I think this is the only school book I liked.

Puberty had just taken effect and so I was tripping my balls off on hormones: "My boobs hurt. There is blood on my panties. I hate everyone. Does that dog have a clock on it?"

I somehow missed reading The Phantom Tollbooth as a kid (or if I did read it, I've completely forgotten it!), which is a bit of a shame, because I think I would have enjoyed it!

Filled with wordplay and silliness, this is a great option for new middle grade readers (and, you know, those who are fans of "dad" jokes).

Finished. Well, Juster is an interesting author and pokes fun at many things in our society which need to be poked. I appreciated the book much more this time, thanks to this annotated edition. When I tried to read The Phantom Tollbooth a few years back I didn’t get the humor and it was only that its reputation as a ‘classic’ made me give it another chance.

I figured it was too geeky for strait-laced me, or I was too dense, or serious or something, but I thought this (or a “The Phantom Tollbooth for Dummies” if one existed) might help. And it does. It’s an unwieldy read—square, large and heavy—but worth it as I’ve learned where the author was coming from on many (but not all) of his perspectives, characters and vignettes as well as the backstories on most of the illustrations. There is also some biographical information and photographs of both Norton Juster, the author and Jules Feiffer, the illustrator.

What initially put me off the book last time, the main character, Milo’s lack of interest in anything, was also what frustrated Juster enough to write the book and is resolved by the book’s end.

I still disagree (as I did during my first partial read) that all the world’s woes can be solved by the beautiful women, Rhyme and Reason—which is what Juster seems to imply. His blatant omission of God is grievous so I cannot give the book 5 stars, but I do appreciate many things the book points out about the problems in our world as well as the importance of the good things, such as Wisdom, reading, inventing, music, philosophy and the recognition that there is so much to see and do, no one should EVER be bored. However, we cannot overcome the demons Juster labels and describes so monstrously without Divine help.

The Phantom Tollbooth is an essential classic for children and adults alike. An immensely clever and fun read, which was filled with wordplay. The entire story was like a huge, well-written pun. I absolutely loved every second of it.

I would like to thank my lovely book-twin, Celeste for introducing and gifting me with this wonderful book.

I was really looking forward to finding out what all the hub-bub about this book was, sadly at the end of the day I mostly just found it "too clever" and didactic. Think Alice in Wonderland marries The Littlest Prince.

This seems like the kind of book that snooty parents would want their kids to read on the way to fencing lessons while chomping on their organic granola. Always hoping that their ever blossoming renaissance child will wow a crowd of adults with their clever anecdotes and mature vocabulary.

Personally, I believe kids should be selfish, obnoxious intrusions in our lives constantly on the verge of burning down the house while eating highly processed foods and stepping over their Archie comics collection.

(All afore mention opinions can be discounted by the fact that my younger brother loved this book and grew without snooty parents or fencing lessons. Additionaly my own son is currently listening to at least mildly enjoying this book - but still it's soooooo dang OBTUSELY CLEVER - bleh).

In most of the libraries I frequent the children's audio book selection is pretty minimal. That makes it rather exciting to visit the day before a road trip, to try to find something that might suit both a 1st grader and his mother -- one is forced to make a choice one might have not otherwise, and who knows if it will prove to be a delight - or not. In this case, I thought, everyone else in the world has read The Phantom Tollbooth, we might as well give it a shot.

Apologies to those who love this book but I found the relentless wordplay really tedious. I guess 40 is just not the right age to appreciate an endless stream of puns and forced absurdity. The six year-old liked it however, and didn't seem to find it grating that the narrator of this recording really went overboard with doing the voices.

Hopefully I'll be luckier on our next road trip.

I don't know how I made it this far in life by not reading a novel built entirely around wordplay. The Phantom Tollbooth was not at all what I expected, and I found it quite enjoyable, mirthful, blithesome, convivial. While I can see why it's compared to Alice in Wonderland, Carroll never had much charm for me, and I found a lot of charm in this book.

The Phantom Tollbooth has what may become one of my all-time favorite endings for a middle-grade novel. So many of the quest/travel novels leave the reader feeling a bit bereft for the protagonist upon return. The Phantom Tollbooth shows Milo happier and more interested in his own life, though sad that the Tollbooth has vanished, which I found vastly more satisfying.

I'm convinced that this would make an extremely wonderful read-aloud. Feiffer's pictures are wonderful, though I don't love his style. The 50th anniversary edition has a note from Juster, which made me appreciate my reading of the novel even more, as he showed such good humor and affection for this book. If you, like me, have been wondering what the fuss is about, give it a try the next time you feel in the mood for a clever middle-grade adventure.

