The Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster
Mar 2019 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Norton Juster and Rainn Wilson
4.8star
26 reviewsreport
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4 hr 41 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
Hailed as "a classic. . . . humorous, full of warmth and real invention" (The New Yorker), this beloved story--first published more than fifty ago--introduces readers to Milo and his adventures in the Lands Beyond.
For Milo, everything's a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it's exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . . .
"I read [The Phantom Tollbooth] first when I was ten. I still have the book report I wrote, which began 'This is the best book ever.'" --The New York Times
"The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland." --The Guardian
"The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed." --Los Angeles Review of Books
"You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you'll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time." --Entertainment Weekly
For Milo, everything's a bore. When a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, he drives through only because he's got nothing better to do. But on the other side, things seem different. Milo visits the Island of Conclusions (you get there by jumping), learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason! Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it's exciting beyond his wildest dreams. . . .
"I read [The Phantom Tollbooth] first when I was ten. I still have the book report I wrote, which began 'This is the best book ever.'" --The New York Times
"The Phantom Tollbooth is the closest thing we have to a modern Alice in Wonderland." --The Guardian
"The book lingers long after turning the final page. . . . A classic indeed." --Los Angeles Review of Books
"You loved the humor and adventure . . . and [now] you'll marvel at [the book's] wit, complexity, and its understanding of how children perceive the passage of time." --Entertainment Weekly
Ratings and reviews
4.8
26 reviews
Paul Acevedo
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August 19, 2025
The reader does a fantastic job, and his son cameos as the voice of the 5/8 boy character. This is a whimsical story that is filled with puns and wordplay. There's not much depth beyond Milo, the young protagonist, learning the value of wisdom along his adventure in a fantasy land populated by living versions of abstract concepts like Rhyme and Reason. This book doesn't hold up for adult audiences as well as Roald Dahl's books, but it's still pretty fun.
red-eye datlas
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September 21, 2023
one of the best books to hear, a perfectly wonderful bunch of common sense and nonsense. I listened to it when I was younger and even now it is such a great read/listen.
Adam Brewer
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July 22, 2024
This has been a favorite since I was a kid, and I still give it a listen every few years now.
About the author
NORTON JUSTER was an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children’s books. These include the Caldecott Award– winning The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka; The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academy Award–winning animated film; and The Odious Ogre, also illustrated by Jules Feiffer.
JULES FEIFFER was a Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist, playwright, and screenwriter, as well as the author of several children’s books. His books for young readers include The Man in the Ceiling; A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears; and the graphic novel Amazing Grapes. He is also the author and illustrator of the picture books Rupert Can Dance; I Lost My Bear; Meanwhile…; By the Side of the Road; and Bark, George.
JULES FEIFFER was a Pulitzer Prize–winning cartoonist, playwright, and screenwriter, as well as the author of several children’s books. His books for young readers include The Man in the Ceiling; A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears; and the graphic novel Amazing Grapes. He is also the author and illustrator of the picture books Rupert Can Dance; I Lost My Bear; Meanwhile…; By the Side of the Road; and Bark, George.
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