by: Norton Juster

Review done by:

Ben Hemmendinger

Grade 7

Van Antwerp Middle School

Niskayuna, NY

The Phantom Tollbooth is a great book for those who are depressed, humorless, dead, or just bored. It is about a boy named Milo, who is much like most of us - tired of learning, tired of doing, tired of everything. But when the Phantom Tollbooth enters his life, everything goes a little crazy.

Milo first finds a strange package in his room. It is not large, though certainly not small, and is not rectangular, though definitely not round. After Milo follows the directions, which tell him to bend here, fold there, twist that, push this, and set up the precautionary signs, he finds that he has assembled an ordinary looking tollbooth. He has a little toy convertible, so he picks a place on the map, gets in his car, and drives into a wonderland of strange places, and stranger people.

For those who have ever wanted to get past Expectations, eat their words, go without saying, jump to Conclusions, kill time, or fall off a log, this book will be a very gratifying experience. I highly recommend this book for fans of James Thurber or Jules Feiffer. It is filled with witty wordplays and bad puns, and you will doubtlessly like it as much as any book you have ever read, as long as you donít eat the words.

Phantom Tollbooth, The

by:Norman Juster

Review done by:

Adam A

Grade 6

Van Antwerp Middle School

Niskayuna, NY

A excellent book I read this year is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster. It has to do with a boy named Milo. He thinks everything is a bore and a waste of his time. When he is in school, he wants to be out of school, and when he is out, he wants to be in school. It does not make any sense. One day he gets a package. The package has no return address. Milo opens the package because he has nothing else to do. It is a Tollbooth. Milo takes his plastic car that he has not drove in months or years and drives it though the Tollbooth. After he drives though the Phantom Tollbooth he enters the Land of Expectations. Everything is colorful. The first house he sees has a sign saying "The Whether Man." A short funny looking man steps out of the cottage. He has a rain cloud over his head. Milo asks the man where the man of Dictionapolis is. The man is nothing put a pain. Milo continues along the road. He gets lost in the Doldrums where the Lutherans live. Milo meets Tock the dog he goes Tick put he named Tock. Milo and Tock finally get out of the Doldrums. Then they go to Dictionapolis where they meet the king Azaz. Milo asks the King to have the Permission to save Rymne and Reason from the Castle in the Sky. He says yes and tells the Humbug to be there guide. But he tells them to that they have to get the Mathemagican in the city of Digitapolis next to the Mountains of Ignorance where the demons live. Milo, Tock and of course the Humbug finally saved Rymne and Reason from the Castle in the Sky. The townís people had a big parade just for them.