The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Boredom can do strange things to a person’s mind. In the worst cases, driving people insane or worse…
I myself have experienced such times of extreme boredom. As result to these tough times of boredom, I have resorted to such outlandish activities as having staring contests with the wall or even talking to myself. Absurd? I know. Some people may laugh at this, but inside they secretly know they’ve done such things as I. Boredom does amazing thing to people’s imagination, as well! Many of the greatest fictional tales in history were born from shear boredom.
In the novel The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, the protagonist, Milo, lives a life of extreme dullness and apathy. One fateful day, on his way home from school, Milo encounters a strange package in his home, labeled only by Milo’s name. When Milo opens the queer package he finds a small car and a miniature tollbooth. Immediately sparked with interest, Milo hops in the car and droves past the tollbooth, paying the small golden coins enclosed in the package. Suddenly, Milo enters a new land!
The land Milo discovers is full of the strange and abnormal. Along his journey, Milo makes friends, such as a “watchdog” names Tock, the Humbug, Alec, the boy who grows down instead of up, and the Man with Many Names. But Milo also makes enemies, including the Dirty Bird, the Gentleman, and the Senses Taker. Milo has to make a difficult journey to the Castle in the Air to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason. Along the way, Milo journeys through some spectacular geographical oddities. Milo makes his way through the dullness off the Doldrums, travels through the foothills of confusion, makes a stop at the alphabetical city, Dictionapolis, Milo “jumps” to the island of Conclusions and then travels through the forest of sight and the valley of sounds, until he reaches the number city, Digitopolis. Milo’s amazing journey ends in the monstrous Mountains of Ignorance where the dreaded monsters of ignorance dwell.
This novel is an amazing journey that involves a great deal of imagination. I love this book for countless reasons. The novel includes a plethora of sensory details that flood the mind with vivid mental images that make the novel an awesome read. Norton Juster provides numerous characters, each with their own interesting background and personality. In the novel, Milo helps save civilians many times from troublesome situations. There is always something going on, so the novel never gets boring!
Another thing that makes this novel such an awesome read is the amount of humor and wit Juster uses. Characters are always making stupid decisions that land them in unbelievable trouble, but they always get out of it. The character, Humbug, is always making sly remarks that he believes are intelligent, but just come out very wrong. I love it!
I love and respect this novel! I recommend this novel to readers who have a good deal of imagination and can enjoy a good laugh. The novel never gets boring, but may get slightly repetitive in dialect, so patience can be key. This book is not extremely popular, but is a diamond in the rough!