Could there be a better time for a message of hope?

That’s exactly what Alyssa Milano’s new book aims to deliver (it even has “hope” in its title!). The actress joined E!’s Carissa Culiner and Justin Sylvester on Daily Pop’s Instagram Live on Tuesday to share what inspired her to write Hope: Project Animal Rescue in the first place, as well as provide some insight into what quarantine has been like for her and her family.

According to Milano, this book is the second in an ongoing series. Another is set to be released in October.

“Really, I wanted to write a series about kids in middle school and giving them the tools to change the world and to make a difference and to find their voice…but also go through every single element that young people go through while discovering who they are and what they believe in,” Milano explained to Culiner and Sylvester while video chatting.

She said these tools include volunteering, fundraising and “all of those things that I think are so vital to a society that we’ve kind of lost track of.”

The initial inspiration for the books came from Milano’s own kids, but also something she said she’s found in any child she’s met: “an innate ability, no matter what is going on around them, to hope for a brighter tomorrow.”

This, of course, is difficult for many to do right now due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent need to stay isolated. Like plenty of other parents around the world, Milano admitted to Culiner and Sylvester that she’s having “a tricky time.”

“I don’t know how much of the truth to tell them,” she said of her kids. “I don’t know how much to shelter them from the truth.”

On a lighter note, Milano’s extremely frustrated with the remote learning process—especially when it comes to the phenomenon that is Common Core math: “I mean, I don’t understand why we can’t just carry the one anymore?”

Now that’s a question that is likely being asked by moms and dads everywhere!