The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster (1961)
“A boy who finds everything boring receives a magical tollbooth — and discovers that words, numbers, and ideas are the most extraordinary adventures of all.”
Short Summary
Milo, a bored boy who finds no purpose in anything, returns home one day to find a mysterious toy tollbooth in his room. He drives through it in his toy car and enters the Lands Beyond, where he journeys through Dictionopolis (ruled by King Azaz) and Digitopolis (ruled by the Mathemagician), rescues the exiled Princesses Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Air, and returns home having learned to find wonder in the ordinary world.
Detailed Summary
Milo is a boy who is bored by everything. School bores him, the trip to and from school bores him, and when he's not in school, he can't think of anything to do. He simply finds no point to anything. One afternoon, Milo comes home to find an enormous package in his room. Inside is a toy tollbooth, ...