SHAS Sixth Graders visit Norton Juster at his Amherst home

After reading the novel Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, sixth graders at Striar Hebrew Academy had the rare opportunity to meet the author himself. Invited to his home in Amherst, MA, students learned that Juster's professional training as an architect inspired him to write Phantom Tollbooth, which has been published in 22 languages over the past 50 years.  Thinking back, Juster said he thought about how great it would be if there was information out there for kids to help them understand cities and city planning.  He started writing, and his idea evolved into Phantom Tollbooth. 

When asked where he got the ideas for the characters, or if any of the characters were based on himself, Juster responded that there was a piece of him in everything within the book.  He said that, in many ways, he's like Milo, the main character.  Like Milo, he is a constant daydreamer.  Juster also mentioned that, as a boy, he lived in the shadow of his older brother, who was very accomplished and successful at everything.  The Milo character shows that people who think that they, and their lives, are ordinary may not be so ordinary after all, and they can really do extraordinary things.

Juster shared with the students the challenges he has faced as a writer, acknowledging that he does get writer's block. To help himself through this challenge, he tries to write every day, and also makes a point to stop in the middle of a sentence, so that the next day, he can pick up with an idea that has already been formulated.  At the end of the students' visit, Juster autographed each student's copy of the book, including one for the school's library.

Photos of the students' visit with Norton Juster can be viewed at: http://striarhebrew.org/photos.html. Scroll down to "Sixth graders meet Norton Juster."