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Title: The Phantom Tollbooth
ISBN: 0394815009
Author:
Norton Juster
Publicate Date: 1989
Publish: 1989
List Price: $19.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $11.24
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $2.48
Amazon Merchant Price: $13.57
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| Customer Review: |
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1: An Overlooked Classic
This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. I never heard of it growing up, and my parents were diligent in providing us with the classics. Even today most of the customers in my bookstore don't know it exists. This is a crime, because it belongs right up there with Alice in Wonderland and The Wind in the Willows. It's a fantasy about a bored little boy who gets into a magic car and goes through the phantom tollbooth into a land of adventure. He must rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason to restore order to the kingdom. It is chock full of extremely clever puns, because in this world things are really taken literally. You can eat your own words, visit the Island of Conclusions (which can only be reached by jumping to it) and so many more that I won't spoil it by telling you about them. I often found myself laughing out loud. Sure, it's considered a children's book and kids love it, but don't let that put you off if you're an adult. It's timeless, and everyone can enjoy it. A friend who's a librarian recommended it to me, and I'll be forever grateful!
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2: The point is to learn how to think
"Can you help me?"
"Help you! You must help yourself," the dog replied, carefully winding himself with his left hind leg. "I suppose you know why you got stuck."
"I guess I just wasn't thinking," said Milo.
"PRECISELY," shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. "Now you know what you must do."
"I'm afraid I don't," admitted Milo, feeling quite stupid.
"Well," continued the watchdog impatiently, "since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking."
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3: A fun book! (review by Harry, a 9 year old boy)
A very very good book. In the book, everything is basically literal. For example, the dog, shown on the front cover, named Tock, is a literal "watch dog". A very funny part is where the main characters, Milo and Tock, are in Dictionopolis and they meet the King of Dictionopolis' cabinet. When the Earl (from the Cabinet) said something was "as easy as falling off a log" he actually fell off a log himself. I think that if he had said "easy as pie", a pie would have splatted in his face. Ptbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!!
I think it's also very funny when all three, Milo, Tock, and the Humbug, who Milo and Tock met in Dictionopolis, "jumped to Conclusions", literally. They landed on the island named Conclusions, which was about a mile offshore. They had to swim all the way back through the Sea of Knowledge. This book made me laugh a lot. I read it more than once and I recommend it for children from Third Grade to High School.
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4: Enjoying the PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH: now and forever.
At first, I simply enjoyed it as a kid.
Later on, as a teen, I looked for it when I was...bored.
Now, I have this book on my shelf, waiting for me (and my nephew, when he's old enough). Except that I find its characters always popping up in the back of my mind.
Those of you that didn't enjoy it: it's okay. Still, the whole point of the book is less about the "incorrect" math problems, lousy puns and nonsensical turns of phrase...and more about seeing life with new eyes.
In any case, come back to it again later.
As time grew on, Jules Feiffer's drawings seemed too sketchy; but when perusing these reviews, I realized that this was the point. For someone who enjoys seeing books as "brain movies" (like me), the last thing I want is a reading book with rich illustrations. (For that, I'll read a comic book.) Just simple, basic illustrations: boy, dog w/watch body, the Trivium. These are sketches. We, the readers, get to cast the kid actor; create the character design based LOOSELY on the story art.(Animation fan, too).
I'll probably read it later tonight.
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5: Fantastic Book
Reviewed by my 5th grade daughter:
I had to read this book for a fifth grade project. Every day we read a little bit more, and every day when I came home, I told my Mom how much fun I was having reading it and what a great book it was. So, at the next book fair our school had, I bought the book for our whole family.
The book was hilarious and was just way interesting.
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