The Phantom Tollbooth 3/8
Chapters 5-10 reading guide
You’ve returned! Welcome back to another week of For the Love of Words, a reading and creative writing resource for young readers and writers like YOU.
I certainly hope you are liking this book so far. There doesn’t seem to be any end to the action, or the silly and the strange characters Milo meets. This week we are reflecting on chapters 5-10 and I am very excited to do so.
As a reminder, this is a place that celebrates all things words, so consider sharing your own, specifically your thoughts, questions and responses in the comments. Or share with a friend. Can’t wait to read them!
Now back to it. When we last left Milo, some marketplace mishaps have landed him a 6 million year sentence in jail! Yikes. But more specifically he was accused of misusing words. While imprisoned Milo and Tock meet a Which. And not the pointy hat broom riding kind, but a WHICH, as in “which of these two jackets do you prefer?” (By the way, if it is helpful, below is a cute little breakdown of the difference between that and which for your learning pleasure.)
And this Which is a woman after my own heart for saying something so wise and lovely as this- “For always remember that while it is wrong to use too few (words), it is often far worse to use too many." Perfectly wonderful advice for a writer, or anyone, to be honest. Can you imagine, a joke with too many words? Awful. Just awful.
But more importantly we are told a story about Rhyme and Reason where we learn about the whole Kingdom of Wisdom. Not only it’s creation, but its current troubles are also explained. Later Milo meets the King of Dictionopolis and somehow Milo, Tock, and the Humbug are venturing through the forest of sight and the valley of sound. All of a sudden, his journey becomes less aimless and his wandering has become a mission! Maybe now we may see a change in our main character? Maybe Milo will have the chance to apply the things he is learning to save Rhyme and Reason from the Castle in the Sky?
And now your guiding questions for these chapters.
Easy-
Why did the people in the story love Rhyme and Reason? What happens to them and why?
Milo seem a little confused during the royal lunch and keeps saying thing that are taken a different way, do you remember 1 or 2 things he said that had a second meaning?
What does it mean when something is half-baked? Can you think of your own example?
Why do you think the author of this book is comparing an orchestra to a sunset? Is there something else in nature you could set music to? What would it sound like?
Not so easy-
“A friendly, cool breeze slapped playfully at the car, and the long shadows stretched out lazily from the trees and bushes.” How many verbs, nouns, and adjectives are in this sentence?
Alec Bings says, "What a silly system." The boy laughed. "Then your head keeps changing its height and you always see things in a different way? Why, when you're fifteen things won't look at all the way they did when you were ten, and at twenty everything will change again." Do you think it’s good to constantly see things in a new way?
There has been a ton of location changes so far, can you come up with a list of all the places Milo has been from chapter 1-10?
Hardest-
Is Milo and active or passive character? What makes you think so?
What is the value of a point of view? Does seeing things differently change what you are looking at, or does it change you?
Why is it inconvenient for Alec Bings to see right through things, but not what’s right in front of him?
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Till next time.
Olivia