The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster Book Review

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Review Summaries

""There once was a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself - not just sometimes, but always." Milo hurries around, always wishing he was somewhere else or doing something else - until the day a mysterious parcel arrives in his bedroom, with a card reading "For Milo, who has plenty of time." It proves to contain a Tollbooth, one, travelers for the use of, and when Milo drives through it in his small electric car, he finds himself in the Lands Beyond. While there, he encounters lots of people, including Tock, the watchdog, Azaz, the king of Dictionopolis, and the Mathemagician - and he soon realizes his task in this new and peculiar place is to rescue the Princesses Rhyme and Reason and return them to the kingdom. This book is a gentle allegory, loved by children but filled with references only an adult can get; a true classic of children's literature."
Ivy, Resident Norton Juster Scholar

"A short "children's" story about Milo, a boy who is perpetually fed up with the humdrum of school and life. Then one day, a mysterious package appears in his room. He opens it reluctantly (for he is VERY bored and nothing excites him anymore) and assembles the contents- a phanthom tollbooth. This machine allows him to travel to strange lands such as Digitopolis and the land of Conclusions (the only way to get there is to jump- lol!) He embarks on a magical adventure in which he and his new friends have many wonderful and thought provoking experiences. There are lots of jokes, puns and funny pictures to keep you amused and on your toes. You might have read it a long time ago or seen the film, but it is a guaranteed laugh and worth reading again!"
Singing Crayon, Resident Norton Juster Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 40%

Tone of book - humorous or laughable
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - dimension travel - exploring a wondrous planet or phenomena
Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14)

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none - magical being
Age: - long-lived adults
Has magical powers? Yes
Eccentric: Yes - eccentric - wild

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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