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There was once a boy named Milo who didn't see much point to a lot of the things he learned in school, like "subtracting turnips from turnips, or knowing where Ethiopia is or how to spell February. " And because he hardly ever looked around him while rushing from here to there—or from there back to here—he often thought, "There's nothing for me to do...and hardly anything worth seeing."
Luckily, not even Milo could miss noticing the ENORMOUS PACKAGE that sat on the floor of his room one afternoon. Neither square nor round, it was one of the biggest packages he'd ever seen. Inside it lay one of the most surprising presents ever received by boy or girl, either in a book or real life: ONE GENUINE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH, just like the ones on highways—except much smaller, and purple. With the booth came a beautiful, multi-colored map, listing such strange-sounding places as Expectations, The Doldrums, Diction- opolis. Of course, there were also assorted coins to use in paying tolls. In short, there was everything that Milo, and the listener, would need to set off on one of the most original and exciting adventures in modern children's literature.
Not since L. Frank Baum's fabled heroine Dorothy followed The Yellow Brick Road to Oz have so many exotic characters been crammed into one suspense- filled tale. Be prepared for unexpected meetings with:
—The Whether Man, who has absolutely no interest in what the weather will be, because "it's more important to know whether there will be weather. "
—The Lethargarians, the do-nothing inhabitants of The Doldrums, where thinking is strictly forbidden and "smiling is permitted only on alternate Thursdays."
—The Watchdog, a canine with a perfectly ordinary doggy head, legs and tail—all of which are attached to a body that's a loudly ticking alarm clock. —King Azaz the Unabridged, monarch of Dictionopolis which is a land of words situated "in the foothills of confusion and caressed by gentle bieezes from the Sea of Knowledge. "
—The Spelling Bee, an awesome insect twice the size of Milo; it was once just a garden-variety bee, "occasionally picking up part-time work in people's bonnets," until smitten by the desire for an education.
—Faintly Macabre, a Which who is not so wicked after all.
—The Humbug, proud member of an old and honorable family, none of whose members have ever been guilty of telling the truth.
—Officer Shrift, the world's shortest policeman, whose golden rule for keeping law and order is "Boys are the cause of everything."
By the time Milo's adventure through The Phantom Tollbooth is done, he, and all who hear his tale, will know the value of thinking, and paying attention, and using time wisely and well. Most valuable of all, they will have realized for themselves the subtle truth that getting from here to anywhere is never as important or interesting as whom you meet and what you discover all along the route.
--back cover
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Subjects
letters, numbers, orchestras, children's literature, adventure, Creativity and Imagination, Boredom, Magic and Supernatural, Discovery and Learning, American Fantasy fiction, Children's stories, American, Fantasy, Ficción juvenil, Fiction, Imaginación, Imagination, Language and languages, Lenguaje y lenguas, Novela fantástica, children's fantasy, puns, tollbooths, Puns and punning, Fantasy fiction, Juvenile fiction, Imagination in children, Criticism and interpretation, Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic, Children's 9-12 - Literature - Classics / Contemporary, Spanish: Grades 4-7, Spanish language materials, Readers - Chapter Books, Action & Adventure, Classics, Non-Classifiable, Action & Adventure - General, Children's fiction, Imaginary Voyages, Children's stories, Large type books, New York Times reviewed, Magic, fiction, Boys, Learning and scholarship, Male authors, Illustrated children's books, Specimens, Garçons, Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse, Savoir et érudition, Livres illustrés pour enfants, Spécimens, Spanish language, Children's books, Ennui (Lassitude), Fantasmes, Fantasía, Novela juvenil, Relatos de aventura, Fantasy--juvenile fiction, Pz7.j9865 ph 1996, [fic], Alphabet, Arithmetic, Adventure stories, Arithmétique, Histoires pour enfantsShowing 10 featured editions. View all 64 editions?
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La Caseta Magica (The Phantom Tollb
August 1, 2001, SeaStar
Paperback
in English
1587171090 9781587171093
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The Phantom Tollbooth
2000-05, Bullseye Books, Random House Books for Young Readers
Paperback
in English
- 1st Bullseye Books edition (1)
0375806709 9780375806704
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The Phantom Tollbooth
1996, Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover
in English
- printing (51)
0394815009 9780394815008
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The Phantom Tollbooth
1992-07, Lions
Paperback
in English
- 18th impression
0006725880 9780006725886
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Book Details
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First Sentence
"There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always."
Work Description
The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer. It was published in 1961 by Random House (USA). It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do, drives through it in his toy car, transporting him to the Kingdom of Wisdom, once prosperous but now troubled. There, he acquires two faithful companions, a dog named Tock and the Humbug, and goes on a quest to restore to the kingdom its exiled princesses—named Rhyme and Reason—from the Castle in the Air. In the process, he learns valuable lessons, finding a love of learning. The text is full of puns and wordplay, such as when Milo unintentionally jumps to Conclusions, an island in Wisdom, thus exploring the literal meanings of idioms.
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- Created June 18, 2021
- 5 revisions
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August 19, 2022 | Edited by MARC Bot | normalize LCCNs |
June 18, 2021 | Edited by Lisa | Added edition. |
June 18, 2021 | Edited by Lisa | Added new cover |
June 18, 2021 | Edited by Lisa | Added new cover |
June 18, 2021 | Created by Lisa | Added new book. |