Book Review- The Phantom Tollbooth

For the Hard Core Re-Reading challenge and the Author A-Z challenge I read Norton Juster's children's book The Phantom Tollbooth.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Milo mopes in black ink sketches, until he assembles a tollbooth and drives through. He jumps to the island of Conclusions. But brothers King Azaz of Dictionopolis and the Mathemagician of Digitopolis war over words and numbers. Joined by ticking watchdog Tock and adult-size Humbug, Milo rescues the Princesses of Rhyme and Reason, and learns to enjoy life.

So I forgot how much fun this book is but I was in love with it this time around! The plays on words are so clever and fun. I want a phantom tollbooth! This is the perfect children's book, though I imagine the kid would have to be a little bit older to get some of the grammar and math humor. If you missed this in your childhood somehow than take the time and read it now! You will not regret it!

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book and yes there's a lot of them but this doesn't even begin to cover all of them! 

“The only thing you can do easily is be wrong, and that's hardly worth the effort.”

“Whether or not you find your own way, you're bound to find some way. If you happen to find my way, please return it, as it was lost years ago. I imagine by now it's quite rusty.” 

“It's bad enough wasting time without killing it.” 

“For instance," said the boy again, "if Christmas trees were people and people were Christmas trees, we'd all be chopped down, put up in the living room, and covered in tinsel, while the trees opened our presents."
"What does that have to do with it?" asked Milo.
"Nothing at all," he answered, "but it's an interesting possibility, don't you think?”

“Let me try once more," Milo said in an effort to explain. "In other words--"
"You mean you have other words?" cried the bird happily. "Well, by all means, use them. You're certainly not doing very well with the ones you have now.” 

“A slavish concern for the composition of words is the sign of a bankrupt intellect. Be gone, odious wasp! You smell of decayed syllables.” 

“Have you ever heard a blindfolded octopus unwrap a cellophane-covered bathtub?”

“Ah, this is fine," he cried triumphantly, holding up a small medallion on a chain. He dusted it off, and engraved on one side were the words "WHY NOT?" "That's a good reason for almost anything - a bit used perhaps, but still quite serviceable.”

“And now," he continued, speaking to Milo, "where were you on the night of July 27?" 
"What does that have to do with it?" asked Milo.
"It's my birthday, that's what," said the policeman as he entered "Forgot my birthday" in his little book. "Boys always forget other people's birthdays.” 

“I never knew words could be so confusing," Milo said to Tock as he bent down to scratch the dog's ear.
"Only when you use a lot to say a little," answered Tock.
Milo thought this was quite the wisest thing he'd heard all day.” 

“You can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and still come out completely dry. Most people do.”

“Do you think it will rain?"
"But I thought you were the Weather Man?"
No, I'm the Whether man, for it is more important to know whether there will be weather, whether than what the weather will be.” 


Did I mention that you need to read this book? 

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