A 9-year-old sleuth has book deal for detective series

NEW YORK – One of the world’s youngest sleuths, 9-year-old Hilde Lysiak, has a book deal.

Scholastic told The Associated Press on Thursday that it plans to release four children’s books by the Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, resident, who has built a substantial online audience through her monthly newsletter, the Orange Street News. Lysiak and her father, journalist Matthew Lysiak, will collaborate on a detective series called Hilde Cracks the Case. The series is scheduled to begin in fall 2017.

Hilde’s endeavours, which include covering fires and tornado damage, have been noted everywhere from The New York Times to NBC’s “Today” show. She was criticized earlier this year for reporting on the crime scene of a local murder, with some readers saying she was too young for such a story.