The Phantom Tollbooth

Milo is bored by everything. Then a mysterious tollbooth appears in his room, and he drives through it into the Kingdom of Wisdom: a place where you can literally eat your words, jump to the island of Conclusions, and watch a watchdog named Tock. It is the cleverest kind of silly.

Why we picked it

Every page is a pun or a play on an idea, so it rewards a kid who loves words and rewires a kid who thinks they don’t. Underneath the wordplay is a real message: the world is only boring if you stop paying attention. Hard to think of a better idea to plant.

Questions to chew on

• Milo starts out bored by everything. What changes him?
• The book is full of puns — “jumping to Conclusions,” eating your words. Which one was your favorite?
• Is anything actually boring, or is boredom something you bring with you?

Good to know: the jokes work on two levels, so the grown-ups will laugh too. A wonderful read-aloud.