome novel。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest with a theme "WEREWOLVES" Prices are amazing！https://author。starlight。ink/essay/in。。。 （PC）http://app。novelstar。top/index/index/。。。 or email any of the following editors;hardy@novelstar。topjoye@novelstar。toplena@novelstar。topapp。novelstar。top 。。。more
Evelyn
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cute just not for me so I don’t wanna spend anymore of my time on it
Jake Karwoski
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I read this for the first time as a 39 year old man with a 3 year old daughter。 I had heard of it from pop culture references such as “New Girl”， and people claiming it was one of their most fondly remembered early chapter books。 I had a real case of FOMO。。。。。。and for good reason！ What a creative way to explain how great learning is！ I read this prior to my child’s interest in chapter books， but I can’t wait to read it again with her （or maybe solo）！
Chip Bradley
，
One amazingly wonderful story about a young boy named Milo and his dog， Tock。 This Alice-in-Wonderland-like story reads as if it were for a child but clearly resonates for adults too！ Norton Juster masterfully incorporates many different interpretations about words， phases and numbers as he develops the story of this little boy's travels to find Rhyme and Reason in an otherwise dull life。 His travels take him through different lands like Dictionopolus， The Foothills of Confusion， The Doldrums， T One amazingly wonderful story about a young boy named Milo and his dog， Tock。 This Alice-in-Wonderland-like story reads as if it were for a child but clearly resonates for adults too！ Norton Juster masterfully incorporates many different interpretations about words， phases and numbers as he develops the story of this little boy's travels to find Rhyme and Reason in an otherwise dull life。 His travels take him through different lands like Dictionopolus， The Foothills of Confusion， The Doldrums， The Valley of Sound and the Point of View -- among several others。 There are other noteworthy characters Milo and Tock meet along the way。 The hand drawn illustrations by Jules Feiffer are incredibly good and help to paint the picture of this great journey of trial and tribulation and 。。。 the end is definitely worth waiting for。 。。。more
Mj
，
I really honestly loved this book！ So many lessons to be learned by both the main character Milo and the reader。 The word play was both intriguing and at times challenging！ I enjoyed the fact that I could see what was happening along the way while the main characters couldn't quite。I definitely recommend it！ I really honestly loved this book！ So many lessons to be learned by both the main character Milo and the reader。 The word play was both intriguing and at times challenging！ I enjoyed the fact that I could see what was happening along the way while the main characters couldn't quite。I definitely recommend it！ 。。。more
Cathy Hartke
，
Great classic that all kids should read！ （I'm a little late to the game but thankful my sister turned me on to it）。 I'd recommend reading it WITH your kids so you can discuss the book's characters and what they represent。 Great classic that all kids should read！ （I'm a little late to the game but thankful my sister turned me on to it）。 I'd recommend reading it WITH your kids so you can discuss the book's characters and what they represent。 。。。more
Tracy
，
So， I had never read this book， but Norton Juster's passing prompted my curiosity about it。 That and the fact that it seems to have such a dedicated following， so much so that when I took my children to the New York Public Library 7 years ago they posed in the car that was part of a large， amazing children's literature exhibit。 Here's my two cents-this is a fun book， but since it was written 50 years ago I'm not sure its contemporary intended audience would appreciate it for the work of art it r So， I had never read this book， but Norton Juster's passing prompted my curiosity about it。 That and the fact that it seems to have such a dedicated following， so much so that when I took my children to the New York Public Library 7 years ago they posed in the car that was part of a large， amazing children's literature exhibit。 Here's my two cents-this is a fun book， but since it was written 50 years ago I'm not sure its contemporary intended audience would appreciate it for the work of art it represents。 I loved the wordplay， playful language， and whimsy。 So many metaphors that I think can apply to our world today-Rhyme and Reason is definitely something we could use more of！ My favorite part， by far， was in the land of Digitopolis。 Milo， our main character， is in a cave of precious stones， each one representing a whole number。 When he accidentally drops one on the floor and it shatters， he is told "we use the broken ones for fractions。" Genius！ Teachers everywhere， especially the math kind， cheered！ If you want to be confused， amused， and entertained， this is a great read for you！ I really appreciated the 50th Anniversary Edition I read because it included afterwords by authors such as Phillip Pullman， Mo Willems， and Jeanne Birdsall。 。。。more
Dail Sams
，
The Phantom Tollbooth was first published in 1961， which makes me wonder why I never read it as a child。 It is a delightful story full of wordplay， puns， oxymoronic characters and ironic situations， challenging its readers to think and learn all they can。 The main character Milo， a young man who seems to be always bored and uninterested finds himself starting one day on an adventure which opens his mind to new and unimagined ideas， introduces him to fantastical creatures， and turns him into a de The Phantom Tollbooth was first published in 1961， which makes me wonder why I never read it as a child。 It is a delightful story full of wordplay， puns， oxymoronic characters and ironic situations， challenging its readers to think and learn all they can。 The main character Milo， a young man who seems to be always bored and uninterested finds himself starting one day on an adventure which opens his mind to new and unimagined ideas， introduces him to fantastical creatures， and turns him into a determined hero。 。。。more
