The Phantom Tollbooth

by Norton Juster

Book Overview

With almost 5 million copies sold 60 years after its original publication, generations of readers have now journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic. Enriched by Jules Feiffer's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394820371
• Release Date: October 1988
• Publisher: Bullseye Books
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Best children's book ever

This is the funniest young adult book. It is good clean humor. Funny but thought-provoking.

Fantastic early reader

This was my favorite book as a child. Easy reading with a neat concept

Give it back!

I first read this book in the 1960's for a book report. Since then I have had to buy this book multiple times because I can't seem to hang on to it for very long, it keeps walking out the door in the hands of my children and grandchildren. They love it so much they won't return it.

Nostalgic love

Still exciting! Loved it when I was little, still do now! Couldn't be more pleased with my copy!

Excellent!

I loved this book as a child, and was thrilled to acquire it again --in hardcover! The illustrations by Jules Feiffer are a perfect complement to Milo's adventure. Among many other things, he learns that it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be! Highly recommended.

Amazing!!

I read this book in elementary school and to this day, it remains my favorite book. I purchased it a while ago, to show to my boyfriend and he was also incredibly impressed and in love with it as well. Will definitely be suggesting it to others.

Fun fun funny

A wonderful tale that is suitable for everyone. Simple yet can be thought provoking at the same time if desired.Hope the ever advancing electronic age will never cause this brilliant story to become irrelevant.

A very entertaining story.

My partner read is when he was little and he downloaded the podcast version. I listened to it and had a giggling time of my life. So. I am buying it here.

Loved it as a kid, love it again now

I remembered loving it as a kid, so grabbed another copy. I’m so glad I did! This is a GREAT read aloud book. My kids range from 6-12 and they’ve enjoyed its silliness. What a good book.

Great story

This book actually has moments in it where I laugh out loud. It's just great.

“WELCOME TO EXPECTATIONS”

Milo’s bored with everything And couldn’t see the reason For learning math or spelling bees No matter what the season At home one day he found a box Not round, but not quite square ONE GENU-INE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH The label did declare Intrigued, he jumped into his car Although this was a toy Through the tollbooth he then passed, One jaded little boy He found himself quite somewhere else It happened very fast "WELCOME TO EXPECTATIONS" said a signpost that he passed But in this land there was a feud Between two stubborn brothers One thought words were number one While numbers were the other’s Milo, Humbug, faithful Tock Must help to set things straight Get Rhyme and Reason to return so the feuding will abate The brilliance of this story lies In the author’s verbal skill The places and the characters Provide a learning thrill The characters are wonderful The plotline never dull You’ll read this story several times Until your brain is full So if you are a child at heart From two to ninety two I strongly recommend this one To you, and you, and you Amanda Richards, April 22, 2006

Una gran aventura con una gran leccion

A mi me toco leer la version en ingles de este libro para mi clase de Ingles Avanzado en la universidad. A pesar de ser un libro para niños, esta novela consta de lecciones sobre la vida que son mostradas de una forma muy amena e interesante de leer. Nos muestra lo importante de ser un humano, y como con la habilidad que tenemos para pensar puede ser utilizada de miles de maneras productivas, o simplemente otras miles de maneras de como desperdiciarla. Mediante una aventura en un mundo magico y misterioso, Milo se dara cuenta de lo hermosa que es la vida, y de como aprovechar ese potencial en su ser.

The childhood favorite that's still with me

After my first reading of 'The Phantom Tollbooth', it became,and still remains, my favorite young reader book. I wrote two book reports on it for my middle school reading classes. I even received a copy of it as a tenth birthday present. Ever since, I've read it from cover to cover at least once a year.As a child, I enjoyed reading the strange adventures of a bored Milo embarking on his legendary quest. As an adult, I enjoy the tome's play on words, such as the Whether man ("It's more important to know whether there will be weather, rather than what the weather will be") and the Isle of Conclusions, a place you have to jump to to get there. I also love the book's personifying such abstract concepts as statistics, like the (literally) half a child that Milo meets who's the end result of the average family having 2.58 children. It also has neat takes on people's points of view, like the boy who grows down, rather than up. Needless to say, it's pretty apparent that even though I loved this book as a kid, I appreciate it much more as an adult.If you remember reading this as a child, I strongly recommend you give it a look again. You'll likely pick up on quite a few things in the story that you might not have gotten the gist of in your youth!'Late

An enjoyable classic of great originality.

I first had this book read to me by my third grade teacher, and begged my mother to buy it for me soon thereafter, that I might read it for myself. It was my first "favorite book" (for all those what-are-your-favorite-book questions), and it continues to be a treasured classic on my shelf.The story follows the journey of Milo, a boy bored of basically everything around him. One day he receives a mysterious package that turns out to be a tollbooth. For lack of anything better to do, he puts it together and begins to play, only to find himself driving in an entirely different world. There he meets all sort of curious creatures, from a giant watchdog (literally, a dog whose body is a watch) and a humbug the size of a person. Juster plays with words as if they were tangible objects to juggle, and continually surprises the reader by turning ordinary events into magical occurrences. This book very much exemplifies the quote (and I apologize for not naming the speaker, who slips my mind at this moment) "The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to get sharper."Although Norton Juster's tale will probably never receive as much wild acclaim as the Harry Potter series, The Phantom Tollbooth nevertheless exhibits its own quiet charm. It is full of original characters and entertaining events, and I heartily recommend it for any child, or adult for that matter, who would like to be amused for a few hours on a rainy afternoon - especially if you think there's nothing to do! It is a wonderful book to read to a child, and the simple black and white drawings scattered throughout the text belie the vivid pictures that Juster paints with his words.

The Phantom Tollbooth; A Review

The book The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster is a magnificent story filled with word plays and idioms taken literally. The story starts off with a boy named Milo who is always bored with whatever he is doing. One day, while in his room he see a large box. He opens, and quickly realizes it is the contents for making a tollbooth. The only thing that came with it was a little map and a note saying,"Easily assembled at home, and for use by those who have never traveled in the lands beyond." Milo decides that since has nothing better to do he might as well build the tollbooth and go through it. What follows is a epic adventure filled with strange characters, like the Watchdog, and the Humbug. There are also odd places like the Dictionopolis and the Doldrums. There aren't enough superlatives for this book. Although it is written in a fun way like a children's book, it is not, due to a lot of sophisticated terms. It is a very good book and I would recommend it to most people over ten years old.