The Phantom Tollbooth

Blog #6

The Phantom Tollbooth

I really enjoyed this book! Crazy, I know! But I did! After last weeks readings though, I think anything would be better. Although this book was crazy and out there, I still enjoyed reading it. It was more of a “fun” silly book than Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and I would definitely recommend this book to any of my students just to read for fun. Not only did I like the language of the book and how it was written, but also I loved all the themes that occurred throughout the book. In the first chapter, we learn that Milo is just a bored kid and he doesn’t really care to learn. But as he drives into the Phantom Tollbooth and enters into a world so full of imagination. Throughout his journeys, from Dictionopolis to the Castle in the Air, Milo learns more and more as his journeys progress that help him eventually fight off the demons to get to Rhyme and Reason. So, while Milo is enjoying his time in the Lands Beyond, he is learning new things at the same time! I think that this can show students that they can learn and have fun at the same time. Bringing fun into the classroom can make the students learn without them even knowing!

I absolutely loved the use of puns throughout the novel! They made me laugh! Not only do they make the book more enjoyable, but also when they are used, Milo usually learns an important lesson. I think my favorite pun used in the novel was in chapter 13, Unfortunate Conclusions. This is when Milo, Tock, and the Humbug are leaving the Silent Valley and are on their way to rescue Rhyme and Reason.

[“Nothing can possibly go wrong now,” cried the Humbug happily, and as soon a he’d said it he leaped from the car, as if stuck by a pin, and sailed all the way to the little island. “And we’ll have plenty of time,” answered Tock, who hadn’t noticed that the bug was missing – and he, too, suddenly leaped into the air and disappeared. “It certainly couldn’t be a nicer day,” agreed Milo, who was too busy looking at the road to see that the others had gone. And in a split second he was gone also.] (Juster, 1961, p. 165-166)… [“But from now on I’m going to have a very good reason before I make up my mind about anything. You can lose too much time jumping to conclusions.”] (Juster, 1961, p. 170).

This passage in the novel is a pun. The three friends jump to conclusions about how wonderful the weather is and how they have so much time and how nothing could go wrong; they literally jump out of the car and are thrown onto an unpleasant island and they very quickly learn to not jump to conclusions, for things can change in an instant.

When Milo completes the task given to him by King Azaz and returns home from the Lands Beyond, he notices that it is only 6 o’clock and that he has only been gone for an hour! The next day on his way home from school, Milo is so excited to go on another trip! He is very disappointed when he comes home to find that the tollbooth is gone! But after he gets over his pouting, he realizes that there is still so much that can be done right there in his home! Milo learned such an awesome lesson about using time wisely while he was on his trip! This is something that any person can take away from this book and not just a child! Needless to say, I really enjoyed the book :)

Citation:

Juster, N. (1964). The phantom tollbooth. New York, NY: Random House Inc.