Could you be friends with a protagonist of your novel?

I could definitely be friends with one of the protagonists of The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. It is rather easy for Milo to get along with people, and establish a friendship with them, even if they just met.

Milo expresses feelings that I can relate to in the beginning of the story. When he is introduced, he is written as a character who is easily bored, and can’t find anything that is interesting. Milo feels no need to explore or create new things, because he can’t find the point in it… Until he travels to a new place, and realizes that there are so many new things to do and learn about.

Milo  seems like someone who I could agree with. Throughout Milo’s story, he encounters a number of different types of people, whom he mostly gets along with. Milo’s goal is to unite two kings and bring Rhyme and Reason to The Lands Beyond. He cares about other people, putting himself in a dangerous place so that the people he just met can be happy. Even though he knows the quest to save the princess’s of Rhyme and Reason won’t be easy, he goes anyway because he wants to save the kingdoms. When Milo sees something wrong with the place he is in, he tries to fix it. When he sees that someone is unhappy, he tries to cheer them up. Even if they seem strange or scary, like the Which (a lady that resembles a Witch, but isn’t exactly one), who he meets in the dungeon.

Milo invites a strange dog named Tock to join his adventure,  he also invites a strange creature named The Humbug. Milo hasn’t known either characters for very long, but they quickly become friends and help each other survive the journey. Milo proves to be reliable, kind, and thoughtful. He often asks questions about the reasons behind how things are. He wonders  and tries to learn about new things.

I would like to talk to that boy and listen to his stories about his adventures in The Lands Beyond, I think it would be interesting to hear what he has to say about the things he has encountered, maybe learn from his experiences. Perhaps him and I could go on our own adventure.

Though Milo starts off as a child who is uninterested in everything, he develops into someone who I’d be glad to be friends with.