Steinbeck's Ghost [Paperback]

It's been two months since Travis's family moved from their shabby old house to a development so new that it seems totally unreal. There's one place, though, where Travis can still connect with his old life: the Salinas library. Travis and his family used to go there together every Saturday, but now he bikes to it alone, re-reading his favorite books: the works of John Steinbeck. Suddenly Travis is seeing Steinbeck's characters come to life. There's the homeless man in the alley behind the library, the boy who writes by night in an attic bedroom. Travis has met them beforeas a reader. But how can they be here now? And why?

Discussion Questions
1. Why did Travis and his parents move to Bella Linda Terrace? Was this a good
choice or a bad choice for them to have made? In what ways is their life better in
the new neighborhood, and in what ways is it worse?
2. Why doesn't Travis want to confront his parents about their work schedules?
What finally forces him to say something?
3. At various points throughout the story, Travis doubts Hil and his friendship.
Why does Travis do this? Does Hil ever disappoint Travis?
4. Travis feels that reading books takes him from normal life to real life.
What does he mean by this? Does his reading cause any problems for him?
5. What sort of person is the librarian, Miss Babb? What does Travis have in
common with her? What does she teach Travis?
6. Why is it so exciting for Travis to meet Ernest Oster? What makes Travis view
Oster as a friend, instead of a famous writer?
7. How does Oster deal with the rejection of his second book? Why does he react
this way? How does his method of dealing with failure compare to that of Miss
Babb and the Save Our Library committee?
8. Are the members of the Salinas City Council bad people because they voted
against the Save Our Library committee? What reasons do they give for closing
the library? Is there something else they could havl“+