The Phantom Tollbooth

Milo, Tock, and the Humbug drive through the beautiful countryside. They enter a forest; a sign says, “THIS IS THE SCENIC ROUTE: STRAIGHT AHEAD TO POINT OF VIEW” (102). The forest grows thicker, but the road comes to a promontory where they can view more of the forest in the distance.

Milo thinks the view is beautiful, but a voice says, “It’s all in the way you look at things” (102). Milo sees a boy floating in the air about three feet off the ground. The boy continues that, if a person likes deserts, the forest might not seem beautiful. He explains that his family members are born with their heads in the air at about the height they’ll be when adults; their legs get longer until finally their feet touch the ground.

Milo says his people grow up instead of down; the boy, Alec Bings, says that Milo’s head must therefore keep changing height and viewpoint and that it’s simpler to always have the same perspective. For his part, Alec can see through things: He tells them what they had for breakfast, that Tock worries about wasting time, and that the Humbug is nearly always wrong.