Due to popular opinion among my classmates at the time, I expected The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster to be a "really awesome good book" as a 5th grader several years ago. I read it, understood some of it, did not love it, and forgot it. The older-style writing bored me very quickly and I had thought back then that to fully enjoy a book it had to be fifteen years or younger. Now, going back to this children's classic, I can now comprehend the genius world-building and execution of The Phantom Tollbooth.
Milo is a normal boy, who is extremely bored one day when he finds a strange package addressed to him that he does not know the contents of. He finds a tollbooth that he has to put together inside as well as a small electric car. He finishes the tollbooth, steps inside, and is immediately transported to the Lands Beyond. He finds himself suddenly driving on a road, an activity that he enjoys and thus continues doing. Little does he know that he is about to make new friends and enemies, and embark on an adventure to save Rhyme and Reason in a land of words and numbers. He meets several spectacles along the way, including the Mathemagician, the Soundkeeper, and the Chroma. He learns many important skills along the way that he knows he will use later on. He succeeds in his quest and returns home and suddenly finds it interesting.
The reason I think I was unimpressed back then and the reason I like The Phantom Tollbooth now is the story, or rather, the simplicity of the story. This book does not have multiple storylines or jaw-dropping plot twists. Rather, the main character is always found going from point A to point B. Though it is not amazing, I think that this linear way of storytelling is perfect for the true charm of the book: the puns, the characters, and the details. The Kingdom of Wisdom is one huge love letter to every play on words any author has ever used. One of my favorite parts of reading this book is how everything means exactly what the name suggests. Dictionopolis is a city of words. In Dictionopolis the letters and words found taste and feel like exactly how they are. An "A" tastes "sweet and delicious, just the way you'd expect an A to taste." Rhyme and Reason are princesses that use rhyme and reason to make their wise decisions. The author creations of the origins of all of the qualities of the world still feel creative 60 years after he came up with those ideas, which is what I think makes The Phantom Tollbooth really stand out among other books in its genre. Reading about how the color in the world is generated from an orchestra or why the Soundkeeper banished sound in her realm was very refreshing.
This is a book that wants you to experience a very certain type of experience. It is a bit of a journey to read this short book. You know how the journey is going to end, but it is rather the process it takes to reach that end provides the lost anticipation for suspense or a plot twist. Structure-wise, reading The Phantom Tollbooth is a bit like watching a kids show you used to love when you were younger. The objective is usually clear, the characters have simple ulterior motives, and through a series of enjoyable moments and important life lessons you reach the end of the episode, the happy ending. However, The Phantom Tollbooth fully embraces this basic structure, it does so almost satirically. One particularly amusing way one of the morals of the The Phantom Tollbooth was presented was when the group accidentally "jumped" to the island of Conclusions, and they had to traverse back to their main journey through the waters of Knowledge. Milo, an open mind, is soaked through in these waters, but his acquaintance the Humbug is completely dry because he thinks he knows everything. Yes, it's obvious that the lesson is that only a mind willing to learn will "soak up" knowledge, but I still liked the active obstacle that characters were put in to achieve their goals. The book has many moments like these, which I never quite noticed when I was younger.
Of course, my main problems with this book likely stem from the age I am reading it - some parts of the book were a little too cliché to be as compelling as some other parts that intended to be this way, and the way the main problem was solved by Milo almost made me facepalm. However, someone looking for a quick and easy read can still enjoy the short but sweet adventure filled with clever puns and a largely satisfying experience.
My rating:
9/10
Milo is a normal boy, who is extremely bored one day when he finds a strange package addressed to him that he does not know the contents of. He finds a tollbooth that he has to put together inside as well as a small electric car. He finishes the tollbooth, steps inside, and is immediately transported to the Lands Beyond. He finds himself suddenly driving on a road, an activity that he enjoys and thus continues doing. Little does he know that he is about to make new friends and enemies, and embark on an adventure to save Rhyme and Reason in a land of words and numbers. He meets several spectacles along the way, including the Mathemagician, the Soundkeeper, and the Chroma. He learns many important skills along the way that he knows he will use later on. He succeeds in his quest and returns home and suddenly finds it interesting.
The reason I think I was unimpressed back then and the reason I like The Phantom Tollbooth now is the story, or rather, the simplicity of the story. This book does not have multiple storylines or jaw-dropping plot twists. Rather, the main character is always found going from point A to point B. Though it is not amazing, I think that this linear way of storytelling is perfect for the true charm of the book: the puns, the characters, and the details. The Kingdom of Wisdom is one huge love letter to every play on words any author has ever used. One of my favorite parts of reading this book is how everything means exactly what the name suggests. Dictionopolis is a city of words. In Dictionopolis the letters and words found taste and feel like exactly how they are. An "A" tastes "sweet and delicious, just the way you'd expect an A to taste." Rhyme and Reason are princesses that use rhyme and reason to make their wise decisions. The author creations of the origins of all of the qualities of the world still feel creative 60 years after he came up with those ideas, which is what I think makes The Phantom Tollbooth really stand out among other books in its genre. Reading about how the color in the world is generated from an orchestra or why the Soundkeeper banished sound in her realm was very refreshing.
