1. In Chapter 9, Harry reads aloud a letter sent to Uncle Ambrose by the chair of a university physics department which mentions black holes and the "singularity" at their core. After doing additional research in the library, write a research paper explaining what contemporary scientists theorize about black holes and their effect on time.

2. In Chapter 17, Harry describes his first "Great Walk" (a fifteen-minute walk outside of the playhouse). Write an essay in which you discuss what you would have done during that fifteen minutes, comparing your holiday with that of Harry.

3. Read Gary Paulsen's Hatchet (another adventure-survival book, 1987).

Compare Brian Robeson's return to civilization, as described in Hatchet's "Epilogue," with that of Harry. What is similar about the way they react to the normal world?

4. While Harry is in the playhouse, he spends a great deal of time reading.

Among...