Much of Sleator's work has focused on remarkable events occurring in mundane places. For instance, in The Spirit House (see separate entry), a Thai spirit invades a suburban American home. Part of the appeal of the book is the premise that strange and mysterious adventures may occur right at home, right in the middle of a familiar world. Annie's big house is a bit unusual, but the amazing events she experiences occur mostly in her bedroom closet and the basement, ordinary places. Sometimes, Sleator takes his characters out of the mundane world and places them in isolation, making them outsiders in a world they do not understand. The bizarre early novel, House of Stairs (see separate entry) takes this to extremes by placing the characters in a house that would be unfamiliar to anyone.

More recently, Sleator has placed his characters in places unfamiliar to them...