The Phantom Tollbooth (1961)

This is one of those children’s books that I never read as a kid. I somehow missed it completely. I finally read the print edition a few years ago and then immediately handed it to The Hubster and made him read it since he'd missed it as a kid too. We both loved it.

Earlier this year I found out that there was new audio edition coming that was narrated by Rainn Wilson. I listened to a sample and discovered that (as I expected) he was perfect to narrate this. I bought it and saved it for a road trip. We finally listened to it on our vacation to the coast. At less than five hours, it was perfect for the drive there and to finish on the way home.

I already want to listen to it again. I loved the book all over again. I think the brilliant wordplay comes across even better when it's heard rather than read. Rainn Wilson is an inspired choice for narrator. His slight inflections and pauses in just the right places truly highlight the cleverness of this book.

This edition includes an introduction read by Norton Juster that was delightful.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this. ( )

This is billed as a kids book. I dunno, it was one long play on words, and rather a moralistic play on words. All good for me, but I'm not sure I would have gotten much from it back in the dark ages when I was a kid. Perhaps the word play would work for an intelligent middle schooler. Whatever, it was a fun read. The Kindle version I got from the library even had the Jules Peiffer illustrations. ( )

Elementary

I really wished I read this as a kid or with children. It seems like I would have enjoyed it more. I still enjoyed reading it! One day I hope to read this to children of my own. ( )

"There was once a boy named Milo who didn’t know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always."

Milo is bored, bored, bored. When a mysterious tollbooth appears in his room, he figures he may as well explore it, so he drives his little car through...and comes out somewhere else.

In a fantastical new land, he meets Tock the Watch Dog, the Spelling Bee, the Humbug, King Azaz of Dictionopolis and the Mathemagician of Digitopolis, the Which, the Awful Dynne, the Soundkeeper, Chroma, and many more; he gets stuck in the Doldrums, jumps to the Island of Conclusions, travels through the valley of Ignorance, and swims in the Sea of Knowledge; together with Tock and the Humbug, he goes on a quest to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Air.

I read this as a kid and while I enjoyed it, I'm sure I missed at least half its incredible cleverness. Reading it now as an adult, I admire how it works equally well on two levels: as a fantasy/adventure/magical realist quest story, and as a humorous linguistic delight.

The line that made me laugh out loud in startled surprise is when Milo hops into a wagon and asks the others what makes it go, and they tell him to shhhh - "it goes without saying." ( )