Melissa Albert has always been fascinated by that line between childhood and adolescence, and how it's an intense and painful thing when two friends who love each other are looking at each other across that line, so that's one of the things that inspired her to write "The Bad Ones".

What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
I had two images in my head I couldn't shake: a sequence in which four people disappear across a town one winter's night (which became the book's prologue), and two fierce girls with their heads together, creating a deck of invented goddesses. These images twisted together into a story of intense codependent friendship, suburban legends, and the power of artistic creation and belief.

What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
Reading joyfully and with an open heart, seeking and celebrating stories reflecting a rainbow of experiences, and looking to be swept away into other lives, evoked with empathy and nuance.

Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
Books are empathy machines. Everyone needs to read books centering people who look, think, act, and live differently from themselves — and every reader needs access to books that center and celebrate characters they can relate with and see themselves in. This is especially important to young people, who are in the process of figuring out who they are and what they believe, and who might encounter different kinds of people and experiences for the first time in books.

Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
I have always been fascinated by that line between childhood and adolescence: that moment when some kids are looking forward, becoming teenagers, and some are looking back, holding onto play and imagination. I think it's an intense and painful thing when two friends who love each other are looking at each other across that line.

What can fans expect from your book?
Magic with consequences, art with power, friendships with deep tangled roots, and viiiiibes. Creepy, dread-heavy, mysterious vibes. (In a fun way!)

What's up next for you in the bookish world?
I'm working on an adult book at the moment! Set in a recognizable world filled with hidden magic: my favorite kind of world to read and write about.