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The Newspaper Club #2
The Newspaper Club: The Cubs Get the Scoop
Tag along with a rambunctious group of kid reporters as they fight for their right to run a newspaper in this exciting book from an award-winning author.
The Cub Report is up and running and getting great response in the sleepy town of Bear Creek, Maine. But when Gordon snaps a photo of an escaped prisoner who is caught in a pigpen, things quickly take a turn for Nellie and her staff. While Nellie fights off jealousy at all the national media attention Gordon is receiving (even from Ellen !) for his amazing shot, the other Cubs are breaking away as parents start questioning the safety (and validity) of a kid-run independent newspaper. But when Gordon's mom and a reporter from another town's newspaper try to shut down The Cub Report for good, Nellie, Gordon, and the club must set aside their issues to save their right to report the news.
Award-winning author Beth Vrabel tackles the topic of who should report the news while also focusing on themes of friendship, jealousy, and teamwork in the second book in The Newspaper Club series.
The Cub Report is up and running and getting great response in the sleepy town of Bear Creek, Maine. But when Gordon snaps a photo of an escaped prisoner who is caught in a pigpen, things quickly take a turn for Nellie and her staff. While Nellie fights off jealousy at all the national media attention Gordon is receiving (even from Ellen !) for his amazing shot, the other Cubs are breaking away as parents start questioning the safety (and validity) of a kid-run independent newspaper. But when Gordon's mom and a reporter from another town's newspaper try to shut down The Cub Report for good, Nellie, Gordon, and the club must set aside their issues to save their right to report the news.
Award-winning author Beth Vrabel tackles the topic of who should report the news while also focusing on themes of friendship, jealousy, and teamwork in the second book in The Newspaper Club series.
192 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2020
About the author
Beth Vrabel
18 books152 followersBeth Vrabel is the author of Cyblis-nominated Caleb and Kit, ILA award-winning A Blind Guide to Stinkville, JLG-selection A Blind Guide to Normal, and The Reckless Club and Pack of Dorks series. She can't clap to the beat nor be trusted near Nutella. Beth loves traveling around the country to meet with young readers and writers, sharing a message of grit, resiliency and heart.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 29, 2023
✰ 3.75 stars ✰
“Everybody has a story, and every story is important.”
Nellie Murrow wasn't quite an appealing character to me before, but Beth Vrabel certainly redeemed my opinion of her with The Cubs Get the Scoop, where the latest stories that are uncovered at Bear Creek, Maine teach her a little bit about humility, empathy, and family.
“This is what my life had come to: skipping ice cream and checking in with my mom. The price for quality journalism in a small town is high.”
Small sacrifices, indeed - for eleven-year-old student journalist, Nellie Murrow, anyway. Highly intelligent and socially awkward, Nellie is all about the story - she lives and breathes journalism - it's her safe haven, her comfort food, her deepest pleasure and her closest connection to following in her late father's footsteps. The newspaper club that she's started with her small group of friends is something that she holds so very dear and when other forces at large think that it isn't safe or right for the cubs being the ones to get the scoop first, it's up to her to fight back against those who want to put their club out of print. 🗞️
Nellie really grew on me this time around - she was faced with a lot of difficult challenges and she tackled them both with a lot of grace and consideration, but with enough attitude that was relatable to a child of her age. From overcoming her jealousy over not being the first on the scene of a high-stake story, to learning empathy about what personal stories deserve to be shared with the public and what shouldn't, from slowly accepting that it's okay to have friends and interact on a social basis without it interfering with her work, and also understanding that journalism is a part of her - it doesn't completely define who she is. ☺️
“It’s odd, isn’t it, how when a person is feeling sad her brain will do everything it can to dredge up all the other times she’s felt that way.”