szymborskalyte
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Reasonably cute I think but a children’s book through and through。
Abbie
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One of my favorites！ The importance of words。 ‘“You may not see it now，” said the Princess of Pure Reason， looking knowingly at Milo’s puzzled face， but whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else， if even in the tiniest way。 Why， when a housefly flaps his wings， a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground， the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot， the earth moves slightly off its course。’
Rachel Oldaker
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Such a fun book！ Not sure why I was avoiding it， because it was super enjoyable for me and the boys。 Some of it went straight over their heads （8&9 years old at this time of reading aloud） and often， I had a hard time getting my voice/tongue to cooperate with the words on the pages。 But we made it through and we can hardly wait to read it again。。。 But maybe after we read some other wonderful tales ;）
Reigne
，
This was a beautiful story I loved the story line and the the connection of the characters。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Rabia Arif
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Pure genius。
Kelsey
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Listened to the Audible version narrated by Rainn Wilson， highly recommend！
Katrina Franklin
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Absolutely delightful book！ My 13 year-old and I equally enjoyed it！
Sabrina Gallant Monette
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I read this book as an adult。 Full of relationships with cognitive development。 As a psychology student it was fun to look at it from this perspective！
Ali O
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Wow！ I had so much fun reading this again。 This was the first book I read in grade school that I actual enjoyed。 It was the book that taught me to love reading。 I was not disappointed this time around。 Thoroughly enjoyable for readers of all ages。 I can’t wait to introduce it to my now 4yo in a couple of years。
Maria
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When you're awaiting your COVID test results while recovering from the difficult second vaccine， what better way to pass the time than reading a childhood classic I somehow missed？ Juster recently passed away thus my interest in reading his most famous book。 I dislike fantasy but this one is fascinating with Milo embarking on an adventure into knowledge of words， numbers， sounds， sights， and many other things that make like interesting and beautiful。 Along the way， he picks up a dog （Tock， thoug When you're awaiting your COVID test results while recovering from the difficult second vaccine， what better way to pass the time than reading a childhood classic I somehow missed？ Juster recently passed away thus my interest in reading his most famous book。 I dislike fantasy but this one is fascinating with Milo embarking on an adventure into knowledge of words， numbers， sounds， sights， and many other things that make like interesting and beautiful。 Along the way， he picks up a dog （Tock， though he ticks） and a nervous bug （Humbug） to join him on his journey。 Easily read in one day， this is a classic that can be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone， not just children， though I will definitely be buying a copy for my little niece for a future gift。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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I most recently read this in graduate school - many years ago - and wrote seven pages for what was supposed to be a two page paper on it。 There is so much fantastic word play and brilliant concepts and fun！ for anyone who loves language 。。。 long overdue to reread it。Thank you and RIP， Norman Juster！
Monica
，
Such a treasure each one of these books is。 I love it。 You can join in NovelStar writing contest happening this April till the end of May with a theme werewolf。 The details are in the link。 You can also publish your stories in NovelStar， just email our editors hardy@novelstar。top， joye@novelstar。top， or lena@novelstar。top。
Amaure
，
This was a good book， I liked it a lot。” 。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Katie
，
A very clever book but overly wordy and not exactly edge of my seat stuff。 I found it a bit tricky to keep track of what was going on but my 6 year old loved it。 Just as well he did or I don't think I would've made it to the end。 A very clever book but overly wordy and not exactly edge of my seat stuff。 I found it a bit tricky to keep track of what was going on but my 6 year old loved it。 Just as well he did or I don't think I would've made it to the end。 。。。more
Huu Vu
，
Phần giới thiệu phía sau so sánh cuốn này với Alice in Wonderland， cơ mà thực sự là mình thấy nó khác hẳn và kém hơn nhiều ấy， chắc nó sẽ giống với cuốc phiêu lưu của Nil hơn。Thực sự thì cuốn này là một cuốn sách thiếu nhi không tệ， mang những kiến thức căn bản tiểu học ra để tạo thành một cuộc phiêu lưu lý thú， tuy nhiên tác giả chơi chữ nhiều quá nên đọc tiếng Việt thấy mất hết cái hay， và các bạn nhỏ Việt Nam đọc thì càng khó mà thẩm thấu được。Nói chung nếu đọc cuốn này tầm 2 3 năm trước mình Phần giới thiệu phía sau so sánh cuốn này với Alice in Wonderland， cơ mà thực sự là mình thấy nó khác hẳn và kém hơn nhiều ấy， chắc nó sẽ giống với cuốc phiêu lưu của Nil hơn。Thực sự thì cuốn này là một cuốn sách thiếu nhi không tệ， mang những kiến thức căn bản tiểu học ra để tạo thành một cuộc phiêu lưu lý thú， tuy nhiên tác giả chơi chữ nhiều quá nên đọc tiếng Việt thấy mất hết cái hay， và các bạn nhỏ Việt Nam đọc thì càng khó mà thẩm thấu được。Nói chung nếu đọc cuốn này tầm 2 3 năm trước mình sẽ thích hơn nhiều， cơ mà giờ cảm thấy không yêu nổi sách thiếu nhi kiểu quá triết lý thế này nữa， nên 3。5 sao thôi。 。。。more
Shelley H
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A must read for every language arts and English teacher。 May want to scaffold while reading， but definitely a book for upper teens and middle schoolers。
