The Lonely Phone Booth

A sad, forgotten phone booth in New York City becomes a hero in this story of community and caring for others. “A story celebrating the fabric of a neighborhood.”―New York Times Book Review

The Phone Booth on the corner of West End Avenue and 100th Street was one of the last remaining phone booths in New York City. Everyone used it―from ballerinas and birthday clowns, to cellists and even secret agents. Kept clean and polished, the Phone Booth was proud and happy until, the day a businessman strode by and shouted into a shiny silver object, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Soon everyone was talking into these shiny silver things, and the Phone Booth stood alone and empty, unused and dejected.

How the Phone Booth saved the day and united the neighborhood to rally around its revival is the heart of this touching story. The Lonely Phone Booth has a lot to say about the enduring power of the faithful things in our lives. For children, it’s a wonderful way to talk about their own communities.

Peter Ackerman co-wrote the movies Ice Age and Ice Age 3 and is a writer on the TV show The Americans. He is the author of The Lonely Phone Booth, The Lonely Typewriter, and The Screaming Chef.

Max Dalton lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has too many interests to list here―from writing to painting to playing music and reading about animals―but his all-time favorite is drawing. He often works with Peter Ackerman and is the illustrator of The Lonely Phone Booth, The Lonely Typewriter, The Screaming Chef and Extreme Opposites.