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The Front Book Club: The Phantom Tollbooth

378“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, learns about time from a ticking watchdog named Tock, and even embarks on a quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason,” this is the story in The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster, sophomore Kira Hazelbaker’s book club recommendation. Hazelbaker is a double major in English literature and linguistics with a minor in Spanish.  “I first got the book from my dad when I was 12 years old and it was the first time I fell in love with words and word play,” she said. Milo, the protagonist, is her favorite character because she found it easy to step into his shoes, she said. “Somewhere along the way, Milo realizes something astonishing. Life is far from dull. In fact, it’s exciting beyond his wildest dreams,” according the description on Amazon.

Book-club
Sophomore Kira Hazelbaker // Photo by Haylee Magee
Hazelbaker said after reading this book she learned, “It is really easy to fall into mundane life, but the rewards of stepping outside of that are incredibly rewarding.” Although this book was first published in 1961, it is still relevant to people today. “It is a good break from boring textbook reads,” Hazelbaker said. Hazelbaker recommends students to follow Milo in to the magical world in the tollbooth and discover the importance of engaging with the world your in along side him. http://www.amazon.com/The-Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394820371 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/378.The_Phantom_Tollbooth


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