Nellie is a very engaging narrator - she's always on the go - always looking for the next story - always aiming to get the story out there. 'We can’t take a break,” I said. “The news doesn’t stop!” But, she's also very forward - very direct - very dismissive of others feelings and thoughts and opinions. The beauty of this sequel is that she finally sees the error of her behavior - she learns to adapt and adjust and accept that change can be good - that she doesn't have to be at the center of the story - and she can still stay true to what matters to her - getting the story out there. I was really impressed at how there are three major storylines that are taking place, but the author seamlessly brings them altogether. 👌🏻
Her father is also a big influence in her life; being the successful editor that he was, he taught her everything she knew. The memories of all that he was in the office to the day he died still resonate deeply in Nellie. And what I really appreciated was how the latest events that unfolded gave her closure to grieving his loss - feeling his presence, but not missing or forgetting his memory. 'Parents aren’t supposed to leave. So, when they do, there isn’t a right way to feel. Which means there isn’t a wrong way, either. However you feel, however long you feel it, is okay.' 🥺 It's his words of guidance that she still carries with her that help her make the necessary decisions now. Whether it's dealing with a client with understanding, or treating a friend with kindness, there is a great level of maturity that impressed me and certainly left a lasting impression on her. ❤️🩹
“It’s like an interrupted story. “Like what you said would happen when the Gazette closed, the reason we needed to write our own newspaper, so the stories wouldn’t stop.”
It's a very insightful look at how to behave as a journalist, which I think, younger readers aspiring to be reporters will deeply appreciate. At times when Nellie fumbles or is at an awkward position, I liked how little pieces of advice and helpful writing tips are offered that aren't simply stated as facts, but a part of the narrative. 'Empty. My pocket was empty. A reporter without a notebook or a pen? Gah! It was worse than missing a scoop!' 😆 One of the central themes was about how important it is to have an independent club run by kids out of school. As it is a Middle Grade read, I appreciated that it wasn't about parents wanting to shut down their kids potential or interest in journalism - it was more about the concern of their safety and ensuring that they are aware of their whereabouts at all times. It's more about the protocol of it, that I thought was addressed convincingly so - and with a touch of humor that made it all the while more enjoyable. 📰 Why?
Because I am a sucker for subtle humor - witty, wry remarks that don't require you to outlandishly laugh out loud are my weakness and this had plenty of them that made me chuckle. Whether it's Nellie's thoughts of jealousy that you know she's in the wrong, but enjoy them anyway, to the smarmy way in which they retort to professional journalists jealous of the cubs' success - as a reader, you were moving along with the beat of the story. There was never a lull in Nellie's actions - there is a beautiful connection of friendship and loyalty and laughs and learning to be better that just really made me glad that I returned to their world. 👍🏻 All the supporting cast of kids' energy was so very palpable and engaging - they were unique and each brought a little something to Nellie's life to make her more receptive about those around her. Min, especially, was a delight, as always; with her dry voice of reason, she is truly the best friend Nellie doesn't want to have, but needs to have. 🥰 🫂
“Stories don’t go away, not if you’re brave enough to share them.”
All in all, a promising and rewarding continuation of Nellie and the cubs. It was another refreshing and engaging perspective on journalism, while still offering plentiful of tender and humorous tones to the story to keep the pace going. And oh, I really enjoyed the illustrations that were included at the start of each chapter; really brought a nice touch to the entire story. 🤍🤍
“Everybody has a story, and every story is important.”
Nellie Murrow wasn't quite an appealing character to me before, but Beth Vrabel certainly redeemed my opinion of her with The Cubs Get the Scoop, where the latest stories that are uncovered at Bear Creek, Maine teach her a little bit about humility, empathy, and family.
“This is what my life had come to: skipping ice cream and checking in with my mom. The price for quality journalism in a small town is high.”
Small sacrifices, indeed - for eleven-year-old student journalist, Nellie Murrow, anyway. Highly intelligent and socially awkward, Nellie is all about the story - she lives and breathes journalism - it's her safe haven, her comfort food, her deepest pleasure and her closest connection to following in her late father's footsteps. The newspaper club that she's started with her small group of friends is something that she holds so very dear and when other forces at large think that it isn't safe or right for the cubs being the ones to get the scoop first, it's up to her to fight back against those who want to put their club out of print. 🗞️
Nellie really grew on me this time around - she was faced with a lot of difficult challenges and she tackled them both with a lot of grace and consideration, but with enough attitude that was relatable to a child of her age. From overcoming her jealousy over not being the first on the scene of a high-stake story, to learning empathy about what personal stories deserve to be shared with the public and what shouldn't, from slowly accepting that it's okay to have friends and interact on a social basis without it interfering with her work, and also understanding that journalism is a part of her - it doesn't completely define who she is. ☺️
“It’s odd, isn’t it, how when a person is feeling sad her brain will do everything it can to dredge up all the other times she’s felt that way.”
