I can see why this has been so popular for so many years.
Highly entertaining! I'm a little disappointed my first experience with this was as an adult.
I think with the whimsy of childhood this would have been even more magical.

This book is so awesome, and now it is a top favorite for both me and my daughter. I would never imagine that anyone can take such abstract concepts and make them so vivid, bring them to life, draw them as physical objects. Amazing!
In addition, the book brings so many insights, that I ended up highlighting so many sentences in my e-book, maybe the most that I ever found in a single book. Just go and read it no matter your age.

The world is such a magical place, and Milo, that does not know it yet, because he is a very bored child, is going on a extremely amazing journey, taking the reader with him. How do you imagine Infinity to look like? Or how does the sunrise gets its color? How can the average family have 2.58 children? And can you vision sounds or terrible noises or a mine of numbers or a market of words?Norton Juster is a genius, there are no other words to describe this book.

In Digitopolis, Milo learns about words. That one should not use a lot to say a little, that you can get in a lot of trouble mixing up words or just not knowing how to spell them. And that words can taste really good.
Words are powerful, and most of our knowledge can be captured by words if you just know how to use them well: In this box are all the words I know,” he said. “Most of them you will never need, some you will use constantly, but with them you may ask all the questions which have never been answered and answer all the questions which have never been asked. All the great books of the past and all the ones yet to come are made with these words. With them there is no obstacle you cannot overcome. All you must learn to do is use them well and in the right places.

Next he learns about many abstract concepts, from the fact that people have different Points of View, or that the same person can have them when they are changing. And in general how to look at things: Things which are equally bad are equally good. Try to look at the bright side of things.
Milo also sees Illusions from afar, and learn that they can be more vivid than reality. “Illusions are like mirages, things that aren’t really there that you can see very clearly". “How can you see something that isn’t there?” “Sometimes it’s much simpler than seeing things that are,” he said. “For instance, if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn’t there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That’s why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones.” There is much to see, if you keep your eyes open, and much worth noticing that often escapes the eye. Another thing that Milo learns, is about seeing things as they really are, not just as they seem to be. Everybody needs a reminder about that once in a while.
Then Milo and his friends jump to Conclusions. A place that looks much better from a distance. He finds out that you can lose too much time jumping to Conclusions, because the way back is much longer.

And from Rhyme and Reason they learn about the impossible, a word that we tend to use way too easily: so many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible. And not being afraid of making mistakes: “You must never feel badly about making mistakes,” explained Reason quietly, “as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons.” And that trying is really the most important thing and the first step before successfully doing: “but you had the courage to try; and what you can do is often simply a matter of what you will do.”

We laughed when we found out that you can grow down (instead of up), we feared from the demons of Ignorance, we hoped that Reason and Rhyme will be saved. We were totally invested in this journey, we cheered and we hoped, we feared and shrieked. We didn't want it to finish (couldn't we just keep going to infinity?). 5+ stars, for the best book, that is both educational and a huge amount of fun. Highly recommended for every age above 9.

This was a joy to read again. It's amazing how much of this had faded from my memory since childhood.

Norton takes all these common phrases and ideas and puts them together in a way that makes them feel absurd. He remakes them. This is a great book for kids starting out their reading journey. It sparks the imagination about words. I loved the dictionopolis. That was amazing. Words are important and this book encourages a curiosity about language and words and how things can be used. It is a fun little middle grade read that I'm so glad is still around.

I did listen to this in the car on my way to school and I can't remember many of the wonderful quotes from characters I would love to put down here and comment on. Rhyme and Reason are important in this book and without them we do see what a mess the world can be.

I also enjoy how the Phantom Tollbooth just appears and disappears without ever explaining who are what sent it. It just is. I found that refreshing. This should be school reading or on a reading list at school.

This also reminds me so much of Alice and Wonderland and the absurdity of the characters we meet in this strange land. Milo is simply trying to figure things out. It's the closest thing to it that I know of. It is a sharp witted little story and it's easy to see how it came out of the 60s era. I had fun reading it.

2022 favourites be raining like this

I've loved this book for years and have even purchased copies of this to gift my kids' friends on their birthdays. It's an evergreen story, perfect for every middle-grader who loves fantasy novels.

Loved it when I was 8 even better now Im in my 50s

I really enjoyed reading the very innovative plotline. Laughed-out-loud at times. Loved the characters of Milo and Tock- The Watchdog. However, some bits were a tad confusing.

I first read this book as a child. I am now in my 60s and am still in love with it. Each time I read it I find some subtley that I seemed to  have missed before.
It teaches without the reader needing to make any effort to learn.
As Milo, Tock and the Humbug found when they "Jumped to Conclusions" and needed to swim back through the Sea of Knowlege only the Humbug stayed dry as he was incapable of soaking up knowledge.
Beware though they did make an atrocious film of it and my advice woukd be to avoid the film at all costs.

Arrived and I'm reading it now

Quality of cassettes and packaging in excellent condition.  Students enjoy narration of novel and used for differentiation of novel instruction.

Mostly vocabulary and discussion questions for each chapter. Format is helpful as I design a chapter by chapter novel study for my students.

The funniness, intelligence, adventure and creative characters of this  book compelled me to reread it regularly as a child and youth.It is still  one of the most entertaining and creative books available. As an  intellectual child, I really identified with Milo, the quiet boy who  learned to come out of himself and explore a fun but challenging fantasy  world. I loved the plays on words and the "sassy" attitude (can't  think o a better word right now) of some of the characters. It was fun fun  fun and intelligent too. All this, and the book still manages to impart  quite a few good lessons.
Several years ago I met Norton Juster at a book  signing near Washington, DC, where I learned he was a student of  architecture when he wrote this book. (The tour was to promote his new  children's title that was related to architecture.) He seemed overwhelmed  at the sight of so many fans. Even in the middle of the afternoon, a line  had wrapped around the bookstore and down the sidewalk outside, and they  ran out of Phantom Tollbooth books.
The only flaw I noticed as an adult  was that a middle section of the book dragged a little, although I never  thought this as a kid. (I am 30 years old and female.)
Even if you have  the book, I also STRONGLY recommend the audiocassette version with Pat  Carroll; she does such a great job reading the characters and bringing out  their personalities, and the abridgement is so well done, that this is  hands down the best audiobook I own. (The abridgers cut out the slow bit I  mentioned above.)