[5] While at junior high school, Levoy also took part in a choral speaking class, which made him realize that "words alone, without music, can sing"[5] and further kindled his love of writing.

[6]: 251  Even though he initially pursued a technical career in engineering, he also continued his writing, with various poems and short stories being published in a number of literary magazines.

[6]: 252 [14] His young adults novels, in which outsiders and otherwise socially marginalized characters were often at the center of the plot, are not only directed against prejudice and racism, but also describe the challenges of finding one's identity and standing up for oneself.

[2][6]: 252–253  A multicultural context also often underlies his books, extending to his stories for children, too, which e.g. variously deal with the issues faced by immigrants, or the particularities of Jewish culture.

[6]: 252–253 Levoy was actively involved in the American peace movement and also participated with his family in the anti-nuclear protests during the Cold War, in New York City in June 1982.

In 2013, it was announced that American actor Johnny Depp was considering pursuing the creation of a film based on Levoy's book The Magic Hat of Mortimer Wintergreen, with a script being proposed by English screenwriter Jack Thorne.