A 'Phantom Tollbooth' Celebration

invites anybody who loves "The Phantom Tollbooth" to visit the store at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17.

There will be snacks, readings from the book and a spelling bee. The Renfroe Middle School debate team will argue about which is better, words or numbers -- a question put forth in the book.

"The Phantom Tollbooth" was announced at as the book chosen for Decatur's . This year is the 50th anniversary of the publication of the book, which tells the adventures of a bored boy named Milo who drives through a tollbooth one day and finds himself in a magical and mysterious land.

The citywide reading project, called , encourages adults and kids to read and discuss the book. The Little Shop of Stories came up with the idea and organized the reading project.

The highlight occurs Dec. 9 when author Norton Juster will visit Decatur. Leonard Marcus, author of “The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth,” will interview Juster.

The event will be held in Presser Hall at . It’s free and open to the public, but ticketed.

Tickets are still available and can be obtained at the Little Shop of Stories, located at 133 E. Court Square in Decatur. The phone number is 404-373-6300.