Marvelous Middle Grade Monday #MMGM: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Milo can't find a reason to do anything. What's the point? Whenever he's here, he wants to be there, and once he's there, he wants to go back again. Bored, bored, double bored. Everything is so boring, and seeking knowledge is the most useless waste of time there is. Learning about new things seemed ridiculous to Milo, until a mysterious gift arrived one typical afternoon. It was an enormous box with a note attached that read, "FOR MILO, WHO HAS PLENTY OF TIME." Curious, Milo opens the box and finds instructions on how to assemble a GENUINE TURNPIKE TOLLBOOTH, along with tokens and a detailed map. Shrugging off the day, he dusts off his car, motors it out of the corner, drives through the tollbooth and drops his token. Milo has no clue where he's going, and he doesn't recognize any of the places on the map. He decides Dictionopolis will be his destination, and he's off.

While traveling to Dictionopolis, Milo makes makes a wrong turn and finds himself lost in the Doldrums, where he meets a new travel companion named Tock, who keeps him on track during their journey. Milo and Tock need their wits about them when dealing with the colorful characters that pop up along the way. When they find out that two princesses, Rhyme and Reason, were unfairly banished to a castle in the sky, they start on their quest to unite the kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis and set the princesses free. They encounter many wondrous sites, including a magnificent silent orchestra that plays color and a boy who grows down. Will Milo and Tock find their way through the Mountains of Ignorance? What happens if they jump to conclusions? Will they be able to make words and numbers work together? Can they free Rhyme and Reason? You'll have to read this marvelously fantastic book to find out. 

I soaked this story in. Bravo Norton Juster! I know he just recently passed away. When I saw the news, I remembered this book, and I thought I'd read it before, but I had not, and I'm so glad I did- though I was sorry to hear he died. The scene building and colorful array of characters in this story are delightful. My imagination was on overload, and I loved every minute of reading it. I particularly enjoyed the silent orchestra. This part whisks me away;

Norton Juster weaves the classic elements of fantastic storytelling into gold. Like Alice, who finds her way through Wonderland or Charlie Bucket, who discovers the wonders inside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, Milo takes a trip through a magic tollbooth and gets caught up in a wild ride into a land beyond, where a king of words and a Mathemagician must come to terms with each other in order for Rhyme and Reason to return to the people. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books that make you think and challenge your imagination. The illustrations by Jules Feiffer are unique, whimsical, and Edward Gorey-esque- so of course I adore them. Brilliance! 

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.