Identity and Necessity

Amazon.com Review ''It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time,'' Milo laments. ''[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing.'' This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull. Norton Juster received (and continues to receive) enormous praise for this original, witty, and oftentimes hilarious novel, first published in 1961. In an introductory ''Appreciation'' written by The Phantom Tollbooth leaps, soars, and abounds in right notes all over the place, as any proper masterpiece must.'' Indeed. As Milo heads toward Dictionopolis he meets with the Whether Man (''for after all it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be''), passes through The Doldrums (populated by Lethargarians), and picks up a watchdog named Tock (who has a giant alarm clock for a body). The brilliant satire and double entendre intensifies in the Word Market, where after a brief scuffle with Officer Short Shrift, Milo and Tock set off toward the Mountains of Ignorance to rescue the twin Princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Anyone with an appreciation for language, irony, or (Ages 8 and up) Review '' I read [The Phantom Tollbooth] first when I was 10. I still have the book report I wrote, which began 'This is the best book ever.''' --Anna Quindlen, The New York Times ''A classic... Humorous, full of warmth and real invention.'' --_The New Yorker_ From the Trade Paperback edition. -- Review “Comes up bright and new every time I read it . . . it will continue to charm and delight for a very long time yet.” --Phillip Pullman, New York Times bestselling author of His Dark Materials With almost 5 million copies sold in the 60 years since it was published, generations of readers have journeyed with Milo to the Lands Beyond in this beloved classic.Enriched by Jules Feiffer’s splendid illustrations, the wit, wisdom, and wordplay of Norton Juster’s offbeat fantasy are as beguiling as ever. For Milo, everything’s a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he’s got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams! The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer. It was published in 1961 by Random House (USA). It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do, drives through it in his toy car, transporting him to the Kingdom of Wisdom, once prosperous but now troubled. There, he acquires two faithful companions, a dog named Tock and the Humbug, and goes on a quest to restore to the kingdom its exiled princesses—named Rhyme and Reason—from the Castle in the Air. In the process, he learns valuable lessons, finding a love of learning. The text is full of puns and wordplay, such as when Milo unintentionally jumps to Conclusions, an island in Wisdom, thus exploring the literal meanings of idioms. A Journey Through A Land Where Milo Learns The Importance Of Words And Numbers Provides A Cure For His Boredom. Milo -- Beyond Expectations -- Welcome To Dictionopolis --confusion In The Market Place -- Short Shrift -- Faintly Macabre's Story -- The Royal Banquet -- The Humbug Volunteers -- It's All In How You Look At Things -- A Colorful Symphony -- Dischord And Dynne -- The Silent Valley -- Unfortunate Conclusions -- The Dodecahedron Leads The Way -- This Way To Infinity -- A Very Dirty Bird -- Unwelcoming Committee -- Castle In The Air -- The Return Of Rhyme And Reason -- Good-by And Hello. Norton Juster ; Illustrations By Jules Feiffer ; With An Appreciation By Maurice Sendak. Maps On Lining Papers. For Milo, everything's a bore. What a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing: life is far from dull. In fact, it's exciting beyond his wildest dreams There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always.