Norton Juster - The Phantom Tollbooth

Pros: lots of wonderfully strange characters, fun to read or read aloud to kids
Cons: language humor may need to be explained, demons may scare the very young

Suddenly finding himself smack in a strange land where thinking too little will detour you into the Doldrums for miles and miles of nothingness, a bored ten-year old boy relearns how to jumpstart his life with the magical help of a gift he discovers in...

Pros: playful humor and humorous wordplay; Jules Feiffer's marvelous illustrations
Cons: none

Boredom, begone! Apathy, aroint! Doldrums, disappear!

You'll never afflict me again, because I have the perfect antidote: Norton Juster's "The Phantom Tollbooth."

A good book engages its readers, and "Tollbooth" does it better...

Pros: excellent wordplay, clever characters, original
Cons: none

When I was growing up I saw this book many times in my library. But I was spooked. I could not quite place my finger on it, but the giant dog with the watch embedded in him, as I now know as the watchdog Tock, crouched there with his frown, discouraged ...

Pros: well-written, fantastic story, page turner, everything
Cons: none at all

A lot of bookworms like myself have a favorite book from childhood or young adulthood that was overly adored. The cover is worn and hanging on for dear life, the spine bends every which way, and the pages are a yellowish shade of white.

...

Pros: Funny, witty introduction to life concepts.
Cons: Ending seems rushed.

The Phantom Tollbooth is one of those rare gems of childhood -- it's not Dr. Seuss or Judy Blume, but it is an excellent children's book.

Milo is a young boy, unhappy with his life and not terribly interested in...

Pros: An explosion of etymological edification, a symphony of syntax and syllabication, a parody of praxis, a fully-fledged feat of philology!
Cons: Six million years is over before you know it

You descend into the depths, find an enjoyable story (and some sugar coated punctuation marks) -- and it's all over before you know it.

A few weeks ago, I was invited by my friend and colleague forkids to participate in a Children's...

Pros: original, entertainingly intelligent read with a sense of humour, thought provoking
Cons: none

I have to say from the outset that this is one of my favourite all time reads. I first picked up this gem when I was 10 and we were at a favourite used book store. At 10, I picked it because the cover looked interesting (different cover altogether from ...

Pros: Clever, funny, imaginitive.
Cons: none. . .

Juster's modern classic was inspired by Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland, is somewhat derivative of Baum's Wizard of Oz series, and contains more than a few hints of A. A. Milne and even Dr. Seuss within it's pages as well, but winds up an entirely...

Pros: Great puns, fun imagery, lots of laughs
Cons: It's classified as a *kid's* book and I want to read it

I have a confession to make. Yes, "Phantom Tollbooth" is a children's book. And I'm sure that the fourth copy of the book that I recently bought will someday end up in a child's hands. Until then, I just can't stop reading it and laughing over...

Pros: timeless classic, fun, silly, you'll never forget it, good for any age
Cons: not owning it

Norton is my hero. it is because of this man and his book that i
use to long for a magic tollbooth (toy car included) to be be
mysteriously delivered to my door, as happened to Milo,...

Pros: Imaginative, Educational and Adventurous!
Cons: Difficult words and concepts for younger children.

Milo is never happy where he is and is bored by just about everything! Nothing seems worth the effort to him, until one day a mysterious package arrives containing the Phantom Tollbooth (and accessories!). He enters the Kingdom of Wisdom and begins a ...

Pros: Juster takes an archaeological dig into your mind and pulls out concepts and ideas
Cons: pro continued: that you didn't even know were inside. OH, AND NO CONS!

The Phantom Tollbooth takes the normal world, twists it and bends it until the grass is blue and the sky is magenta, mutes it, embellishes it and smooths the edges with the return of Rhyme and Reason. This bed time story is best read aloud, though...

Pros: Great story. Funny. Gently teaches the reader about language.
Cons: none

This is one of my all-time favorite children's books. My copy is threadbare from being read again and again, but I still love it.

Milo is a child who is always bored and restless, until one day, for no particular reason he finds a box in his...

Pros: Can't put it down
Cons: Can't put it down

Don't tell me this is a kid’s book, because I already know that. I still admit that I have read this book 4 times and it is among my favorite book of all-time. I had first read this book all the way back in the 5th grade. Then one day, while look...

Pros: humor!!!! wisdom, fun, joy
Cons: none

Milo is bored by his everyday life, engaged with nothing, until he unwraps a surprise package in his room. A tollbooth, a car, a token. From then on, he learns, and the reader delights in wisdom expressed in unforgettable puns and situations that make...