The Phantom Tollbooth vs The Wind in the Willows: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Classics, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction
The Phantom Tollbooth
“There was once a boy named Milo who didn't know what to do with himself-not just sometimes, but always.”
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The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer. It was published in 1961 by Random House (USA). It tells the story of a bored young boy named…
The Wind in the Willows
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The adventures of four amiable animals, Rat, Toad, Mole and Badger, along a river in the English countryside.
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Phantom Tollbooth has the widest readership — 312947 ratings behind its score.
- The Wind in the Willows runs the darker storyline; The Phantom Tollbooth stays the lighter read.
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How to choose
Scores by source
| The Phantom Tollbooth | The Wind in the Willows | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (312947) | 4.0 (247698) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (556) | 3.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 5.0 (3) | 2.0 (3) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (1504) | 4.5 (486) |
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Reception
| The Phantom Tollbooth | The Wind in the Willows | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 312947 | 247698 |
| Editions | 64 | 1346 |
| Citations | — | 22 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 143090 | 181935 |
| Reading it now | 7390 | 14299 |
| Written reviews | 15691 | 11932 |
| Wikipedia attention | 10744 | 26023 |
| Pages | 255 | 228 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: The Phantom Tollbooth or The Wind in the Willows?
The Phantom Tollbooth has the higher combined reader rating across sources (The Phantom Tollbooth 4.2/5, The Wind in the Willows 4.0/5).
Which is shorter to read: The Phantom Tollbooth or The Wind in the Willows?
The Wind in the Willows is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: The Wind in the Willows (228 pages, ≈ 4 h 13 m); The Phantom Tollbooth (255 pages, ≈ 4 h 43 m).
Which is harder to read: The Phantom Tollbooth or The Wind in the Willows?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — The Phantom Tollbooth: Moderate; The Wind in the Willows: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
The Phantom Tollbooth: 2 film adaptations; The Wind in the Willows: 2 film adaptations.