Norton Juster was a children’s author known for his 1961 classic, “The Phantom Tollbooth.”
- Died: March 8, 2021 (Who else died on March 8?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Northampton, Massachusetts of complications of a stroke at the age of 91.
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The Phantom Tollbooth
Juster was working as an architect when he wrote his first children’s book, which became a beloved classic. “The Phantom Tollbooth” told the story of a bored young boy, Milo, who was thrown into adventures when a tollbooth appeared in his bedroom and turned out to be a portal to fantastical lands. Illustrated by Jules Pfeiffer, with whom Juster shared a duplex, “The Phantom Tollbooth” became an influential work that’s often ranked among the best novels for children. It has been adapted into a movie, a symphony, and an opera. Juster continued working as an architect and as a teacher of architecture while writing other children’s books, including “The Dot and the Line” (1963), which was adapted into an Oscar-winning short film. His 1982 book “Otter Nonsense” was illustrated by the award-winning author and illustrator Eric Carle.
Notable quote
“To kids, there are no difficult words, there are just words they have never come across before.” —from an interview with Reading Rockets
Tributes to Norton Juster
Full obituary: The New York Times
