Izzy Wong's Nose for News

June 15, 2024
When a flood causes major damage to the school, Izzy uses her podcast to figure out what happened. Canadian sixth grader Izzy Wong is ready for her next story. An aspiring reporter, she's been producing podcasts in order to hone her journalism skills. When a bathroom flood ruins everything in Ms. Berenstein's classroom and several books in the library, Izzy's sure she can find an angle worth exploring. At first, the flood seems to be the result of pipes that have fallen into disrepair. Soon, however, Izzy discovers that the flood was no accident; all four toilets in the girls' bathroom were intentionally clogged, and the staff seem to know more than they're willing to reveal. As her podcast audience grows, ambitious Izzy finds herself bending the rules of ethical reporting to keep everyone listening. With an age-appropriate love triangle, multiple suspects, and discussions about the difference between news and gossip, Izzy's investigation has much to keep young readers engaged. Careful descriptions of the technical side of podcasting and insights from Izzy's broadcast journalist mother offer an entry point to anyone curious about following in Izzy's footsteps. Though physical descriptions are limited, the last name Wong suggests that Izzy is of Chinese descent. A solid middle-grade mystery laced with leads for aspiring newshounds. (Fiction. 9-12)

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September 15, 2024
Grades 4-7 Izzy Wong's got a lead for her next podcast when a paper towel-stuffed toilet floods a classroom and her school's library, but while she works to report the story and find the culprit, she discovers that the difference between news and gossip might be a difference she needs to learn. Izzy's passionate about reporting, hoping to follow in the footsteps of her journalist mother and her favorite podcast host, Sarah Koenig, but the specter of vandalism haunting Izzy's rumor-mill podcast really gets the school talking--and hating Izzy. Izzy is a nuanced protagonist with a lot of heart, and middle-grade readers will root for her investigation while appreciating the impact of the mistakes she makes along the way. Never taking itself too seriously but giving the reader the podcast style they want, Chan's story delivers a fun middle-grade novel about the importance of good reporting and fills the mystery with characters who have a lot of learning to do. For readers of Barbara Dee, Paul Acampora, and Katryn Bury's Drew Leclair series.

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