The Phantom Tollbooth (1961)

My favorite childhood book. I still have it, all these years later. ( )

Interesting book. I read this with my 9 year old. He enjoyed it, but I don't think he quite got everything. As an adult, this is even more fun.
Play on words and more overt critique of several common concepts in society such as not truly being in the moment (not seeing, not listening, not meaning what you say) ( )

I loved this book as a kid and still love it as an adult. It's fantasy but mostly about language and the fun that the author has with words, numbers, concepts and ideas. Just a blast to read.

Course evaluation:

Personal Response: I loved this book and the sheer fun Juster has with language. The puns, word and number games, and spin on ideas are educational as well as amusing. I can’t imagine any child not enjoying this book, even as it makes he or she think in new ways.

Evaluation: The strength of this story is in the language and the way Juster plays with words to make the reader (and main character) see common ideas in new ways. Children will enjoy the absurdity of the book while still learning new concepts or looking at familiar ones in new ways. This will then appeal to older children as they explore different ways of learning and looking at the world. The characterization is solid and the main character matures quite a bit throughout the story; readers will identify with his confusion throughout the book and with his excitement in the end. Feiffer’s drawings are excellent reflections of the strange characters Milo meets during his journey; the illustrations allow to reader to visualize some of the more difficult concepts with ease, such as a dodecahedron. ( )

A re-read of one of my favorite books from when I was little. This is such a special book and I think everyone needs to read it. It’s such a treasure. ( )

I also read this book as a kid but couldn’t quite remember what it was about . Turns out it is about a kid that is very smart but very bored with everything. So he gets an adventure that leads him to learn that he doesn’t quite know everything that he thinks. He learns a lot and is taught along the way that he doesn’t have to be bored he can make things up! I wouldn’t use this in middle
School because it’s more for high schoolers ( )