Few books are so full of ideas, ideas well told by fitting them into interesting stories. ( )

An irreverent and funny adventure reminiscent of the OZ series by Baum.

Milo is a bored little boy who discovers a mysterious tollbooth in his room one day. He decides to drive his toy car through it because he couldn't think of anything better to do and he ends up in a fantastical world and undertakes a journey to bring peace back to the people he meets.

I never read this book as a kid. I don't know why because I have heard of it. I don't know if the author was influenced by Baum's OZ series, but it wouldn't surprise me to find out that he was. There is the same kind of humor and literalness in the naming of the characters that Milo meets.

There are morals scattered throughout which reminded me of Aesop's Fables. Overall, I think it's a wonderful book full of puns and double meanings. ( )

I probably read this way too late in life, so it didn’t quite grab me. It’s very Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz. But the last page or so was beautiful. ( )

A classic kid’s book, that the kid and I just read together. So many puns and so much delight!‬ ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 4+
Awards: Silver Pencil Award