1. Sleator's brother Danny has vast web sites; look them up (you might start with a search engine such as Yahoo—http://www.yahoo.com), then search for "Danny Sleator" and see what you can learn about the real-life Danny and his interests. Does he seem like he could have been the boy portrayed in Oddballs?

2. Where do Sleator's family members appear in Sleator's novels? Does Sleator incorporate them extensively into his fiction?

3. In what ways has Sleator's family life while growing up influenced his fiction? Is it a source for any of his ideas?

4. Write a pituh-play incorporating the essential elements described in Oddballs.

5. What were "happenings"? Why does Sleator compare pituh-plays to them?

6. What is hypnotism? What is a posthypnotic suggestion? Could it work on Tycho the way Sleator describes it?

7. What are the legal rights of a...