A quirky little adventure, like Alice in Wonderland but with more puns.
Summary:
Milo is sick and tired of his world until a mysterious package arrives, a tiny tollbooth with a tiny car. He sets off an adventure into strange lands filled with bizarre characters and ridiculous trials. The Kingdom of Wisdom has been divided between Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, and Milo finds himself caught in the middle of the two rulers feud. The only way to restore order to the land is to save the two princesses, Rhyme and Reason.
Verdict: 6.5/10
First, I want to say that you should definitely listen to the audio book for this one. Read by the fantastic Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office), the voices made it all the more fun. Like a bedtime story, it's just better to hear aloud. I also loved the author's note that preceded the book. Hearing his process and how his background as an architect and father figured into the story really made me feel attached to the tale before I even started.
The story was filled with quirky characters, all playing off well-known idioms. It added a feeling of nostalgia as it portrayed everything literally, the way a child would. Like having a literal Spelling Bee buzzing around or the Senses Taker who distracts you with so much paperwork that you become blind to what's happening. I giggled at the little zingers and allegories Juster had made come alive.
The book also captured a child's confusion with the world. Milo and the reader don't understand why certain rules are in place but are told that's how this world works. I understand why the author wrote it that way, but it was frustrating at times. I like having each part of a book make logical sense and having a purpose. So much of Milo's journey seemed completely random. It's like a bad dream where you're just trying to make sense of everything even though there's no sense to be found.
It's the same reason I don't enjoy Alice in Wonderland and those types of stories. I did enjoy this one more than Alice, but that was more because it was grounded in words and literary puns. I had fun listening to it and will probably share it with my kids in the future, but I don't think I'll reread it by myself.
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