Micheal Buckley at a pier in Coney Island, where Undertow is set.

Michael Buckley may be best known among the middle grade set as the author of the “Sisters Grimm” and “NERDS” series (both Abrams), but he's about to expand that fan base to teens with the release of his debut YA novel, Undertow (HMH, 2015). Buckley taps into world issues and teen angst in his near-future portrayal of the invasion of Coney Island by an alien race, the Alpha, who rise out of the sea, complicating life for the humans who remain. Even going to high school is a challenge, especially when the government decides to allow Alpha teens to attend, under armed guard. Lyric and Bex are there that day to witness firsthand the outrage and bullying the Alpha endure. It’s not all serious, though—Buckley’s signature humor is sprinkled throughout, and there’s plenty of snarky teen dialogue. SLJ caught up with Buckley to talk about Undertow and his creative process. First of all, thanks for posting the music videos that inspired you while you wrote Undertow. A few took me down memory lane, and I’m excited that a whole new audience will be exposed to these bands when they visit your site. I hope that fans will visit and give them a listen. All of them were important to finding the edge I was trying to give to Lyric and Bex. Making the mixtapes helped set a tone for me, and I like the idea of letting readers hear it. I hope it puts them in the right state of mind, too. I’m writing the second book right now, and the music I’m listening to is a lot darker, which should tell you a bit about what fans will discover. I can’t wait to let people hear it, too. Lyric used to be a wild thing, cruising the boardwalk like a “glitter princess,” but with the invasion of the Alpha and heightened security, she is forced to lay low. How did you come up with the closeted flapper dress as an emblem of her surrender to normalcy? I wanted Lyric to be unapologetically cool—with music and her clothes, looks, and attitude. It’s not something you see a lot in YA and almost never when the character is the hero. I suppose it’s hard to cheer for someone who seems to have it all, or maybe it’s just that introverted characters work well when you have to drag them into crazy situations. I just felt like trying something fresh. I was influenced by women I know in real life, some who consider clothes like works of art, who are always searching for certain types of dresses and shoes the way some people search for rare vinyl or comic books. The flapper dress was the ultimate decadent fashion statement of the roaring 20s and having something that flamboyant hidden in the closet says a lot about Lyric. She hides a lot of stuff about herself, but, as readers will discover, it all gets yanked into the light eventually. The integration of the Alpha into Lyric’s high school is just the beginning of a broader initiative. Lyric becomes an unlikely leader of this effort. Doyle, the school’s principal, tells her, “You’re a real chameleon, but it works for you.” Is it this quality that makes her brave? I think Lyric’s bravery comes from her concern for others, especially her friends and family. She’s ferociously protective of the few people she’s allowed into her inner circle, acutely aware that she is as dangerous as the world around them. Because of this, she’s had to learn to be a chameleon, but it’s not a role in which she’s comfortable. Lyric strives for authenticity, but it’s just impossible when she has the most secrets. I think Doyle sees this quality as a strength, but to Lyric it’s a burden. I found it interesting how you wove caste systems into the plot, exercised by the humans and the Alpha. Did you base this on any personal experience or observation? I was influenced by The Outsiders by S.E. Hilton, which some might not see as a book about caste systems, but I think it’s a perfect example of how they work in America. The Greasers and the Socs are divided by socioeconomic inequalities that really come down to clothes, cars, and where they live. It forces them to take sides and sends them hurtling against one another. That book was published in 1967—47 years ago—but the story is repeated in real life every day. I wanted the Alpha society to mirror that as well. It’s not very interesting to have one side be altruistic and get everything right—it’s also not very believable, so the Alpha commit the same sins humanity is guilty of, only in their own way. They try to put the different races in their culture in boxes just like we do. When readers first meet Fathom, the Alpha prince, he is rather Spock-like in his demeanor and assessment of the human world. I loved this little bit of dialogue that Lyric and Fathom share as she runs to catch up with him as he explores—“‘Well, just stop,’ I say as I lean over to catch my breath. ‘It’s too hot to chase you, and I’m not wearing the right shoes.’ Fathom replies, ‘What are the right shoes?’” I love the dynamic between Lyric and Fathom. It’s awkward and off-kilter, sweet and funny, yet frustrating and scary at times. Fathom doesn’t know much about our world because he assumes he won’t be staying [for long]. At times he can even seem disdainful of the surface, but I think it just overwhelms him. There are also things here that he admires – qualities about Coney Island and its people that he quietly respects. I don’t think he was expecting that when his father dragged his people onto the beaches. Lyric is the perfect foil for him— being a little self-centered and self-conscious at the same time, she hasn’t spent much time thinking about what it must feel like to be an Alpha teenager. It leads to a lot of conflict and an equal amount of humor. They’re a very sexy and frustrating odd couple. The Alpha is an amazingly diverse race, ranging from mermaidlike beings to creatures with bladelike arms. How did these beings come to you? Some of the fun of this book came in the research. As much as I studied the civil rights movement and Brown v. Board of Education, I also got to search sites and documentaries looking for the weirdest things in the sea. We really don’t know that much about the oceans or what lives in them, and that’s fertile ground for my imagination. There are fish out there that are just monstrous in size, with teeth and spikes, and glowing lights that dangle off their heads. Every month or so something washes up on shore that has never been seen before or scientists were sure went extinct thousands of years ago. It’s fascinating. Trust me, the real-life stuff I discovered is much more bizarre than any of creatures I invented. I hope Undertow crashes a few “weird sea life” sites. Lyric does yoga—do you? As they say, I practice. I gave it a try when I took a break from lifting weights and running. It’s addictive and a pretty strenuous workout, and I enjoy the meditative parts of it. I’m used to weight benches and dumbbells, so when the 100-pound woman next to me does a one-armed hand stand you can’t help but be in awe. I think men are hesitant to do it—maybe they don’t see it as a serious workout— but some of the greatest athletes I know are in my classes, and an hour and a half class is easily the best workout I’ve ever experienced. Check out the book trailer to Michael Buckley's Undertow.