Hilde Kate Lysiak

A precocious young journalist who’s been running her own newspaper since she was seven is about to make her print debut as the star of a new children’s book series, focused on her real-life scoops.

At 10, Hilde Lysiak is already an intrepid reporter who knows how to work a beat and cultivate sources, hopping on her bicycle to pedal through her hometown of Selinsgrove, Pa., where she brings the Orange Street News to more than 700 monthly subscribers, and many more who check her website for frequent updates and video exclusives. She recently took time out of her schedule to give PW a tour of her home and a glimpse at her homemade news empire.

Hilde’s own newspaper grew out of a homeschooling assignment after the family moved to rural Pennsylvania. “It was a rule in my family that we had to write every day. And I wanted it to be something fun, so I started writing little stories about my family. Originally I had it on notecards and I wrote it in crayon,” she said. Her early computer-assisted works were feel-good stories, including a front page write-up on the birth of her baby sister, and a piece on a wild bear in town with images sourced online. But Hilde quickly turned her attentions to grittier stories, including a recent exposé on drug use in the local high school. CLICK FOR MORE