The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, tells the story of an ordinary boy named Milo who one day finds a mysterious tollbooth in his room and travels through it to a strange, strange land. There, he sees very strange things and meets very strange people, and eventually embarks on a quest with two companions named Tock and the Humbug to rescue the great princesses Rhyme and Reason. The story is a kids’ book that uses mainly puns to deliver its humor. From the cart that goes without saying (literally moving as long as no-one onboard is talking) to the island of Conclusions (which you get to by literally jumping to conclusions), this book is full of interesting puns. The rest of the book’s humor comes from putting figures of speech into a literal sense and using words to convey a meaning contrary to its usual meaning. For instance, early on in the story we meet the whether man, an obvious parody of the weather man, who tells you whether there’s going to be weather or not. Also, Tock is not a watchdog, as in a dog who watches for intruders or burglars, but a watchdog as in a dog with a watch on him. Furthermore, there is a feast scene at some point in which Milo finds out that you literally eat your words at this feast, much to his dismay, having said “Before we begin, I’d just like to acknowledge that” when asked to deliver a speech. The words apparently did not taste very good at all. The book is written in a very similar style to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, but takes place in a strange land contained within the tollbooth, rather than in the strange far reaches of space. Douglas fans will be pleased. However, this book is really only for younger readers. While the plot is solid, and the jokes ARE funny, it is written in very large print and can be finished within a fortnight by any adult or young adult reader. It’s really for kids only, as I found out the hard way. However, for younger readers who enjoy puns and taking things literally, this is the book to read. Also, if you like the Hitchhiker’s Guide books, then you may wish to give this one a try regardless of your age, and vice-versa. Overall, this book scores a 4.7 out of 5. Loses a few points for age limits, but is still overall a very interesting and worthwhile read. You’ll laugh yourself silly. If that sounds appealing, go for it.

By Max