Allison Taft
，
The Phantom Tollbooth is a Fantasy or a science fiction book that is about a young boy named Milo。 This young boy finds a package in his room that has a tollbooth and a map， so he decides to use his toy car to drive through it。 He finds himself in the land of Dictionopolis where he meets many different characters， some who continue with him on his journey。 He ends up in Digitopolis and finds many unusual people on the way。 Eventually he returns home and has a greater passion for adventure and le The Phantom Tollbooth is a Fantasy or a science fiction book that is about a young boy named Milo。 This young boy finds a package in his room that has a tollbooth and a map， so he decides to use his toy car to drive through it。 He finds himself in the land of Dictionopolis where he meets many different characters， some who continue with him on his journey。 He ends up in Digitopolis and finds many unusual people on the way。 Eventually he returns home and has a greater passion for adventure and learning， realizing that he does not need to be anywhere special for these things to happen。 This would be a great book for an upper elementary class （4-5） to read。If I were to implement this book in my class， I would have students focus on different types of symbolism and figurative language used。 We could make charts for partners or for table groups that has a place for them to list the figurative language in writing or in an image， and then write what they think it really means and how it contributes to the overall meaning of the text。 I think that this would also be a great book to implement in reader’s theater with all of the different characters mentioned。 It is important that students understand how to read with inflection and the emotions that the characters are feeling。 This would be done with small excerpts or even chapters。 I think that this would be a great way for students to engage with the text and be even more excited to read！This was a WOW book for me because I remember reading it in elementary school and loving it！ The cover and everything brought back so many memories and nostalgia。 I love that the book highlights how great education is。 It is important to show students that learning is fun and encourage students to become engaged。 The book was all about adventure and learning， which is something that I am passionate about as I am becoming a teacher。 I think that this book was a great reminder to appreciate all of the fun that life has to offer and to enjoy what you have！ 。。。more
Deborah D。
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Punderfully fun and twisty paths of altered perspectives。 I never， ever read this as a younger person。 I am far from ancient， but I am glad I finally got to read this treasure of a celebration of imagination and inspiration。And unexpected friends。
Julie Daneman
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The Tween actually finished this one before me - he read one day while I was out of commission not feeling great。 I'm not complaining。 :） I absolutely love this book。 The plays on words， the lessons learned。 I might appreciate it even more as an adult than I ever did as a kid。 The Tween actually finished this one before me - he read one day while I was out of commission not feeling great。 I'm not complaining。 :） I absolutely love this book。 The plays on words， the lessons learned。 I might appreciate it even more as an adult than I ever did as a kid。 。。。more
Pam Baddeley
，
This was a re-read of a book read as a child， so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it。 However， I did although it isn't one with great character depth or an amazing plot。 But it makes up for that in its funny wordplay and games with numbers。Milo， the protagonist， is a boy who has very little interest in life and who cannot see the point of what he is taught at school， but that all changes when a large box appears in his room containing a tollbooth。 He sets off through the tollbooth in his amazing l This was a re-read of a book read as a child， so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it。 However， I did although it isn't one with great character depth or an amazing plot。 But it makes up for that in its funny wordplay and games with numbers。Milo， the protagonist， is a boy who has very little interest in life and who cannot see the point of what he is taught at school， but that all changes when a large box appears in his room containing a tollbooth。 He sets off through the tollbooth in his amazing little electric car on a journey to visit such strange places as Dictionopolis， city of words， and Digitopolis， place of numbers。 The country has been riven by a conflict between two brother kings， Azaz who holds that words are most important and the Mathemagican who holds the same about numbers。 Only their sisters， the Princesses Rhyme and Reason， could keep everything in balance but now the princesses are imprisoned in the Castle in the Air， guarded by monsters in the mountains of Ignorance， and everything in the land is out of balance。 It becomes Milo's mission to rescue the princesses。 Along the way， he makes friends especially with Tock the Watchdog and the Humbug， and meets lots of strange characters。There are lots of puns and wordplays in this， such as people having to literally eat their words， or a boy who is only 。58 visible because he represents the fraction of the average number of children in a family （2。58）。 There are some inventive places such as the Doldrums where strange creatures literally waste time， and a market where letters are traded or a mine where numbers are extracted。 Milo gradually undergoes a life change as he comes to realise that there is plenty of life to enjoy in learning new things。An afterword by the author was interesting as it explained that his day job was in architecture and he wrote this book as light relief when struggling to complete a commission on urban planning。 I think this explains why this seems to be the only fiction he ever wrote。I found the Humbug a bit of a non-character and Milo is a bit passive， but I enjoyed it overall， so I would rate this at 4 stars。 。。。more
Cathy
，