Milo is bored boy, who often doesn't know what to do. A middling student, he runs everyday from school to home and then sits around, staring at his toys and doing nothing. Until one day, when a mysterious package appears in his room. Inside is a set of instructions on how to build the tollbooth and a map to the Lands Beyond. After putting the tollbooth together, he hops into his electric toy car, puts a coin in the toll box, and suddenly finds himself on the road to Expectations. Picking up Tock the Watchdog along the way, he winds up in Dictionopolis, where he learns that nothing in the land of Wisdom has been the same since the princesses Rhyme and Reason were banished by their brothers, King Azaz the Unabridged and the Mathemagician, over their decision that letters and numbers were equally important. Milo agrees to bring the princesses back, so with Tock and the Humbug in tow, they set off across Wisdom in search of the princesses, meeting interesting characters and having great adventures.
This book is a classic, and I can see why. Chock full of inventive word play and fun characters, Milo's quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason twists and turns delightfully through the different cities and areas of Wisdom. While I appreciated all of the puns, I suspect that a lot of them can go over children's heads. But for those that get them, this is a book that's sure to please. In a lot of ways, it reminds of The Little Prince, but not as serious. It would a good book to read with a special child in your life.
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