Innholdsfortegnelse for 357 i The Week Junior

Protests against the Iranian government have continued to spread throughout Iran for a fourth week following the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini. People have also protested in cities around the world to show support for Iranian women. What happened to Mahsa Amini? On 13 September, Amini was arrested by police in Tehran, the capital of Iran, while visiting her family. Officials said she had part of her hair showing – which is against the law in Iran. Women have to cover their hair with a hijab (headscarf) and wear loose-fitting clothing that covers their arms and legs. Amini died three days later, and many people say she died because of her treatment by the police. What has happened during protests in Iran? The protests began on 16 September,…

AN ENORMOUS PUMPKIN In New York, US, a retired farmer has grown a pumpkin so enormous that it weighs as much as a horse. Weighing around 1,160 kilograms, Scott Andrusz’s squash has broken the record for the heaviest pumpkin the US. PIP THE POOCH After getting separated from his owner, a dog called Pip walked 4.6 miles through Bristol to get home. Libby Bowles, the dog’s owner, described feeling sick when Pip went missing. Now Bowles plans to write a book about Pip’s adventure in Bristol. Pip is a therapy dog and helps children in a primary school to read, as part of the Read2Dogs scheme. SCOOPING A PORRIDGE PRIZE A woman who runs a community café has been crowned the best porridge maker in the world for the second…

Lake Texcoco, Mexico Farmers try to save traditional food Mexican farmers are trying to keep a traditional dish alive. “Ahuautle” is made from of eggs taken from an axayacatl, a type of water fly. People have been eating the dish for hundreds of years. However, it is under threat because Lake Texcoco, where the flies live, is starting to dry up. Also, many young people don’t want to eat insect eggs. Peru Bird poo used as fertiliser The invasion of Ukraine has led to worldwide shortages of fertiliser, which is used to help grow crops. In Peru, farmers have returned to an old-fashioned method: using poo (called guano) from seabirds as a fertiliser instead. Farmer Segundo Cruz told The Guardian newspaper, “The guano is good fertiliser and the price is…

A nine-year-old boy has won an award for cleaning up litter from a beach near his home town of Hemsby, England. Theo’s hard work was recognised after his mum set up a Facebook page and his story was shared on BBC Norfolk’s news pages. Theo won a top prize in the BBC Bitesize Regenerators competition, which celebrates young people who care for the environment. Theo decided to take action when he realised how rubbish on the beach can put sea creatures in danger. “I’ve learnt how the rubbish we throw away hurts the animals,” said Theo. “It feels really good helping animals.”…

In October, trees are showing off their autumn leaves and the field maple is one of the most colourful. The UK’s only native maple tree is found on chalk lowland (flat land with few hills), in hedgerows and in woods. It is popular in gardens and parks too, partly because it can cope with pollution. The field maple can grow to 20 metres high and live for 350 years. It has small, dark green, shiny leaves with five lobes (parts). In autumn, field maple leaves turn bright gold, and sometimes red or purple. The tree supports aphids, birds, hoverflies, ladybirds and moths, and small mammals eat its fruit. In parts of Europe, it was once thought that hanging maple branches around doors stopped bats from flying in.…

Have you ever seen someone else scratch an itch and suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to do the same? Scientists from Washington University in the US have found that contagious itching (where an itch spreads between individuals) in mice could be a behaviour that evolved in order to protect them. Scientists had already studied how mice behave when it comes to itching. In 2017, it was discovered that an area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) responds when they see other mice scratching. The latest study uncovered a brain pathway in mice that does the same. The interesting thing the team found was that the pathway does not include the bit of the brain that processes what the mouse sees. The scientists proved this by stopping that part…

Max Verstappen Dutch racer Verstappen won his second Formula One world championship after victory in the Japanese Grand Prix. England women’s football team England beat world champions USA 2-1 in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium in London. More than 76,000 fans were there. Tom Ingram Racing driver Ingram won the British Touring Car Championship for the first time. He finished 12 points ahead of Ash Sutton. Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee They won the women’s and men’s titles at the World Triathlon Championship. Triathletes have to swim, then cycle, then run.…

Nothing says Halloween like old buildings, many of which have a history of dark deeds and shady characters. English Heritage, an organisation that looks after lots of fascinating old buildings in England, is holding a series of Halloween events at its sites this half-term. There will be fun Beano-themed events running between 22 and 30 October. You can follow Dennis, Gnasher and friends around the grounds of more than 20 English Heritage sites, solving curious clues along the way. And, as the evenings grow darker this autumn, ghost-hunting storytellers will also be leading walks through the shadows of English Heritage’s creepy castles, ancient houses and ghostly gardens. Take a spooky woodland walk through the grounds of Belsay Hall in Northumberland, where guides will give you warm toasted marshmallows as you…

