Every now and then I like to revisit an old friend. Today, I reread The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. When I was in 5th grade I was having a hell of a go. I had glasses, a bad perm, my arms seemed to grow at an exponential rate (the rest of my body didn't), and I was facing a group of very mean girls that liked to make fun of me. A kind teacher decided to slip me this book, and it made me face the world feeling a little bit stronger. After rereading it, I realize why. Juster taps into something special and wonderful with Milo. Even though it was written 50 years ago, the book feels fresh and new. It could have been published yesterday.
When I was doing a bit of research for this blog post, I discovered that Tollbooth is considered advanced reading for children. In part, I understand that. The word play can be complex, but it doesn't really hinder the message. I think if your child can grasp Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events he or she can grasp this with ease. However, do yourself a massive favor, don't let your child read this alone. Do this for me. Read this one, a chapter a night every night, for the next 20 days. This book deserves to be a bedtime story. Besides, there are some adults that need to meet The Demon of Insincerity and learn how to best it.
What? You don't have kids? Well, who cares. Read it out loud anyway.
My next book is Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger. I'm on a short YA kick.
(Image by, Jules Feiffer. This is a map of the areas visited in The Phantom Tollbooth.)
When I was doing a bit of research for this blog post, I discovered that Tollbooth is considered advanced reading for children. In part, I understand that. The word play can be complex, but it doesn't really hinder the message. I think if your child can grasp Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events he or she can grasp this with ease. However, do yourself a massive favor, don't let your child read this alone. Do this for me. Read this one, a chapter a night every night, for the next 20 days. This book deserves to be a bedtime story. Besides, there are some adults that need to meet The Demon of Insincerity and learn how to best it.
What? You don't have kids? Well, who cares. Read it out loud anyway.
My next book is Shadow Walkers by Brent Hartinger. I'm on a short YA kick.
You'll have to let me know how the Hartinger book is. I really liked his first two Geography Club novels.
ReplyDeletePS: Despite how Blogger listed it, I intended to be "A. Scott" when I commented there.
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