My mother got this for us when I was 8 and it was first published in 1961. I still own that original edtion and it is not in great shape due to multiple readings. This is as much an adult as a children's book. Although I loved the story right away, it was more meaningful as I got older and I understood all the plays on words and deeper messages. Still worth rereading every decade or so as an adult, and it remains one of my favorite books. It's a very witty book. I'm a sucker for maps, however basic, and there is a map (of the pretend world written about) in the inside covers of the book. A very good fantasy with a very real heart.

First read in 2003: This book knocked my socks off!

I didn't read it as a child, and for years my son has been recommending it to me.

Incredibly fun read. Highly recommended.


January 2011: A reread, a happy reread. You must bear in mind that I adore silly wordplay and this book is the King of Silly Wordplay.

A feast for the senses! In this epic journey a bored little boy by the name of Milo learns about imagination, using his time wisely, perspective, words, sounds, numbers, and how to avoid so many of the pitfalls of everyday life that keep people from valuing the world around them. This is a wonderful read aloud book with very expansive vocabulary. There is no dumbing down in this classic, younger readers might need a little help with vocabulary and themes. It would be a great selection for kids reading well above grade level, which can be a hard group to find books for. “… 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” – The Princesses of Rhyme and Reason. (AR book level is listed as 6.7)
– Alexis S.

When he left the Navy, Norton Juster began writing a non-fiction book about urban planning. As an outlet from the grueling work, though, he spent his free time concocting the imaginative scenes that later became The Phantom Tollbooth. One publisher’s advance later, he gave up on the scholarly work and finished The Phantom Tollbooth instead. And we’re all better off for it.

Part Alice in Wonderland, part secular Pilgrim’s Progress, The Phantom Tollbooth takes ten year-old Milo on a journey out of boredom and into a wild world of Watchdogs (dogs made from big watches), the Mathemagician (who rules over the city Digitopolis), King Azaz the Unabridged (who rules over Dictionopolis), and creatures like the Awful Dynne, who collects the noisy sounds of the world, and the Lethargarians, who sit around and do nothing all day.

It’s a bright adventure into the creative possibilities of the mind. In Dictionopolis and Digitopolis Milo discovers the value of words and numbers; on the Mountain of Ignorance he learns that knowledge can fight off inattention and indulgence; in the Doldrums, he avoids ennui by thinking; and through it all, he discovers that a little attention reveals wondrous details in everything around him. All told it’s an episodic allegory that feels like the whole wonder of grade school in a few hundred pages.

But the real pleasure of it is the whip-smart wordplay. We barely catch it as children, but Juster’s physical representations of intangible things—like the very short Officer Shrift, who arrests people without giving them a chance—introduce young readers to multiple layers of meaning. And as adults, there’s a laugh, a groan, or a tickled “huh!” in every paragraph.

The Phantom Tollbooth isn’t perfect, however. The opening chapters are electric with wit, but the mystery and momentum of the early pages fade into a string of sometimes cumbersomely connected scenes, as if Juster’s clever ideas were simply lined up in a row. And, not all puns are created equal. (Still, they're puns, and we have to love them).

But these are tiny complaints. Every child should read The Phantom Tollbooth; it’s a bit of a lesson book on how to live. In the interview at the end of the audiobook (read by David Hyde Pierce), Juster says that many of the demons in the story—like the terrible Trivium, who waylays us with inane tasks—reflect the challenges that he struggles with in his writing. And if we all do as well as Milo does, then we’ll surely live happier, fuller lives.

Do I recommend it? Yes. Read it at different times over the course of your life. You’ll notice different things.
Would I teach it? It would be fun. It’s young in spirit, and it might serve as fresh contrast to texts exploring allegory or the image of the road.
Lasting impressions: I first read The Phantom Tollbooth in the third grade, and though I only remembered excerpts from it before revisiting it recently, looking back at it now, I wonder if it was the most formative experience of my childhood.

I came to this book as an adult, though I remember seeing it in many libraries over many years. It’s a portal story about a boy, Milo, when he’s feeling at loose ends. Then a tollbooth shows up in his room, granting him access to a silly, mixed up, other world with fantastically named people and creatures.
Norton Juster’s story has Milo experiencing the Doldrums, getting thrown into jail in a city by a short police officer named Shrift, encountering a boy who’s .58 of a person, and several other amazing incidents.
Milo’s accompanied by a wonderful dog who’s part clock, and has another companion, Humbug, who’s somewhat nervous, but does venture through many dangers and whimsical encounters with Milo, and together the three rescue the imprisoned princesses Rhyme and Reason after the two kings of Wisdom sent them away.
The wordplay is funny and clever, and I particularly loved how the author didn’t simplify or dumb down his text for his audience. There is also, through the names and satirical situations, a clever dialogue with his readers, asking them to not be complacent, to think critically and to reason.
While this wasn’t the transformative text for me that it was for other writers who provide their thoughts on this classic in the afterward in my copy of the book, it was a diverting and amusing read.