When somebody floods the toilets at Forest Lawn Elementary, Izzy Wong is ready to hunt down the story for her new podcast. Armed with recording equipment that cost her a year of allowance, she interviews teachers, custodians, students and even the principal in her search for a good story and the culprit in Marty Chan’s Izzy Wong’s Nose for News.

But it’s hard to avoid getting sucked into the rumour mill that is elementary school, and soon Izzy finds herself caught in the middle of the gossip. Izzy makes some questionable choices in her quest to solve the mystery and winds up in a race to finish her story before she’s shut down for good.

Izzy is fun, smart and quirky. She doesn’t have a lot of friends, but also doesn’t seem too fussed about it. I enjoyed reading the details about making a podcast and tips on good journalism that Izzy learns from her mother. The book raises questions about free speech, good reporting, fact vs. rumour and bending the rules in the name of a goal. More importantly, it’s a compelling story that young readers will enjoy.

Marty Chan is the award-winning author of dozens of books for kids, including Cosplay Crime, Kung Fu Master and  Haunted Hospital, Dragon on the Loose and the Marty Chan Mystery series. He tours schools and libraries across Canada, using storytelling, stage magic and improv to ignite a passion for reading in kids.

Chan will be presenting at local elementary schools through the Authors in the Schools program this fall.

You can also see him at Firebrands, Runaways & Time Warps: Children & YA Authors’ Reading Event and he is teaching a workshop called Cheat Code for Conflict: A Creative Writing Workshop for Youth!

Tickets are on sale now. 

Review is by Sara Leach. She is the chair of the Whistler Writing Society board of directors and the award-winning author of nine books for children, including the Slug Days trilogy, Mountain Machines and Count Me In.