Pages & Co: The Treehouse Library by Anna James. Illustrated by Marco Guadalupi (HarperCollins Children’s) In the fifth book in this magical series, Milo and new friend Alessia journey to a mysterious treehouse, go foraging in the Secret Garden, meet Robin Hood and confront the mighty Jabberwock. A lovely imaginative adventure, this is a treat for any book lover. Adventures on Trains: The Arctic Railway Assassin by M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman (Macmillan Children’s) Young detective Harrison Beck and his Uncle Nat are aboard a night train that is taking them to the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights. As they depart from Stockholm, though, they realise they’re being followed by a sinister figure. This is the sixth thrilling adventure in an award-winning mystery series. Festergrimm by Thomas Taylor.…

Name: Mia A Life Story: Queen Elizabeth II by Sally Morgan “Informative, funny, interesting. It is filled with fun-facts about Queen Elizabeth’s life and the monarchy.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Tell us what you liked about the book and why you’d recommend it to others, and don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Now that autumn is here, you’ll notice the days getting shorter and the nights getting longer. On 30 October, the clocks will go back one hour, which means it will get dark an hour earlier in the evenings. This could affect things like travelling home from school, going to the shops or walking your dog. According to research, young people are more likely to have accidents near roads on the way to and from school during the winter months than at any other time, so it’s really important to stay safe and be seen while you’re out and about. 1 Be seen Most winter coats are dark colours and can be hard to spot in low light, so why not add some reflective gear? Reflective vests, sashes and wristbands are…

Readers will know that last week I was getting very excited about Cheltenham Literature Festival – and I can report that it lived up to all the anticipation! We met lots of friends of The Week Junior (including one possibly familiar face below) and we’d like to thank our brilliant audiences. Good luck to Stevie and Michael, Dan and Anna, who are all giving talks this weekend too. Our show was about fake news and the importance of making sure the stories you read come from a reliable source. Two of our main stories this week are from countries where it is difficult to confirm reports: in Iran, because the authorities don’t want information about the protests getting out, and Ukraine, because of the fighting. However, news from these countries…

If you love science and enjoy a mystery, check out the Mysteries of Science podcast from the team behind The Week Junior Science+Nature. In each episode, the team investigates something unexplained, with the help of some expert guests and YOU, the listeners. Just click on the QR code below to listen to the latest episode. If you’d like to ask the team a question or tell them which mystery you’d like to hear about next, go to tinyurl.com/SN-podcast and scroll down until you see the big red button. You might even be on the show! SCAN ME GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto…

Follow The Week Junior on PopJam @TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. Last week we asked you if factory farming should be banned. “I think it is a nice idea but it’s unrealistic.” “Yes, I definitely don’t think factory farming is ok because it’s not fair to the animals. Would you like being kept in captivity and forced to be still for your whole life?” “I think personally it should be banned due to the amount of cow waste (burps and farts).” “Yes!” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

1 The Kerch Strait Bridge in Ukraine led to which region? □ a) Odessa □ b) Crimea □ c) Donetsk 2 True or false? Chile and Brazil have laws giving rights to non-humans. □ True □ False 3 What are people in Peru using as fertiliser? 4 Approximately how many households in the UK live off-grid? □ a) 400 □ b) 400,000 □ c) 400 million 5 True or false? Florence Nakaggwa is Uganda’s first female professional cyclist. □ True □ False 6 Which country has announced a plan to save 110 species? 7 Which animals can smell when we are stressed? □ a) Cats □ b) Dogs □ c) Mice 8 True or false? It is estimated that people scratch an itch 97 times a day. □ True □…

The Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Liverpool next year. The English city beat 19 UK cities to stage the event on 13 May on behalf of Ukraine, who won this year’s contest. The winning country usually hosts the following year’s event, but Ukraine can’t do it because of the Russian invasion. The UK finished second this year. Joanne Anderson, the mayor of Liverpool, said, “Ukraine – you have my promise, we will do you proud.”…

Recently, the cost of household energy (electricity and gas) in many parts of the world has gone up. Charities and campaigners say that millions of people in the UK will not be able to afford enough energy this winter. One way that people could save energy and money is by living off-grid. This means disconnecting your energy supply from the National Grid and using other types of energy sources, for example, solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity, or a ground-source heat pump, which transfers heat from the ground outside to heat up radiators or water for the shower. It sounds like a good way to save money and energy but some people argue that it’s not a very practical way to live. What do you think? Should more people…

When Florence Nakaggwa was growing up in her home village of Kalagala in Uganda, she was told to “leave cycling for boys or you will turn into a man”. Now she’s Uganda’s first female professional cyclist. With the support of Team Amani, an organisation that gives people in east Africa the chance to start cycling, Florence is competing in – and winning – races. “I tell the girls where I started from – I tell them not to sit on their talents,” says Nakaggwa. “You just need to believe that all dreams can come true with hard work.”…

