Big News! (Emma Is On the Air #1)

by Ida Siegal, Karla Peña (Illustrator)

Overview

WNBC reporter Ida Siegal makes her debut as a chapter book author with a hilarious look at one girl's journey into journalism, mystery-solving, and fame — or at least two out of those three!

This is Emma Perez, and I'm ON THE AIR!Today at lunch, my friend Javier found a slimy worm in his hamburger. It was extra gross! Now everyone wants to know how the worm got in there. Someone might even get in trouble! The school needs my famous reporter skills to solve the case!Emma Perez has been looking for some big news to help her become a famous reporter. Javier's wormburger is perfect-people need to know what happened! Emma is ready to find witnesses, gather clues, and file her report.Tune in for the first edition of EMMA IS ON THE AIR!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545686921
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/28/2015
Series:	Emma Is on the Air , #1
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	486,357
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Ida Siegal is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and on-air reporter at NBC's flagship station in New York City, WNBC. Ida also lives in New York City, with her husband and their two children. The Emma Is On the Air series is her children's book writing debut.

Editorial Reviews

02/16/2015
Siegal, a New York City television journalist, kicks off the Emma on the Air series by introducing Emma Perez, a half-Dominican eight-year-old who decides that becoming a reporter on TV is just the ticket to becoming famous. “I knew TV reporters were special,” think Emma, “and that’s what I wanted most. To be special.” Emma just needs a good story to jumpstart her career, and she finds it when someone sneaks a worm into a lonely classmate’s burger. Readers may solve this small mystery before Emma does, but it’s clear that Siegal’s heroine has all the personality and persistence necessary for a career in front of a camera (or between the pages of a chapter book). Ages 7–10. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Big News! (Emma is on the Air #1):"Emma is confident, outgoing and tenacious... [Her] lively personality is evident in the cartoonish black-and-white illustrations... [A]n entertaining series debut." —Kirkus Reviews"...Siegal's heroine has all the personality and persistence necessary for a career in front of a camera (or between the pages of a chapter book)." —Publisher's Weekly

From the Publisher

02/01/2015
Gr 2–4—This series opener introduces eight-year-old Emma, resident of Washington Heights, NY. Her most memorable trait, besides her Hispanic heritage, which comes up often in the book—especially when she speaks in short Spanish phrases—is her great desire to be famous. She mentions it often, sings it, and chants it. It is the driving force behind the plot of the book, in which Emma learns how to be a TV reporter and starts an investigation of how a worm gets into a burger in the school cafeteria. The adults, including her father and her teachers, seem irritated by her need to be famous, and it has a similar effect on readers. Emma is an intelligent girl who learns real skills and takes initiative toward a goal, but it is all overshadowed by her annoying personality and relentless quest for fame. The writing, also, contains too much exposition and not enough description. There are too many exclamations, too many explanations, and not nearly enough character development. The design and illustrations will appeal to children, especially the large eyes and the bright cover, and the book is formatted and designed well. VERDICT Despite a good subject and plotline, the character of Emma is just too cloying to embrace.—Shalini Miskelly, St. Benedict Catholic School, Seattle, WA

School Library Journal

2015-01-20
Third-grader Emma Perez is obsessed with becoming a famous star, and inspired by a news reporter on TV, Emma decides becoming a reporter is her path to fame; now she just needs to find her first story.As it turns out, Emma's father is also a reporter—the boring kind (you know, print)—and he instructs her in the basics of journalism. Emma's big break arrives when a classmate finds a worm in his hamburger. Emma interviews witnesses and tries to uncover the truth of what happened before the health inspector fires one of the cafeteria staff. Her father patiently guides her through the steps, helping her record news segments in videos posted to the school's online bulletin board. Emma is confident, outgoing and tenacious. Her dual Dominican and American heritage is acknowledged, but culture is not a main plot point. Emma does occasionally speak Spanish, but it's usually to get something she wants from an adult, and she provides readers with an immediate translation, " ‘¿Por favor?' That means ‘please' in Spanish. Papi likes it when I speak Spanish." Emma's lively personality is evident in the cartoonish black-and-white illustrations. The predictable plot wraps up neatly, setting the stage for more in the series. Light on substance but an entertaining series debut nonetheless. (Fiction. 6-8)

Kirkus Review