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Norton Juster

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The Phantom Tollbooth 50th Anniversary Edition Kindle Edition

by Norton Juster (Author), Jules Feiffer (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 9,606 ratings

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It has been fifty years—and millions of readers—since the world was first introduced to Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond with Tock, the Humbug, and the captive princesses Rhyme and Reason.
Now we have a remarkable 50th anniversary edition to honor this universally adored and deeply influential novel. This special edition will include:

   • Gorgeous packaging that features the classic original art stamped and debossed on the case with a transparent acetate jacket.
   • Brief essays from esteemed authors, educators, and artists, including Philip Pullman, Suzanne Collins, Jeanne Birdsall, Mo Willems, and several others.
   • Photos of the author and illustrator at the time of writing and today on the two-color endpapers.
   • The 35th anniversary essay by Maurice Sendak.
   • The complete text of the book.

A perfect gift for longstanding fans and lucky new readers, the 50th anniversary edition of The Phantom Tollbooth is a book to cherish.

Editorial Reviews

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

“The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland.”—The Guardian

“The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you’ll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time.” —Entertainment Weekly --This text refers to the paperback edition.

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 Maurice Sendak for the 35th anniversary edition, he states, "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 Alice in Wonderland-style adventure will adore this book for years on end. (Ages 8 and up)

--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

'Think Alice in Wonderland for the modern age. Brilliant,. The Guardian 'The most unpredictable, the most stimulating children,s book I have read for a very long time. Words, numbers, cliches, proverbs are taken literally, imaginatively or punningly in an enthralling and very funny dazzle of mental fireworks., The Sunday Times 'An altogether remarkable book, one that should delight any bright child, and that will be no burden for a parent to read aloud. Related with unflagging wit and a marvellous sense of the fun to be had with words, this book will be enjoyed by children for years to come., Spectator --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Inside Flap

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 tick 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! --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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

“The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland.”—The Guardian

“The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you’ll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time.” —Entertainment Weekly --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

From the Back Cover

Illustrated in black-and-white. This ingenious fantasy centers around Milo, a bored ten-year-old who comes home to find a large toy tollbooth sitting in his room. Joining forces with a watchdog named Tock, Milo drives through the tollbooth's gates and begins a memorable journey. He meets such characters as the foolish, yet lovable Humbug, the Mathemagician, and the not-so-wicked "Which," Faintly Macabre, who gives Milo the "impossible" mission of returning two princesses to the Kingdom of Wisdom. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Norton Juster was an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children's books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award-winning animated film. He collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on the libretto for an opera based on The Phantom Tollbooth. The musical adaptation, with a score by Arnold Black, premiered in 1995 and is performed in schools and theaters nationwide.

Jules Feiffer is the author of several books for young readers, including The Man in the Ceiling and A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears, I Lost My Bear, Bark, George, and Meanwhile.... He has won a number of prizes for his cartoons, plays, and screenplays. Mr. Feiffer lives in New York City. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter I: Milo

There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always.

When he was in school he longed to be out, and when he was out he longed to be in. On the way he thought about coming home, and coming home he thought about going. Wherever he was he wished he were somewhere else, and when he got there he wondered why he’d bothered. Nothing really interested him — least of all the things that should have.

“It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time,” he remarked one day as he walked dejectedly home from school. “I can’t see the point in learning to solve useless problems, or subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February.” And, since no one bothered to explain otherwise, he regarded the process of seeking knowledge as the greatest waste of time of all.

As he and his unhappy thoughts hurried along (for while he was never anxious to be where he was going, he liked to get there as quickly as possible) it seemed a great wonder that the world, which was so large, could sometimes feel so small and empty.

“And worst of all,” he continued sadly, “there’s nothing for me to do, nowhere I’d care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing,” He punctuated this last thought with such a deep sigh that a house sparrow singing nearby stopped and rushed home to be with his family.

Without stopping or looking up, Milo dashed past the buildings and busy shops that lined the street and in a few minutes reached home — dashed through the lobby — hopped onto the elevator — two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and off again — opened the apartment door — rushed into his room — flopped dejectedly into a chair, and grumbled softly, “Another long afternoon.”

