SWQR:The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (Location: Extremely Good Fiction)

This is one of the most important and delightful books one can ever read. Milo, a young boy, is bored. He finds a strange package in his room: a tollbooth kit. He puts it together, then gets in his little car and ... crosses over (? I am not sure if this is the correct preposition; my English, good she not always is!) into the Kingdom of Wisdom, divided between Dictionopolis the city of letters and words, ruled by King Azaz the Unabridged, and Digitopolis the city of numbers, ruled by his brother, the Mathemagician. They have never agreed since they banished their little sisters, the Princesses Pure Reason and Sweet Rhyme, to the [thunder and lightning] CASTLE IN THE AIR guarded by all sorts of horrible demons. Milo meets some friends and... but I cannot spoil it. You MUST read it. And if you have read it, read it again. You may be jumping to conclusions. Or perhaps you are not thinking? Very Chestertonian, very deep, very rich. The movie is also quite good; it has some special elements of its own. But get the book! Read it!