BEN THORNE, ZSL LONDON ZOO Animals have lots of different numbers of legs, and having lots of legs has many benefits. Spiders having eight is just what works really well for them. It means they’ve always got a spare leg or two to hang onto something like a branch or their web, and it helps them to sense the world around them because those legs are all covered in special hairs that detect vibrations – just like Spider Man’s “Spidey-senses”. Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership…

How does it feel when you own up to something? Taking responsibility for your actions not only feels good, it teaches you to trust yourself and strengthens friendships. What does being accountable mean? It can be easy to blame others or make excuses for mistakes, but being accountable means accepting that you are responsible for what you say and do. Imagine arranging to meet a friend and then turning up late. You could say the bus was late, but being accountable means apologising and accepting that it was your responsibility to get there on time. However, being accountable doesn’t mean taking the blame for things you can’t change, such as what other people do or say. You’re only accountable for things that you can control. How is being accountable good…

by Lenny Henry. Illustrated by Keenon Ferrell (Macmillan Children’s Books) Bran and Fran live in a small Midlands town and their mum is the storyteller at a local bookshop. Bran is deaf and he and Fran use sign language to talk to each other. They love the silly jokes their dad used to tell, family camping trips and, of course, mum’s magical stories. When mum mysteriously disappears, Bran and Fran realise that her stories are real and can act as a portal into another world! The two of them set out on an adventure that is as epic as any legend. With the help of Wilma the Wizard’s wife and Zack, a wisecracking Zebracorn, they must navigate evil princes, Viking armies and mud monsters to rescue mum. This exciting and…

Restart a Heart Day is on 16 October. It’s a campaign each year that aims to educate people on what to do if a person has a cardiac arrest. A cardiac arrest is when someone’s heart stops beating. Heart Day is about teaching people the basics of how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a person whose heart has stopped. A cardiac arrest happens when a person’s heart suddenly stops pumping blood around their body. They stop breathing and go unconscious – which means they are not awake and aware of what is happening. If this happens to someone, it’s important to stay calm and act fast. Telephone 999 first and ask for an ambulance or advice before you try starting CPR CPR involves pressing down firmly on a person’s…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. Across 1 Board-game cubes (4) 3 Early manual calculator (6) 8 Jewellery for a pierced lobe (7) 9 Rainbow shape (3) 10 Coin worth half a pound (5,5) 13 Article of dining-room linen (10) 17 Gran (3) 18 Part of the visual organ (7) 19 Squidgy item for the bath (6) 20 Item of luggage (4) Down 1 Doe or stag (4) 2 Queen’s favourite dog (5) 4 Shopping carrier (3) 5 Joined links of metal (5) 6 Hole in a wall for a plug (6) 7 Largest foot digit (3,3) 11 Cause of hay fever (6) 12 Small rocks or pebbles (6) 14 Game played by ticking off numbers on a card (5) 15 Jewelled headband (5)…

“For a couple of months before going on holiday to Denmark I cut out the TWJ puzzle pages (and answers!) to do on the beach because I have loads of time on holiday to relax.”Nula “Me and my sister love to read TWJ with our after-school snack.”Zack “This summer we went to India to visit my mum’s parents. My dadu (grandad) has dementia. I used to play football with him, but now he can’t move without help, or recognise me. To celebrate his 79th birthday I ran 79 kilometres (49 miles) for Dementia UK. Find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-Nikhil”.Nikhil…

Hughie Higginson and Freddie Xavi are best friends from Lancashire, England. They love running, gaming and Burnley Football Club. When Hughie found out he had cancer (a disease where the cells of the body behave in an odd way) at age nine, it meant spending months in Manchester Children’s Hospital. Determined to help his best buddy, Freddie decided to take on a challenge. “I just wanted to help him out and take his mind off the treatment,” he told ITV. Freddie ran 100 kilometres (62 miles) in 50 days, raising thousands of pounds for Manchester Children’s Hospital. On his final run, Hughie joined in and they crossed the finish line together. “It was good to know Freddie was by my side,” said Hughie. The boys’ efforts won a Pride of…

The government of Australia has announced a plan to protect 110 species of animals and plants from becoming extinct, as well as protecting large areas of land. Australia is home to more than 1,900 species that are in danger of dying out – that’s one of the worst rates among rich countries. The “State of the Environment” report published in July also showed that Australia has lost more types of mammal than any other continent. The recently elected Australian government’s new plan promises to change this. It has picked out 110 “priority species” to protect from extinction. This includes 22 birds, 21 mammals, 11 reptiles and 30 types of plant, as well as frogs, fish and invertebrates (animals without a spine). Species on the list include many parrots and marsupials…

