Through the TollBooth and on Down the Turnpike (The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Date:	19/04/07 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: original, entertainingly intelligent read with a sense of humour, thought provoking

Disadvantages: none

I have to say from the outset that this is one of my favourite all time reads. I first picked up this gem when I was 10 and we were at a favourite used book store. At 10, I picked it because the cover looked interesting (different cover altogether from the current one) and the title seemed odd. My parents allowed it into the to buy pile because of its reputation, of which I was clueless at the time. I sat down to read it one Saturday morning and was still reading it while I ate lunch, and had to be forced from it at dinner, and was still reading it at bedtime. This is one of the books that I would return to again and again and again, until it sadly fell apart in my mid 20's. I am now ordering a new copy and the study guide to go with it for my own children.

This book is a fantastic antidote for boredom. Indeed, it is this very thing that prompts the protagonist, Milo, into opening the mysterious box that takes him on this highly unusual but illuminating adventure. Milo is bored. Very, very bored in the way only a child can be despite having millions of toys in the cupboard, a nice shiny bike in the garage, and other amusements. "It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo remarks glumly. But his glumness soon turns to surprise when he finds in his bedroom and enormous package marked: "One Genuine Turnpike Tollbooth".. He also finds a pedal car within, so points it at the tollbooth and journeys down the mysterious Turnpike.

Milo encounters many an odd being along the way and visits many strange places. The book is rather Ozlike in its presentation; just as Dorothy would encounter different beings in different lands in OZ travelling down the Yellow Brick road, so Milo journeys to the unlikeliest of places. Like Dorothy, his is a journey of self discovery with stops serving a purpose. Add in the pizzazz of Milo also having a quest, to save the Princesses Rhyme and Reason, and you also get a touch of the Never Ending Story thrown in for excellent measure. Each of the places Milo visits though has a specific purpose for opening Milo's mind (and the reader's) to concepts of order and reason, introducing the whys behind things such as learning maths, grammar, common sense, or just paying attention,all without being heavyhandedly moralising or condescending, or even blatantly obvious. It accomplishes this by being packed with puns, jokes, and brainteasers thus managing to avoid tedium and preachiness. Indeed, the situations are simply so unusual and to the point of absurdity in an almost Lewis Carroll sort of way that the reader is engaged into the adventure at hand, blissfully as unaware of the lessons being served up as young Milo himself. Milo emerges a much more confident, happy, and curious child who finds the world an interesting place with plenty to do and think about, which hopefully is imparted to the young reader as well (it was to me!). Even the most reluctant reader will be hooked as he visits places such as the Mountains of Ignorance and the Isle of Conclusions, with the illustrations of Jules Feiffer adding just the right touch.

Children will definitely appreciate the adventure and wit, and older teens and adults will also enjoy the undercurrents of satire of modern society. It is a book of many layers that one finds more and more to enjoy and think about with each subsequent read, all the more impressive because of its brevity. At only 256 pages, it is the prefect length for not overwhelming the budding yet possibly hesitant reader, but quite long enough to get everything it wants to say said. The book is currently retailing for £4.79 on Amazon, and the if you enjoy this book, the author also has written other books that also remain in print and are available from Amazon. The previously mentioned teacher's guide is also available from Amazon, and home educators might find it useful. There was also a high quality film iof the book n 1971, which shortly will be released onto DVD.

Summary: Milo is bored and discovers a mysterious box in his room, containing a Tollbooth