He looked glumly at all the things he owned. The books that were too much trouble to read, the tools he’d never learned to use, the small electric automobile he hadn’t driven in months — or was it years? — and the hundreds of other games and toys, and bats and balls, and bits and pieces scattered around him. And then, to one side of the room, just next to the phonograph, he noticed something he had certainly never seen before.

Who could possibly have left such an enormous package and such a strange one? For, while it was not quite square, it was definitely not round, and for its size it was larger than almost any other big package of smaller dimension that he’d ever seen.

Attached to one side was a bright-blue envelope which said simply: “FOR MILO, WHO HAS PLENTY OF TIME.”

Of course, if you’ve ever gotten a surprise package you can imagine how puzzled and excited Milo was; and if you’ve never gotten one, pay close attention, because someday you might.

“I don’t think it’s my birthday,” he puzzled, “and Christmas must be months away, and I haven’t been outstandingly good, or even good at all.” (He had to admit this even to himself.) “Most probably I won’t like it anyway, but since I don’t know where it came from, I can’t possibly send it back.” He thought about it for quite a while and then opened the envelope, but just to be polite.

“ONE GENUINE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH,” it stated — and then it went on:

“EASILY ASSEMBLED AT HOME, AND FOR USE BY THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER TRAVELED IN LANDS BEYOOND.”

“Beyond what?” thought Milo as he continued to read.

“THIS PACKAGE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

“One (1) genuine turnpike tollbooth to be erected according to directions.

“Three (3) precautionary signs to be used in a precautionary fashion.

“Assorted coins for use in paying tolls.

“One (1) map, up to date and carefully drawn by master cartographers, depicting natural and man-made features.

“One (1) book of rules and traffic regulations, which may not be bent or broken.”

And in smaller letters at the bottom it concluded:

“RESULTS ARE NOT GUARANTEED, BUT IF NOT PERFECTLY SATISFIED, YOUR WASTED TIME WILL BE REFUNDED.”

Following the instructions, which told him to cut here, lift there, and fold back all around, he soon had the tollbooth unpacked and set up on its stand. He fitted the windows in place and attached the roof, which extended out on both sides, and fastened on the coin box. It was very much like the tollbooths he’d seen many times on family trips, except of course it was much smaller and purple.

“What a strange present,” he thought to himself. “The least they could have done was to send a highway with it, for it’s terribly impractical without one.” But since, at the time, there was nothing else he wanted to play with, he set up the three signs,

SLOW DOWN APPROACHING TOLLBOOTH

PLEASE HAVE YOUR FARE READY

HAVE YOUR DESTINATION IN MIND

And slowly unfolded the map.

As the announcement stated, it was a beautiful map, in many colors, showing principal roads, rivers and seas, towns and cities, mountains and valleys, intersections and detours, and sites of outstanding interest both beautiful and historic.

The only trouble was that Milo had never heard of any of the places it indicated, and even the names sounded most peculiar.

“I don’t think there really is such a country,” he concluded after studying it carefully. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.” And he closed his eyes and poked a finger at the map.

“Dictionopolis,” read Milo slowly when he saw what his finger had chosen. “Oh, well, I might as well go there as anywhere.”

He walked across the room and dusted the car off carefully. Then, taking the map and rule book with him, he hopped in and, for lack of anything better to do, drove slowly up to the tollbooth. As he deposited his coin and rolled past he remarked wistfully, “I do hope this is an interesting game, otherwise the afternoon will be so terribly dull.” --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From AudioFile

David Hyde Pierce delivers an imaginative narration of this unforgettable family listen. Milo is unenthusiastic about life until he receives a mysterious gift--a tollbooth that becomes his portal to strange lands. The fantasy journey kicks off as Pierce presents the Whether Man, who speaks so quickly that listeners, like Milo, won't know whether they're coming or going. Switching pace, Pierce and Milo next steer listeners into the Doldrums. There, Pierce stretches out each word, punctuating his reading with yawns until listeners, like Milo, are too sleepy to function. Throughout the story Pierce provides superb characterizations and faultless timing, transporting listeners with wordplay, steering them through slapstick, and thrilling them at every twist and turn of Milo's adventures. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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

