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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
The Phantom Tollbooth - an absolutely delightful book. I was reading one of my old reviews the other day. In it, I was was reviewing a YA book, and I talked about how, now that I was older, I was used to more complex books, and that I was skeptical that a YA book was intellectual enough for me. What an idiot I was! And The Phantom Tollbooth emphasizes that perfectly. While being written for kids, there is so much to enjoy and learn from it. I hope that I'm not such a snob in the future!
The book is about a kid named Milo. Milo doesn't seem all that happy. Wherever he is, he wants to be somewhere else. One day, he gets home from school and finds a weird tollbooth in his room with a strange note and a coin. He's puzzled, but he decides to give the tollbooth a shot. He drives a toy car that he has up to the tollbooth, puts in the coin, goes through it, and.... gets transported to a completely different world. This world is pretty messed up, and he meets a lot of odd but mostly lovable people. It turns out that this world is messed up because the Princesses Rhyme and Reason have been imprisoned in a castle in the sky. Milo is commissioned to help out, along with the watchdog Tock (he literally has a clock in his body) and the Humbug. Together, they journey to the kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, where, respectively, words and numbers are king. Then they travel to the Mountains of Ignorance, face off against some demons that choose to live in Ignorance, and are, in general, heroes. It's really all quite fun, and the people Milo meets on the way all teach you something about the world.
The experience of reading was a blast, while at the same time being incredibly positive. One of the things I love about books for younger readers is that they tend to have a really positive message. Often, the main characters experience a lot of adversity, but they learn that they can deal with that adversity. It's something that I think that I really need to learn, and it's really nice to experience a book with that kind of attitude.
For much of my adult life, and particularly lately, I've struggled with depression. Today itself was a bit difficult. I just feel like everything sucks and the future will just be worse. Like there's nothing worth being in the world for. But I'm trying to keep The Phantom Tollbooth in my head. Because it's really about trying to find the loveliness and joy in the world, and about doing the best you can to spread that loveliness and joy. I'm having a hard time with that, but it's such an inspiring and valuable lesson. This book is so so so worth reading.
The book is about a kid named Milo. Milo doesn't seem all that happy. Wherever he is, he wants to be somewhere else. One day, he gets home from school and finds a weird tollbooth in his room with a strange note and a coin. He's puzzled, but he decides to give the tollbooth a shot. He drives a toy car that he has up to the tollbooth, puts in the coin, goes through it, and.... gets transported to a completely different world. This world is pretty messed up, and he meets a lot of odd but mostly lovable people. It turns out that this world is messed up because the Princesses Rhyme and Reason have been imprisoned in a castle in the sky. Milo is commissioned to help out, along with the watchdog Tock (he literally has a clock in his body) and the Humbug. Together, they journey to the kingdoms of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, where, respectively, words and numbers are king. Then they travel to the Mountains of Ignorance, face off against some demons that choose to live in Ignorance, and are, in general, heroes. It's really all quite fun, and the people Milo meets on the way all teach you something about the world.
The experience of reading was a blast, while at the same time being incredibly positive. One of the things I love about books for younger readers is that they tend to have a really positive message. Often, the main characters experience a lot of adversity, but they learn that they can deal with that adversity. It's something that I think that I really need to learn, and it's really nice to experience a book with that kind of attitude.
For much of my adult life, and particularly lately, I've struggled with depression. Today itself was a bit difficult. I just feel like everything sucks and the future will just be worse. Like there's nothing worth being in the world for. But I'm trying to keep The Phantom Tollbooth in my head. Because it's really about trying to find the loveliness and joy in the world, and about doing the best you can to spread that loveliness and joy. I'm having a hard time with that, but it's such an inspiring and valuable lesson. This book is so so so worth reading.
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Milo annoyed me. I have a three strikes rule with books and when I started chapter four, my first thought was, “Why am I wasting my time?”
This book is so smart!! It’s obviously a “children’s book”, but I think it’s still so worth it to read it back as an adult to catch all the genius you probably missed as a child.
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
What a super cool book. Very clever, and a great deeper meaning. Classic book, written for kids, but thoroughly enjoyed by this old dude! :)
this is one of the best books i have ever read! i just finished reading it for the second time!
I read this book for the first time in elementary school and it was the first time I ever saw the word "flabbergasted." I was flabbergasted to say the least. I loved getting to read it again and appreciate the story and writing as an adult.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No