The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

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!
--back cover

To quote Julius Caesar (as played by Dom DeLuise), “Nice. Not thrilling, but nice.”It was cute. Lots of horrible puns, which you would think would be to my taste, but somehow having them come at you one after another, it just gets grating. (In my opinion, a pun or dad joke truly shines when one spontaneously seizes a happenstance opportunity during a normal conversation.)I pretty much agree with Patrick Rothfuss's review - nothing actively bad, but it was hard to care. Hard to feel energized about reading further.As an alternative, I highly recommend the picture book [b:The King Who Rained 616032 The King Who Rained Fred Gwynne https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1297893384s/616032.jpg 990347], which does a better job of avoiding over-saturation (heh - see? I did not plan that) with puns. (Plus, I only now realized that it was written by Fred Gwynn, of Herman Munster fame! How cool!)

I remember er loving this book when I read it as a kid, and it was still really good, but didn't quite hold the same magic. The word play was really funny and clever and the lessons are smart but not overwhelming.

I loved rereading this story with my son. The main character is relatable, and his adventures bring out the best in him. The imaginative world beyond the tollbooth captures the reader and won't let go.

I'd recommend this story to all readers above about 5th grade. It can be read in an afternoon or over a long time. An easy choice for read aloud (that will help parents and teachers catch trouble words for readers) or curling up by the fire.

Full of literal idioms, devilish puns, and the most realistic demons known to mankind, I wish this book had found me in my fourth grade instead of my fourth decade.