“The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland.”—The Guardian

“The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

“You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you’ll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time.” —Entertainment Weekly --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Artist

Norton Juster --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004JN1CWY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Books for Young Readers; Anniversary edition (October 25, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 25, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 18727 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 304 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.7 9,606 ratings

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Norton Juster

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Norton Juster is an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children's books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award-winning animated film. He has collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on the libretto for an opera based on The Phantom Tollbooth. The musical adaptation, with a score by Arnold Black, premiered in 1995 and will soon be performed in schools and theaters nationwide. An amateur cook and professional eater, Mr. Juster lives with his wife in Amherst, Massachusetts.

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9,606 global ratings

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Deb

This book is a classic and a must-read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2024

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I am official "old" and this is a children's book. I read it because another "old person" told me it was profound and beautifully written, and that person was right. I LOVED THIS BOOK! It's one I will read again.

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BurtMcGurt

Every child 5-16 needs this book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2024

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I love this book so much, i have read it to my children 3 times and it never gets old. Perfect for bedtime reading, educational book for school, fun book just to enjoy.. it is just all around amazing. My husband and I both love the whole plot, the life lessons, and the silliness the kids enjoyed. Highly recommend.

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Cj the good aunt

I loved this book as a child

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024

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I got this for a little girl turning 8 recently. She is an avid reader and I remembered how much I enjoyed this story at her age. It is a book full of adventures and exciting ideas that stimulate discussions and ideas in everyone of all ages. It was a great value too. Encouraging children to read, encourages them to think and to question and this book is great for that. I also re-read it and was again transported with the story. it has some pretty advanced ideas, but uses the story and the action to explain them. Same with the vocabulary. It's great for teaching and reading.

3 people found this helpful

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JustMe

for all ages

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2024

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I’ve read this twice and each time I take incredible life nuggets with me. A beautiful story for all ages.

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Aviva Gittle Publishing

The story is timeless and completely original...a must-read for all kids (and adults)!

Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2015

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The Phantom Tollbooth, written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, was among my favorite books when I was a child. I recently read it again in preparation for a new writing project. I can't believe I'm giving it 4 and not 5 stars. The Phantom Tollbooth has been (and still is) in my top 10 list of the greatest children's books of all time. Let me tell you why:

1. I read it over 40 years ago and still remember the excitement and enjoyment I had reading it as a child. Few books have that kind of “staying” power.

2. It is unique. There is no other story like it (that I'm aware of). No vampires, no mummies, no killing and not a single curse word. Imagine that!

3. It provides great life lessons for both children and adults without being preachy. I was particularly moved by the demon who gets you to waste time by focusing on small and meaningless tasks.

4. The characters are fun and memorable. You will recognize yourself and others in many of them. The sheer number of unique characters is quite impressive. As a children's book writer, I am in awe.

So, why 4 stars? The illustrations! They are awful!! I don't care that Maurice Sendak (another top 10 author) proclaims that Jules Feiffer is "that rare artist" who "combines the same insistent reality and uninhibited fantasy in his superb scratchy-itchy pen drawings."

Sendak's analysis of Feiffer's work makes me think of the kind of critique a large, blank canvas hung in some art gallery in New York would receive. “Deep and moving in its spareness.” Or some such poppycock. Although I must admit that the drawings are likely considered classic now; so intertwined are they with Tollbooth that replacing them is now unthinkable.

Illustrations should complement and enhance the story; I feel that Feiffer's illustrations do neither for Juster's superb story.

A key message in Tollbooth is about recognizing and appreciating the beauty around us. Yet, what I consider to be ugly drawings are used to illustrate that lofty message. I am sure that others will vehemently disagree with me. Bring it on! I would particularly love to know what professional artists think of Feiffer's illustrations.

Scratchy-itchy drawings aside, The Phantom Tollbooth is truly a must-read for both adults and children.

3 people found this helpful

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Wendell's Mommy

I need more stars!

