the phantom tollbooth: the story that inspired & saved me
- paigenherbooks
- Jun 29, 2022
- 4 min read
You're probably reading the title and thinking that I am being a biiiiit dramatic, and while I do have a pinch of drama in my veins, this time I would have to disagree. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster HAS saved my life. This story took me out of a dark place and has remained a comfort for me ever since. When I'm asked "Paige what's your favorite book" the answer has remained the same, regardless of how much I love Twilight or Harry Potter, the Phantom Tollbooth.
When I tell people this most of the times they have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, and once I explain to them it's a children's book, they give me quite a quizzical look. I am known for being an avid reader, also known with reading stories and texts that a lot of people may find boring or just uninteresting. Therefore, when people find out that my master mind of understanding has a picked a 1989 children's book to rank as the winner of my favorites, they are confused.
Today I am hoping to fix that, while also just writing about a story I love very very much.
The Phantom Tollbooth IS a children's book, a children's book with big themes and emotions that honestly helped me understand and reflect on what I was going through as a child.
Let's set the scene.
I am around 11 or maybe 12, I had just moved to Iowa from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, away from literally everyone I knew to a state I also had no idea existed (Iowa ??? you mean the potato state ???) We lived in an old farm house on a DIRT road in the actual middle of no where...oh and there was a hog farm 100 feet from my house so the pungent smell of pig shit was my constant companion.
To say I was depressed, sad, lonely, and just going through it, is an understatement.
I was lonely. I had no one that I felt like could understand what I was going through. Not quite knowing how to "fix me" for lack of better term, my mom took me to the small public library and there I found The Phantom Tollbooth. I took it home and I read it, over and over again. I found comfort in those pages, the characters, and the adventure they were on.
Milo was a lonely boy who was un-content with life, but with the right mindset, an adventure, and a rag-tag group of friends, he was able to find joy in his little life again. It's a story that takes place in kingdoms where you can eat words and see numbers, where Rhyme and Reason are lost in a castle high up in the sky, and where if you're not careful and aren't thinking you'll be lost forever. This story is one of adventure, finding oneself, and friendship. Things I think every person needs.
Sometimes life gets boring, or at least that's what everyone tells you. Do this do that and maybe you'll have a decent life. But the Phantom Tollbooth shows that YOU have to make your own adventure, you have to live every day like it's truly your last. Life gets overwhelming, I'll be the first to admit it. You get stuck in the routine, but sitting back and understanding that I will never live this random Wednesday in June ever again. I return often to The Phantom Tollbooth, because I know Milo is waiting for me, to tell me how much fun it is to learn about reading, writing, and saving Rhyme and Reason. How words have power and everyone is special in there own way, even if you're just an average boy like Milo.
Being lonely is something I have struggled with my whole life, which in some ways has led me to deal with some pretty nasty anxiety issues at times. I feel so misunderstood. Why didn't I want to play house as a young girl, why don't I dress and like the same things other girls my age do? Why even now, I am labeled the "weird" and "eccentric" friend when I think I am acting completely normal. It's a struggle being different, however that looks like to you. As a child these were big emotions for me to be feeling and even now I struggle with them on sometimes a weekly basis. I will have an interaction and then rethink the whole day wondering if I came off weird or too much. Though, when those feelings start to persist, I genuinely remind myself of the lessons that I've learned from Norton Juster's characters. That's its OKAY to be different because the right group of different people will find you.
Sometimes being different is the only way to save the day or accomplish the adventure.
This also makes me think about children's books in general. This book has changed so many things in my life and is meant for school aged children. I think sometimes we forget as grown adults that we are all still that little kid inside. That we can learn from anyone and anything. That learning, kindness, adventure, and friends aren't just something we one day leave behind on our last day at the playground. They are characteristics and ideologies we should hold fast to and keep as we venture into this large and mostly unknown territory of being an adult. Children's books are more often the most moving stories. They get to the core of things in a way that is understandable and often times just simple.
Some of my other favorite children's books that I think grown people and small can learn from alike are:
Howls Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The BFG by Ronald Dahl
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S Lewis
The Phantom Tollbooth draws it's audience in and then shows them how to leave the story a better and happier person. This book is moving and it's one I'll never stop recommending to people. I will read this to my future children or my dogs (whichever happens). It's one that resonates deep within my soul and I know it will for the rest of my life.
So, if you're feeling down, lonely, tired, sad, or just lost, go pick up The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, and watch how your life is changed by the simple words written within.
As always, happy reading
xoxo
paige :)
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