Hilde Lysiak is the 11-year-old publisher of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania's newspaper, the IOrange Street News/I. The paper has 700+ paid subscribers and is read by thousands more online. Hilde's journalism efforts have been profiled by theINew York Times/I,IColumbia Journalism Review/I, NBCIToday/I, and hundreds of other newspapers and television stations around the world. Hilde is cowriting the Scholastic Branches series Hilde Cracks the Case with her dad, Matthew Lysiak. Matthew Lysiak is a nationally recognized journalist and author. He has reported for the INew York Daily News/I,INewsweek/I, theINew York Sun/I,IAM New York/I, and theIGuardian/I. He has also appeared as a contributor onIThe Today Show/I, MSNBC, and countless other media outlets to discuss his work. He coauthored the young adult memoir of teen scientist Jack Andraka,IBreakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World/I, and was the author ofINewtown: An American Tragedy/I.

Matthew is cowriting the Branches early chapter book series Hilde Cracks the Case with his daughter, Hilde Kate Lysiak. Joanne Lew-Vriethoff is the acclaimed illustrator of many picture books, including IBeautiful/Iby Stacy McAnulty, named amongISchool Library Journal/I's 2016 Books with a Message. She is a Mom's Choice Gold Award medal winner whose illustrations can be found inIThe Dancing Pancake/Iby Eileen Spinelli andIPeace, Baby!/I by Linda Ashman. Joanne also is the illustrator of the Hilde Cracks the Case series by Hilde Lysiak. She lives in Amsterdam with her husband and two children.