The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth
By Norton Juster
Grades 3-5
MODERN FANTASY
NOVEL

This book is about a 10 year old boy, Milo, who is bored with everything in life who on a journey learns to appreciate the little and ordinary things in life. There is nothing and no one who can catch his attention. He is in this mindset until one day when he came home from school and finds a package with a giant toy tollbooth sitting in his house. Milo puts the tollbooth together and takes a ride on his toy car through the booth where the adventure begins! Milo visits Dictionpolis, the land of words along his adventure. He also visits Digitopolis, the land of numbers, in his adventure. He meets many characters along the way like the Mathemagician and Officer Short Shift who show him how great life is and how interesting life is. Milo learned many lessons about life along the way that reshaped his thinking and reshaped who he is. I loved this book and I think it would teach students in the classroom a lot about life. I feel that many students have the same mentality as Milo had and I really feel that this book could have a huge impact on them and change their perspective on life. I would have the students make a connection to the text and share if they have ever had the same view on life as Milo and if the book has helped open their eyes any. Hopefully the students in the classroom will learn to appreciate the ordinary things in life through his adventures.