Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

'Tollbooth' Author Norton Juster Plays Not My Job

We invite Norton Juster, the author of The Phantom Tollbooth, to answer three questions about The Phantom Menace.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 3Twitter

NPR's Backseat Book Club

Kids' Book Club Takes 'Tollbooth' To Lands Beyond

The pun-filled Phantom Tollbooth turns 50 this year. Author Norton Juster takes questions from young readers about the story of Milo, a bored little boy who finds adventure in a very strange land full of riddles and wordplay.

• Comments
• 1155Facebook
• 81Twitter

NPR's Backseat Book Club

Nov. Kids' Book Club Pick: 'The Phantom Tollbooth'

Even after 50 years, the story of a bored little boy who travels to the Lands Beyond still feels fresh. We know you will love Milo's story — and we invite you to send in your questions for author Norton Juster and illustrator Jules Feiffer.

• Comments
• 8248Facebook
• 26Twitter

Opinion

My Accidental Masterpiece: The Phantom Tollbooth

Fifty years ago Norton Juster sat down and tried to remember the confusion and dislocation of childhood. His memories became a book, and The Phantom Tollbooth was born. In this essay, Juster looks back at his beloved novel, and the bored, disconnected child who grew up to write it.

• Comments
• 575Facebook
• 12Twitter

Books

'Phantom Tollbooth' Creators Reunited By An 'Ogre'

In the early 1960s, writer Norton Juster and illustrator Jules Feiffer created The Phantom Tollbooth, which quickly became a kid-lit classic. Now, 50 years later, the two have finally collaborated once more — this time, on a picture book called The Odious Ogre. They speak to NPR's Liane Hansen about their partnership and their new project.

• Comments
• 816Facebook
• 0Twitter

Excerpt: 'The Phantom Tollbooth'

There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself — not just sometimes, but always ...

• Comments
• 8Facebook
• 0Twitter

Critics' Lists: Summer '09

A Classic List Of Must-Read Children's Books

As summer vacations draw to a close and school-age children begin the mad scramble to fulfill their summer reading obligations, author Lesley M. M. Blume recommends a few timeless books that may not be on the required book lists.

• Comments
• 275Facebook
• 19Twitter

Books

A Father And Daughter's Tale Of The Obama Pet

Which Puppy?, the new children's book by author Kate Feiffer and illustrator Jules Feiffer, was inspired by the Obamas' public search for a dog to join them in the White House.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 0Twitter

Summer Books 2008: Excerpts

Excerpt: 'The Great Comic Book Heroes'

Jules Feiffer offers a critical history of comic books. He labels comics "junk" — only to vigorously defend our need for them.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 0Twitter

Critics' Lists: Summer 2008

Holy Bookworms! Superheroes Take To The Page

Quake in fear, puny humans! Spandex-clad superbeings have engineered a mass escape. From big screens and billboards to bus ads and even bookshelves: this summer, nowhere is safe from superheroes.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 0Twitter

Books

Feiffer, Allen Drawn Together by 'Long Chalkboard'

Journalist Jenny Allen and cartoonist Jules Feiffer collaborate on their first literary effort, an illustrated book for adults. The Long Chalkboard's three stories are full of quick and witty writing and mostly well-intentioned people.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 0Twitter

Adventures to Read All Through the Summer

Little fingers get the chance to turn the pages of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. But librarian Nancy Pearl has options not-so-Harry for parents, kids, and fans of the series.

• Comments
• 0Facebook
• 0Twitter

Summer Reading: Kids

Excerpt: 'The Phantom Tollbooth'

A very bored child named Milo receives a mysterious gift in this title recommended by librarian Nancy Pearl: a tollbooth. Next thing Milo knows, he's left his bedroom and is driving through new territory, not quite so bored anymore.

• Comments
• 53Facebook
• 1Twitter