A tip about a possible theft led then-nine-year-old Hilde Lysiak to the door of a home on her block of Orange Street in Selinsgrove.
She knocked.
When no one answered, she came back and knocked again.
“I knocked multiple times each day — like once every two hours,” she said.
After a week, someone finally answered.
It was the wrong house.
Hilde didn’t stop there — going from door to door throughout the block until someone pointed her to the right house. It took another week for that person to answer.
“It turned into a ‘wow’ moment for me — it was such a great interview,” she said.
It became the first big story of her young career, adding legitimacy to her self-published newspaper, The Orange Street News, and opening doors that have led her to co-writing a series of Scholastic books and inspiring an upcoming Apple TV series.
The first of the six-book series, titled “Hero Dog,” is based on her efforts knocking on doors for the home theft story.
“The story was one of the most memorable moments for me so far,” said the now-12-year old. “While it did take me a long time to get the story, it was a good one where a dog scared off an intruder. It was my first serious story.”
Her plucky persistence has led to a variety of stories since then, endearing her to a world-wife audience especially after covering a small-town murder case that went viral as people debated whether a young girl should be covering such hard news.
“I know some of you want me to just sit down and be quiet because I’m 9,” Hilde responded in a video directed at her critics at the time. “But if you want me to stop covering news, then you get off your computer and do something about the news. There, is that cute enough for you?”
Even during that time, Hilde’s persistence to get the story never wavered remembered her father, Matthew Lysiak, an author and former reporter for the New York Daily News.
“She was trying to get information from the local police at the time about a plant vandal in Selinsgrove,” he said. “She wasn’t having any luck and I pulled her aside to talk to her about the murder story going viral, and throughout the conversation, all she could talk about was this guy in town ripping up plants and how no one would give her information and how she was going to get the story.”
Early beginnings
Hilde’s love of journalism goes back to ride-alongs with her father when he was on the beat for the New York Daily News.
“I used to follow him around and I realized quickly that it was something I really loved,” she said. “When my family moved back to Pennsylvania, my dad stopped reporting, but I wasn’t able to stop.”
Her early attempts at a newspaper started small.
“I’d write up little stories on note cards — things like my mom getting a new car. I’d sell the note cards for 10 cents, but it was sad because no one in my family would buy them for even 10 cents,” she said. “I realized then I wanted to do a more serious newspaper. I told my dad and he helped me start the Orange Street News.”
Hilde’s efforts from that moment forward led to a variety of national news stories and a dedicated following of fans from across the country.
“What really inspires me about Hilde is her dedication to the news — that she doesn’t give up on stories and that she works on them with a tirelessness and thoroughness that veterans of this business possess,” said Will James of Bend, Oregon. “I think her story teaches young people that they can do whatever they want with their lives and should not put themselves into a box like, ‘this is what kids are supposed to do.’”
Shannon Pincence, of Lowell, Massachusetts, agreed.
“There’s always a story out there and she’s great at following the clues that lead to them. Because of her perseverance, she’s going to make it very far in life,” she said. “Her story is important because she’s out there to prove to others that you can change the world no matter how old or young you are.”
Stories amplified via series
Scholastic books decided to further the cause with a six-book series called “Hilde Cracks the Case.” Each book is based on a case Hilde has followed for the Orange Street News.
“Scholastic got in touch with us and the idea because possible for my dad and me to write this together,” she said. “The first couple issues were written by my dad mostly with me helping out, but I’ve been doing more of it myself in the past couple stories.”
Each book includes a glossary of common journalism terms and is illustrated to look like a journalist’s notebook. Joanne Lew-Vriethoff was hired as the illustrator.
“She is obviously very talented at what she does. These books look so good,” Hilde said. “The whole process is pretty crazy — it almost doesn’t seem real. I’ve had people stop me on the street and ask if I’m Hilde and say they have read the books.”
A drama series by Apple TV is in production, and while many details are not yet available, a general plot line suggests: “The series follows a young girl who moves from Brooklyn to the small lakeside town her father left behind. While there, her dogged pursuit of the truth leads her to unearth a cold case that everyone in town, including her own father, tried hard to bury.”
The series is created and produced by Dana Fox and Dara Resnik. Jon M. Chu, of “Crazy Rich Asians” and a variety of other well-known films, will direct and help produce the series.
Ten episodes have been ordered and “Florida Project” star Brooklynn Prince has been cast to play Hilde.
“They have this really talented actress who is going to play me — how weird and cool is that?” Hilde said. “I saw her movie recently and she is so good. This really has been a crazy experience.”
In an interview for brit.com, Prince admitted that she is excited about the role.
“I think she’s so unique and sassy. She’s such a seeker of the truth and I love that about her. What most drew me to the character was that she speaks girl power. Like, if I could choose anyone in the world to play, it would be Hilde, so it’s so cool that I get to play her,” she said. “I’m excited to take on the role of Hilde because I’ve always wanted to take on a true story and I think the world is going to love Hilde.”
