The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster,illustrations by Jules Feiffer

From the dust jacket:

Readers of all ages will find much wit and wisdom in Norton Juster’s beguiling, offbeat fanatasy about  a boy named Milo “who didn’t know what to do with himself.”

Through the Phanotm Tollbooth lies a strange land and a series of even stranger adventures in which Milo meets some of the most logically illogical characters ever met on this side or that side of reality, including King Azaz the Unabridged, unhappy ruler of Dictionopolis; the Mathemagician; Fainly Macabre, the not-so-wicked Which; and the watchdog Tock, who ticks. In his quest fo Rhyme and Reason, Milo helps settle the war between words and numbers, visits the Island of Conclusions , and ventures into the forbidden Mountains of Ignorance.

My thoughts:

This is my brother-in-law’s favorite childrens book, and he’s the one who bought it for Amber. It’s a classic and I’m definitely glad we read. Amber gave it 5.9 out of 5 starts and was sad when it ended. She wants Milo to have more adventures with Tock and the Humbug, his companions on the journey.

For me, the beginning was great. It’s funny, making it’s point by playing with words and with our expectations. By the end of the book, though, I was getting tired of it. It was basically the same tricks, over and over again. But it wasn’t, at heart, meant for me. It was meant for Amber and she loved it.