Margaret Peterson Haddix is a New York Times best-selling author for children and teens with over 40 published titles. In a recent interview, she shared these reflections on the power of story for young people, the appeal of dystopian tales for young minds, and encouragement for parents as they navigate tough topics in reading with their kids.

There is perhaps no story of a youth marching band more famous than the classic musical The Music Man. It is the story of a slick travelling salesman who poses as a music professor. Going by the name of Professor Harold Hill, the salesman convinces a small town in Iowa that they have troubled youth and offers them a solution: starting a boys’ band. “Professor” Hill smooth talks every young person and parent alike that they need to purchase instruments and uniforms to create this boys’ band, promising that they will all become proficient musicians in no time at all. What the townspeople do not know is that “Professor” Hill has no musical ability whatsoever and does not have the ability to teach youth to play instruments. Hill plans to skip town before his newly developed boys' band ever performs a note, but his plan goes awry. He ends up “leading” the boys' band, complete with their brand-new instruments and uniforms, in a—creative—rendition of Beethoven’s Minuet in G. Despite the proper music knowledge or training, the parents are thrilled to see their children in the “band.”