Story Time
The Phantom Tollbooth By Norton Juster Reviewed by Jillian Ciula, Children’s Services Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library Random House Children’s Books has recently released the 50th anniversary edition of “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster. Since its original publication in 1961, three generations have delighted in Milo’s journey to the Lands Beyond. For fifty years, Milo’s adventures have illustrated to children that “what you learn today, for no reason at all, will help you discover all the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.” After trudging home from school one afternoon, the perpetually bored Milo discovers a package in his room, addressed, “For Milo, who has plenty of time.” It’s a cardboard tollbooth, which he quickly assembles, a beautiful map, and a book of rules. Despite his general disinterest in everything, Milo decides to give this new game a try. He hops in his electric car and passes through the tollbooth, which magically transports him to the Lands Beyond, a fantastical world of ideas and learning. He travels to Dictionopolis, the kingdom of words, and to Digitopolis, the kingdom of numbers. He meets the tallest midget and shortest giant in the world. He makes it to the Island of Conclusions, which can only be reached by jumping. He befriends a watchdog named Tock who helps him in his quest to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Air, where they have been imprisoned since refusing to choose between words and numbers. “The Phantom Tollbooth” broke many of the unwritten rules of children’s literature when it was originally published. The vocabulary is challenging, the wordplay is non-stop, and the transformation of abstract ideas can be difficult to grasp. Yet, despite all of the doubts that the publishing world had, the book was, and continues to be, a success. The story is delightful and continues to capture the imaginations of many young readers. “The Phantom Tollbooth” is a classic of American children’s literature and a great choice for children ages 8 to 12. This book is proof that we should never underestimate the intelligence of children. Every reader may not understand every pun, but they will most definitely delight in the twists and turns of this great story.
MI CHILD MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2012
61