We know that spending time with dogs can help you feel better, but now scientists have discovered that our furry friends are more in touch with human emotions than we realised. Thanks to a series of experiments, researchers found that dogs can smell when people are stressed. The study took place at Queen’s University in Belfast. Four owners volunteered their dogs to take part – Treo, Fingal, Soot and Winnie – and 36 humans volunteered too. The people were asked to do a difficult maths test and if they became stressed (this was measured by checking their blood pressure) then samples of their sweat and breath were taken. First, the dogs were trained to pick out a stressed person’s sample. Then they were given three samples to sniff – one…

This June, The Week Junior set readers a Summer of Reading challenge. The mission was simple: select three books to read, review and give a star rating. With the help of the Book Trust, we built a list of 50 brilliant, boredom-busting books to supercharge readers’ imaginations, transporting them through new adventures, worlds and experiences. In total, we received 403 amazing entries from all over the UK. After sifting through all the entries (we do read them all!) and crunching the data, it’s finally time to reveal our readers’ favourite three summer books. In first place came the fantasy fairytale School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani. In second spot was super striker Marcus Rashford’s You Are a Champion, followed in third place by the hilarious Time Travelling With…

New research has revealed that, when it comes to fashion, most young people think being sustainable (not having a negative impact on the environment) is more important than looking cool. With this in mind, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), who created the survey, designed a sustainable backpack. The IET asked a group of people aged five to 13 to predict what clothes they would be wearing in the future. Most of them said they hoped to see more environmentally friendly fashion. Many backpacks are made from man-made materials, such as plastic, that can take hundreds of years to break down once they are thrown away, and can cause pollution. The IET worked with the fashion brand Hype and a company called Biophilica, which makes a leather-like material from…

The women’s Rugby World Cup began on 8 October in New Zealand. It is the biggest competition in women’s rugby union, with the 12 best teams from around the world competing in the five-week event. The 12 teams are placed in three groups of four. All the teams in a group play each other. The top two teams in each group reach the quarterfinal stage, along with the best two third-placed teams. Then, it will be a knockout competition through to the final on 12 November. The opening day kicked off with three games at Eden Park in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. France beat South Africa 40-5, followed by England defeating Fiji by an impressive score of 84-19. The first day finished with New Zealand beating rivals…

Many Lego games have been exciting action-adventures. They are often based on famous films, books and characters, such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel’s Avengers. Others have been problem-solving puzzle games, such as Lego Builder’s Journey and now the latest game, which is called Lego Bricktales. Bricktales for Xbox, PlayStation and Switch consoles, as well as PCs, came out on 12 October. The game will put your brick-building skills to the test. The story is set at a Lego theme park run by your grandad. The park and its rides are pretty old and need urgent repairs. Your mission is to fix the rides and build new ones with the help of a brilliant robot assistant – and an awful lot of Lego bricks. The game allows you to…

What inspired you to write The Book of Legends? Bran and Fran look like me when I was younger, and hero Bran is deaf – they sign and interpret throughout the book. I want young people of all backgrounds to see themselves reflected in stories about adventures to magical kingdoms. What other children’s books have you written? My first book, The Boy with Wings, came out last year. It is about an ordinary kid called Tunde, but his life turns upside down when, in the middle of a football match, he suddenly sprouts enormous wings. What made you a reader? As a kid, my Aunty Pearl would take me to Dudley Library. I loved going there! I read everything from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to The Hobbit.…

How can I learn? It’s important to get trained by a professional. Mini First Aid offers courses for children as young as age three across the UK. With the help of an adult, check out its site minifirstaid.co.uk or you could ask a teacher if you could have training at your school. They’ll find lots of resources for schools at the British Heart Foundation site, bhf.org.uk What is a defibrillator? CPR training may also involve how to find and use a defibrillator. A defibrillator is a hand-held medical device that sends an electrical pulse to the heart. There are an estimated 100,000 defibrillators in the UK. Look out for them in schools, sports centres and in telephone boxes.…

Mr Doodle decorates his home Imagine buying a mansion and then drawing all over the walls. Artist Sam Cox – known as Mr Doodle – has decorated his six-bedroom house in Kent, England, with black, cartoon-like drawings. Cox bought the house in 2020 after selling his art, then spent up to 12 hours a day doodling away. He doodled on the bath, the bed and even the toilet. The talented artist says that completing the house is “just the beginning of my childhood dream to doodle the planet”. Dozing dog is a dream winner A cockapoo called Ringo has been crowned the UK’s sleepiest dog. Dog owners were asked to send photos of their snoozing four-legged friends for the chance to win a year’s supply of dog food. Ringo beat…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Millman School: Haberdashers’ Aske’s School For Girls, Hertfordshire “Mrs Millman is a fun, enthusiastic, positive teacher. Mrs Millman has welcomed me to my new school and made me feel like I’ve been here forever.“Saanvi If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send your school three free issues of The Week Junior. Send your nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…