The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster
I listened to this classic, a favorite book of mine from when I was nine or ten, to see what it was I loved so much about the bored and uninterested boy named Milo who finds a mysterious tollbooth in his bedroom and sets out on an adventure. Maybe it was the idea that a play car could drive a boy on a road to fulfill the quest of rescuing the princesses Rhyme and Reason to restore harmony to the Kingdom of Wisdom. Maybe it was his newfound friends of Tock, the watchdog, and Humbug who join Milo on his trek to the Castle in the Air, or the strange characters he meets on the way like King Azaz the Unabridged in Dictionopolis where inhabitants literally eat their words, or the Mathemagician in Digitopolis where numbers are mined (broken ones become fractions.) But I think for me, it was probably the play on words throughout, the contradictions, the lessons inadvertently learned as Milo passes through the Doldrums, a place of laziness that hosts the Lethargians, and meets a cast of strange characters like the Chroma the Great, who orchestrates the colors in the world, and Faintly Macabre who regulates all the sounds in public. It’s a very clever and imaginative way to convey to children about wasted time, the importance of words and numbers, and Milo’s eventual discovery that you don’t have to travel far to find interesting things and ways to spend your time.
An interesting addition to the audio edition is the introduction by the author explaining how this book came to be, which all began with a chance conversation with a young boy about the enormity of infinity.
This is suitable for kids ages 8-12. Some vocabulary will be difficult and many words are made up. And as words are used in unusual ways, it could be confusing as well. Still, although as a child I may not have understood it all, I remember finding it to be a lot of fun.
Norton Juster
I listened to this classic, a favorite book of mine from when I was nine or ten, to see what it was I loved so much about the bored and uninterested boy named Milo who finds a mysterious tollbooth in his bedroom and sets out on an adventure. Maybe it was the idea that a play car could drive a boy on a road to fulfill the quest of rescuing the princesses Rhyme and Reason to restore harmony to the Kingdom of Wisdom. Maybe it was his newfound friends of Tock, the watchdog, and Humbug who join Milo on his trek to the Castle in the Air, or the strange characters he meets on the way like King Azaz the Unabridged in Dictionopolis where inhabitants literally eat their words, or the Mathemagician in Digitopolis where numbers are mined (broken ones become fractions.) But I think for me, it was probably the play on words throughout, the contradictions, the lessons inadvertently learned as Milo passes through the Doldrums, a place of laziness that hosts the Lethargians, and meets a cast of strange characters like the Chroma the Great, who orchestrates the colors in the world, and Faintly Macabre who regulates all the sounds in public. It’s a very clever and imaginative way to convey to children about wasted time, the importance of words and numbers, and Milo’s eventual discovery that you don’t have to travel far to find interesting things and ways to spend your time.
An interesting addition to the audio edition is the introduction by the author explaining how this book came to be, which all began with a chance conversation with a young boy about the enormity of infinity.
This is suitable for kids ages 8-12. Some vocabulary will be difficult and many words are made up. And as words are used in unusual ways, it could be confusing as well. Still, although as a child I may not have understood it all, I remember finding it to be a lot of fun.
The Eyes and the Impossible
Dave Eggers
What a fun romp inside the daily life of Johannes, the dog with a huge ego and massive confidence. Known as the “eyes” inside the forest, beach and surrounding area of the park where he runs free, he and his friends observe and communicate about the goings on to the bison inside the enclosure. Johannes has no intention of being one of those dogs who wear a collar, especially after being dognapped by some bad people. Because of this frightening experience, he believes that the bison would also want to be free and decides he’s going to plan their escape. Also, during this time, Johannes becomes enamored with strange, new rectangles in the park that have interesting images on them. His friends Angus, Sonja, Bertrand, and Yolanda notice the way this new distraction is putting him in danger of being noticed by the people, and tell him about a new building going up that will house these rectangles, and better yet, they are going to find a way to get Johannes in so that he can look at them at his leisure without getting caught. Can either of these impossible missions be completed? With the arrival of new creatures at the park called goats, Johannes may get just the assistance he needs, and receive even more than he ever could have imagined.
This is such a sweet story, full of laughs (I especially loved Johannes’ disdain for ducks) and I loved the way he was so sure of himself and his abilities. His voice was pure exaggeration with no sense of time, and still full of instinctual knowledge necessary for survival. Statements like, “It was not long ago. I would estimate it to be about two hundred years ago” made me laugh every time. Also, beautiful paintings are used throughout that have had Johannes inserted into them, showing the beautiful park in which he lives, which I would think would have contributed to its winning the 2023 Newbery Award. It is recommended for readers ages 8-12, and would be a great read-aloud. For those kids interested in animal stories, adventures, and impossible missions, this is a great option.
Dave Eggers
What a fun romp inside the daily life of Johannes, the dog with a huge ego and massive confidence. Known as the “eyes” inside the forest, beach and surrounding area of the park where he runs free, he and his friends observe and communicate about the goings on to the bison inside the enclosure. Johannes has no intention of being one of those dogs who wear a collar, especially after being dognapped by some bad people. Because of this frightening experience, he believes that the bison would also want to be free and decides he’s going to plan their escape. Also, during this time, Johannes becomes enamored with strange, new rectangles in the park that have interesting images on them. His friends Angus, Sonja, Bertrand, and Yolanda notice the way this new distraction is putting him in danger of being noticed by the people, and tell him about a new building going up that will house these rectangles, and better yet, they are going to find a way to get Johannes in so that he can look at them at his leisure without getting caught. Can either of these impossible missions be completed? With the arrival of new creatures at the park called goats, Johannes may get just the assistance he needs, and receive even more than he ever could have imagined.
This is such a sweet story, full of laughs (I especially loved Johannes’ disdain for ducks) and I loved the way he was so sure of himself and his abilities. His voice was pure exaggeration with no sense of time, and still full of instinctual knowledge necessary for survival. Statements like, “It was not long ago. I would estimate it to be about two hundred years ago” made me laugh every time. Also, beautiful paintings are used throughout that have had Johannes inserted into them, showing the beautiful park in which he lives, which I would think would have contributed to its winning the 2023 Newbery Award. It is recommended for readers ages 8-12, and would be a great read-aloud. For those kids interested in animal stories, adventures, and impossible missions, this is a great option.