This is a book that wants you to experience a very certain type of experience. It is a bit of a journey to read this short book. You know how the journey is going to end, but it is rather the process it takes to reach that end provides the lost anticipation for suspense or a plot twist. Structure-wise, reading The Phantom Tollbooth is a bit like watching a kids show you used to love when you were younger. The objective is usually clear, the characters have simple ulterior motives, and through a series of enjoyable moments and important life lessons you reach the end of the episode, the happy ending. However, The Phantom Tollbooth fully embraces this basic structure, it does so almost satirically. One particularly amusing way one of the morals of the The Phantom Tollbooth was presented was when the group accidentally "jumped" to the island of Conclusions, and they had to traverse back to their main journey through the waters of Knowledge. Milo, an open mind, is soaked through in these waters, but his acquaintance the Humbug is completely dry because he thinks he knows everything. Yes, it's obvious that the lesson is that only a mind willing to learn will "soak up" knowledge, but I still liked the active obstacle that characters were put in to achieve their goals. The book has many moments like these, which I never quite noticed when I was younger.
Of course, my main problems with this book likely stem from the age I am reading it - some parts of the book were a little too cliché to be as compelling as some other parts that intended to be this way, and the way the main problem was solved by Milo almost made me facepalm. However, someone looking for a quick and easy read can still enjoy the short but sweet adventure filled with clever puns and a largely satisfying experience.
My rating:
9/10
Great review! I remember reading (or pretending to read) The Phantom Tollbooth in 5th grade, and I too found it difficult to understand and find interesting. I like how you extensively summarized the novel and gave reasons for why you appreciate its contents now. After reading your review, I think I might give this book another go! Good job!
ReplyDeleteI read this book a long, long time ago, but I don't remember very much except for that it was really clever and funny. You did a great job using examples from the book since I think it put your observations into context and showed what the book is about nicely. I agree that this book is unlike others and doesn't focus on elaborate plot lines or story, but it is still entertaining to read because of how "quirky" and witty and it can be. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI also read the book in elementary school, and remember enjoying it so much that I read it several times. I really liked the clever use of puns, such as when Milo literally "jumps" to the island of Conclusions. Another good thing about this book was how well the author was able to create two very similar but very different things, such as the characters of Milo and the Humbug, and the two main places Milo visits, Dictionopolis (the city of letters) and Digitopolis (the city of numbers). After reading this post I remembered how much I liked this book, and am understanding many more of the things in the book that my fifth-grader mind did not understand. Great review!
ReplyDeleteYour review of this book transported me back to the days of watching Dora and WordGirl and "solving" a problem in each episode. It took me back to when things were simpler and all the books I read didn't have romantic subplots that were obviously the only part of the book. Just reading your review made me feel a little bit warm and happy inside, so I can't imagine what will happen when I read the book for myself. I definitely put it on my to read list so hopefully I'll get to it some day. Nice review.
ReplyDeleteI read the Phantom Tollbooth when I was in the fifth grade and although I thought it was alright, I didn't think it was worth shaking a stick at. However, your review makes me wonder if I misjudged the book due to my small fifth grade brain. My favorite part of your review is when you mentioned that the book is very unique and that its uniqueness is what allows it to have such a linear plot. I also think that making your review a little lengthier than the average review was a good idea as it allowed you to explain the greatness of the book without leaving out any major details that needed mentioning. Good job on your review.
ReplyDeleteI read this book a while ago, just like everyone else as it seems, and I really enjoyed all the humor and interesting details. Like you said, this isn't really a book to read for its plot, but the details make it all worth it. I agree that the simplistic storyline accentuated the more interesting and unusual parts of the story. This is a really well-written review that does a great job of talking about what makes The Phantom Tollbooth so unique!
ReplyDeleteAs everyone else has commented here, I remember reading this book a long time ago, and this post certainly made me feel nostalgic. You did a nice job of explaining your previous reservations for the story and why you realize now that it actually is a good book. I might re-read this now that I'm older and see if I notice more beyond the plot as you did.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading this book years ago like many other commenters, though it was an audiobook so I didn’t actually “read” it. It’s been so long that I remember close to nothing. Your review was comprehensive and covered everything one could need to know before jumping into the book. It’s impressive that it still manages to entertain many decades after the time of writing. You’ve framed it in a way that makes me want to reread the book and revisit some old memories. Great review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I remember reading this at one point too (although I remember nothing) and generally feeling lost. You did a nice job pointing out the strengths of this book, and I especially liked how you focused on the linear storytelling as a pro, rather than a con like most people would think. Sometimes, stories get lost in over-complicated plots. Nice job!
ReplyDelete