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2014

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I don't care what it says on the cover, if this is ONLY a book for children, I'm a circus acrobat. And since I'm a 66 yr. old crippled lady and NOT a circus acrobat, this must not be a book just for children. What is it? It's a wonderful collection of delightful play with words and numbers, puns and logic, profound insights and pure fun.
Milo is a boy who is ALWAYS bored. Then, one day he comes home from school to find The Phantom Tollbooth, with directions for assembly, a book of rules, maps, and two coins for the toll. Luckily, Milo also has a driveable toy electric car, so, after the tollbooth is together, he gets in his little car, drops in one of the coins, and off he goes, looking for something that he hopes might not be boring.
And so he goes, having fun times, meeting creatures we all know...a dog with a clock for a body (a watch dog, of course), a large bug that brags without reason and claims always to know the answers (a humbug). He goes to a banquet, but has to eat his words, and wishes he had given a shorter and yummier speech. If I started telling you all the delightful word play I would have to eventually copy the entire book. The author does a magnificent job and his love of words is obvious. No phrase is too small to take literally or juggle into new meanings.
Yet, even in the happy lands of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis....a city that uses numbers like Dictionopolis uses words...there is a problem. Throughout the entire Empire of Wisdom, there is no Rhyme or Reason, who were exiled. Milo, Tock, the watchdog, and the Humbug, start off to bring Rhyme and Reason back to the Empire of Wisdom. They have, of course, many adventures, but the mission doesn't actually become dangerous until they reach the Mountains of Ignorance, where they are beset by terrible demons: the Everpresent Wordsnatcher, who constantly interrupts, the Terrible Trivium, who wastes time doing unimportant, repetitive tasks, the Senses Taker, who wastes time filling out forms with useless information until the person is too bored to go do something more important, the long-nosed, green-eyed, curly-haired, wide-mouthed, thick-necked, broad-shouldered, round-bodied, short-armed, bowlegged, big-footed monster, who is, of course, none of these things, and is, in real life, the Demon of Insincerity. There are too many demons and monsters to mention here, but everyone is a demon you will recognize from your own life, slowing you down, wasting your time, and trying to confuse you.
After a couple of close calls, the three make it to The Castle In The Air and rescue the sisters, bringing Rhyme and Reason back to the Empire of Wisdom. There is much celebration, but Milo, worried that he has been away for so long, gets back in his little car and returns home, where only an hour has passed and the only thing that has changed is Milo, himself, who is no longer bored.
It's a marvelous book, quite suitable for children...none of the "demons" are scary to the youngest child, but I honestly don't believe a child can really appreciate the book's play with words, phrases and numbers. You would have to stop and explain a lot. I'd wait until my kid had a good grounding in the English language before I'd give her this book and, if she didn't like it, I'd try again a few years later. But don't forget to read it yourself. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and five stars just aren't enough to rate it with.

285 people found this helpful

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Ronn Gibb

fun for all ages

Reviewed in Canada on February 5, 2024

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This is a most fun book. I read it as an adult and recommend it for all my grandkids.

Jessica Martins de Oliveira Pereira

Veio em bom estado porém vem sem o plástico de proteção lacrando o livro .

Reviewed in Brazil on December 20, 2021

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O produto vem em bom estado . Mas não veio com plástico lacrando , que ajuda à protejer o livro .

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Mr_E_from_E

THIS IS A MUST HAVE...FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES...

Reviewed in Germany on January 3, 2024

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...a timeless little book, reduces prejudices in any mind, I would recommend it to EVRYONE, although it's written a lifetime ago for younger teens. A book for the mind, the heart and the soul.
A book you will read again, just wait some years...
My strong Recommendation - says Mr_E from E.

Jaime

Great fantasy book

Reviewed in Spain on December 31, 2022

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An easy book to read. It’s very didactic and interesting.

Kaushal Jadhav

The best book I have ever read.

Reviewed in India on July 30, 2022

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It dont deserves 5 start it deserves infinite stars. I love the book and all the characters in it. I want to read many more books but this is the best forever. I recommend you to read this. Im in 8th Std and I have studies and other many works to do but I get time for this :)