Norton Juster

Norton Juster was an American writer.

He is best known as the author of the acclaimed children's books The Phantom Tollbooth and The Dot and the Line.

Considered to be one of the most influential and popular children's book authors of his generation, Juster combined Wizard of Oz-like fantasies with his own love of mathematics, science, puns, and architecture, creating works that captured the imaginations of children and adults alike.

The Phantom Tollbooth tells the story of Milo, who is unexpectedly gifted with a mysterious tollbooth. Driving his toy car through the booth, he arrives in the chaotic Kingdom of Wisdom, where he tries to help the exiled princes Rhyme and Reason regain power.

The Dot and the Line (subtitled A Romance in Lower Mathematics) told the story of the ill-fated romance between a red dot and a blue line. In its attempt to impress the dot, the line teaches itself to form complex triangles, hexagons, and other shapes .The line's romantic rival, a squiggle, contorts into messy scribbles.

Both books were adapted for film. The Phantom Tollbooth, published in 1961, was made into a live-action/animated fantasy film in 1970. The Dot and the Line (1963) was adapted by animator Chuck Jones into an Oscar-winning 1965 10-minute short film.

Juster's other works include Alberic the Wise and Other Journeys (1965), Stark Naked: A Paranomastic Odyssey (1969), Otter Nonsense (1982), and As Silly as Knees, as Busy as Bees (1998).

Juster died March 8, 2021, in Northampton, Massachusetts. He was 91.