Nellie is a very engaging narrator - she's always on the go - always looking for the next story - always aiming to get the story out there. 'We can’t take a break,” I said. “The news doesn’t stop!” But, she's also very forward - very direct - very dismissive of others feelings and thoughts and opinions. The beauty of this sequel is that she finally sees the error of her behavior - she learns to adapt and adjust and accept that change can be good - that she doesn't have to be at the center of the story - and she can still stay true to what matters to her - getting the story out there. I was really impressed at how there are three major storylines that are taking place, but the author seamlessly brings them altogether. 👌🏻
Her father is also a big influence in her life; being the successful editor that he was, he taught her everything she knew. The memories of all that he was in the office to the day he died still resonate deeply in Nellie. And what I really appreciated was how the latest events that unfolded gave her closure to grieving his loss - feeling his presence, but not missing or forgetting his memory. 'Parents aren’t supposed to leave. So, when they do, there isn’t a right way to feel. Which means there isn’t a wrong way, either. However you feel, however long you feel it, is okay.' 🥺 It's his words of guidance that she still carries with her that help her make the necessary decisions now. Whether it's dealing with a client with understanding, or treating a friend with kindness, there is a great level of maturity that impressed me and certainly left a lasting impression on her. ❤️🩹
“It’s like an interrupted story. “Like what you said would happen when the Gazette closed, the reason we needed to write our own newspaper, so the stories wouldn’t stop.”
It's a very insightful look at how to behave as a journalist, which I think, younger readers aspiring to be reporters will deeply appreciate. At times when Nellie fumbles or is at an awkward position, I liked how little pieces of advice and helpful writing tips are offered that aren't simply stated as facts, but a part of the narrative. 'Empty. My pocket was empty. A reporter without a notebook or a pen? Gah! It was worse than missing a scoop!' 😆 One of the central themes was about how important it is to have an independent club run by kids out of school. As it is a Middle Grade read, I appreciated that it wasn't about parents wanting to shut down their kids potential or interest in journalism - it was more about the concern of their safety and ensuring that they are aware of their whereabouts at all times. It's more about the protocol of it, that I thought was addressed convincingly so - and with a touch of humor that made it all the while more enjoyable. 📰 Why?
Because I am a sucker for subtle humor - witty, wry remarks that don't require you to outlandishly laugh out loud are my weakness and this had plenty of them that made me chuckle. Whether it's Nellie's thoughts of jealousy that you know she's in the wrong, but enjoy them anyway, to the smarmy way in which they retort to professional journalists jealous of the cubs' success - as a reader, you were moving along with the beat of the story. There was never a lull in Nellie's actions - there is a beautiful connection of friendship and loyalty and laughs and learning to be better that just really made me glad that I returned to their world. 👍🏻 All the supporting cast of kids' energy was so very palpable and engaging - they were unique and each brought a little something to Nellie's life to make her more receptive about those around her. Min, especially, was a delight, as always; with her dry voice of reason, she is truly the best friend Nellie doesn't want to have, but needs to have. 🥰 🫂
“Stories don’t go away, not if you’re brave enough to share them.”
All in all, a promising and rewarding continuation of Nellie and the cubs. It was another refreshing and engaging perspective on journalism, while still offering plentiful of tender and humorous tones to the story to keep the pace going. And oh, I really enjoyed the illustrations that were included at the start of each chapter; really brought a nice touch to the entire story. 🤍🤍
May 7, 2022
Student journalist, Nellie Murrow, named after famed American journalist, Nellie Bly (and a shout out to Edward Murrow, a prominent American broadcast journalist) and her cub-reporter friends continue to develop their independent community newspaper by solving another mystery.
Complete with newspaper jargon and a glossary, The Cubs Get the Scoop is another compelling journey into the world of student journalism.
Complete with newspaper jargon and a glossary, The Cubs Get the Scoop is another compelling journey into the world of student journalism.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews