Number and words and whatever comes in between...The Phantom Tollbooth is a modern fairy tale--famous for its wordplay and witty interplay. Instead of a wardrobe or a looking glass, young Milo travels to the Kingdom of Wisdom through a magic tollbooth, where he must make sense of a war between the people of words (from Dictionopolis) and the people of numbers (from Digitoplis).

In The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster writes: "Expectations is the place you must always go to before you get to where you're going. Of course, some people never go beyond Expectations, but my job is to hurry them along whether they like it or not."

Have you read The Phantom Tollbooth? What did you think? Are there other books with which you would compare it? And, there's something else... when you looked at the cover, and/and or read about the book, what did you expect? Does the cover art ever influence your choice in books?

Cover Art © Random House.

I don't always like to think about it, but lots of us are heading back to school--elementary, middle, high school, college, and the school of life. It's all a never-ending adventure in learning when you are enamored with literature. But, this time of the year sets a tone, makes me remember that I need to pursue my course of reading and thinking (regardless of whether a teacher is standing over me).

But, oh, think of those days...

Do you remember all of those first days of school? Every year, I'd get that sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then, after a few days, the school routine would kick in... What are your memories of heading back to school? In An Old Man's Thought of School, Walt Whitman writes,

"An old man's thought of school,
An old man gathering youthful memories and blooms that youth itself cannot.
Now only do I know you,
O fair auroral skies--O morning dew upon the grass!
And these I see, these sparkling eyes,
These stores of mystic meaning, these young lives,
Building, equipping like a fleet of ships, immortal ships,
Soon to sail out over the measureless seas,
On the soul's voyage."

Join our discussion: Back-to-School Memories. Then, take a look at how to succeed in literature. And, read How To Study.

What do you recall? What about your learning experience do you never want to forget? And, how do you continue learning? Do you consciously make an effort to read and learn every day?