19/10/2016
9-year-old reporter and fourth grader Hilde Lysiak -- who was told that “9-year-old girls should be playing with dolls, not trying to be reporters” -- has signed a four-book deal with a major publisher! The new "Hilde Cracks the Case" detective series will be aimed at newly independent readers and will release in fall 2017. Hilde, whose newspaper, Orange Street News, covers local news in her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania and now boasts over 700 paying subscribers, is thrilled by the opportunity: “It’s amazing that after publishing my own newspaper I now get to work with Scholastic to write books that will be read by kids all around the world. I want kids who read these books to love reporting like I do.”
Hilde’s story drew national attention last fall when the intrepid young reporter was featured in publications like the Columbia Journalism Review. She even dealt with controversy in April: after breaking the news about a local murder, critics flooded her page with comments like “I am disgusted that this cute little girl thinks she’s a real journalist.” In response, the resolute Mighty Girl told her detractors, "I don’t think people should be able to decide for me who I should be and what I should be doing. I never began my newspaper so that people would think I was cute. I started the Orange Street News to give people the information they need to know.” And, she went on to challenge her critics, asserting: “If you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computers and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?”
"I want to be taken seriously," she continued. "I’m sure other kids do, too. Grownups usually treat kids like they cannot do anything great. If adults don’t think we can do something, then it is hard for us to believe that we can. And then how will we have great things in this world?" Fortunately, the publishing world is clearly taking this talented Mighty Girl seriously. Each of the four books in her new series, which will be co-written with her father, Matthew Lysiak, will follow Hilde and her big sister Izzy as they investigate a news story in their hometown; each fictional story will be roughly based on a real story that Hilde covered for her paper.
Katie Carella, a senior editor with Scholastic, says she’s thrilled that Hilde has signed on for the series: “As soon as I spoke with Hilde, I just knew she’d be the perfect fit for Branches. Kids across the globe have reached out to her, inspired by her unflagging dedication to reporting the news. To quote Hilde: ‘You’re never too young to follow your dreams. If you take yourself seriously, other people will take you seriously, too.’”
Congratulations to Hilde on her book deal! We look forward to reading about your adventures! To follow Hilde's reporting online, visit her page at Orange Street News
To encourage your kids' interest in creative writing, check out the books and toys featured in our blog post, “Fantastic Adventures and Amazing Tales: Encouraging Creative Writing and Storytelling” at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12489
There are also three excellent guides for aspiring young writers: "Writing Magic: Creating Stories That Fly" for ages 8 to 12 (http://www.amightygirl.com/writing-magic), "Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook" for ages 9 to 14 (http://www.amightygirl.com/spilling-ink), and "Seize the Story" for ages 12 to 17 (http://www.amightygirl.com/seize-the-story).
And, to inspire young reporters with stories of famous female journalists of the past, we highly recommend: "Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids: Mighty Muckrakers from the Golden Age to Today” at http://www.amightygirl.com/nellie-bly-investigative (ages 8 and up) and “Reporting Under Fire: 16 Daring Women War Correspondents and Photojournalists” at http://www.amightygirl.com/reporting-under-fire (ages 12 and up)
