Synopsis: Milo is constantly bored. When he’s in school he wants to be at home. When he’s at home, he  wants to be somewhere else. And all the while he’s never happy. Then one day a mysterious package arrives in his room, a play tollbooth that transports him to another world. There he discovers new friends in a world desperate to be rescued. 

My Thoughts: On our most recent podcast, my wife challenged me to re-read a favorite book from childhood. I instantly knew it would be The Phantom Tollbooth as vague memories of the book have remained in my mind for over 25 years. As the book opened I recognized the familiar tollbooth, the toy car he drives through this new world, and then I felt like I was reading a brand new book. There were characters I didn’t remember, lands with funny names, and story elements I would swear weren’t there last time. 

Norton Juster must have been the funniest person alive, because this book is one continuous pun. There’s the island of Conclusions that can only be reached by jumping, and Sheriff Short Shrift who always treats people unfairly. Almost every character and location name has multiple meanings, and the dialogue is snappy with jokes and puns. Almost all of this goes over young Milo’s head, as I’m sure it did when I was a child reading it, but as an adult I laughed out loud at least once on every page. 

The story also has lessons about the importance of learning, paying attention, and appreciating the world around you. None of it is preachy, but it’s a good reminder even as an adult to not get bogged down by our day-to-day doldrums.