Phantom Tollbooth Guide

Lesson 1: Getting Ready to Read

For this course you'll need a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. You can get yours from your local library or bookstore or by following this link to Amazon.

You will also need a journal or notebook to record your thoughts and ideas as you read.

There are many activities throughout the course. Some require materials to complete. Be sure you have all needed materials before you begin those activities.

Summary of the Story

The Phantom Tollbooth begins with Milo, the main character, who is feeling bored with his life and everything in it. Mysteriously, a tollbooth appears in his room and takes him on a wonderful adventure in the Lands Beyond. There he meets Tock, a watchdog who has a clock in his side, and the two travel to the two cities of Dictionopolis and Digitopolis in search of the twin princesses, Rhyme and Reason.

Along the way Milo has many adventures including a trip to the Island of Conclusions (you have to jump to get there), a visit to the Valley of Sound (where there is no sound at all) and a stop at the Point of View (where Milo meets Alex Bing, a boy who floats in the air until his feet grow down to touch the earth so that he will always have the same view of things).

They also wander into the Doldrums (where everything slows down) and finally come to the Mountain of Ignorance where they find the princesses hidden away in the Castle in the Air. They rescue them by flying on Tock's back (after all, time flies!) to restore peace in the kingdom.

Milo returns from his magical trip a changed boy. No longer bored and lethargic (like the Lethargarians he met in the Doldrums), Milo now knows that he can use his imagination to visit many other wonderful places without the help of the tollbooth.

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