Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 100 i The Week Junior

On 20 October, Syrian forces announced the “total liberation” of the city of Raqqa from the terrorist group that calls itself Islamic State (IS). With the support of the US, a group of Syrian fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) say they have taken full control of the city after three years of IS rule. What is Islamic State? IS is a terrorist group that formed in Iraq in 2003. It is also known as Isis, Isil and Daesh. The group follows an extreme form of Islam, and uses violence against those who do not agree with its ideas. IS wants to establish a caliphate, which is an Islamic society led by a political and religious leader called a caliph. The majority of Muslims around the world are…

A HAPPY MEMORY In 1988, eight-year-old Miranda Moss put a message in a bottle and threw it into the Atlantic. It washed up 29 years later and 90 miles away in Georgia, US, and was found by a couple who then contacted her. “It’s so awesome how something that small can take you back to your childhood,” she said. AN UNEXPECTED WINNER One marathon runner did better than expected when the motorcycle guiding competitors through Venice in Italy went the wrong way. The six race leaders followed the motorbike before realising their mistake. The error left Eyob Faniel with an advantage, and he became the first Italian to win the Venice Marathon in 22 years. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) DeepMind, a company that builds AI software, has revealed its latest creation:…

Politicians have warned that the popularity of gambling among young people is really serious. Gambling is highly addictive, and can ruin people’s lives. Because gamblers have to spend money to stand a chance of winning more, they can end up borrowing lots of money, either from friends or family, or from the bank, that they then can’t pay back. This is known as being in debt. Gambling can ruin relationships with loved ones, and has also been related to stress, anxiety and depression. People addicted to gambling are more likely to go to prison.…

What you need to know ● Most people hate boredom and there are plenty of distractions to keep it at bay; consoles, games, handheld devices and television, as well as music and films on demand, all mean that humans can fill every moment with entertainment. ● Being idle – hanging around, not doing anything – can be boring. Generally, people prefer an activity over twiddling their thumbs, and those who sit idle are often accused of laziness. ● Researchers have found that when people feel bored, their minds think more creatively – instead of just relaxing in front of a screen. Lauren Child, the Children’s Laureate and creator of Ruby Redfort, thinks that modern society doesn’t offer enough time or space for idleness. She believes the world is full of…

Josh Tall, zookeeper at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Parrots are the most skilled bird species at speaking and mimicking sounds and words. There are, however, other species of birds that can talk too, like mynah birds and larger corvids, such as crows and ravens. Researchers are still trying to find out how some birds can mimic sounds, but it’s thought to be because they have a different brain structure. Do you love animals? ZSL London Zoo’s Junior Zoo Academy is a great way to learn about creatures from all over the world. Find out more at zsl.org/experiences…

On 15 October 1997, British RAF pilot Andy Green set the current land-speed record by travelling 763.035mph in a car called Thrust SSC. To this day, this is the fastest that any car has ever travelled. Thrust SSC (which stands for supersonic car) was 16.5 metres long and weighed 10.5 tonnes. It had two jet engines strapped to either side, which propelled it to success. The supersonic car was capable of going from 0–600mph in about 16 seconds.…

An astonishing amount of litter is dumped into the Earth’s oceans every year. Now, the inventors of Seabin are hoping to help to clean up British waters. The V5 Seabin looks like a floating bucket, and it sucks litter from the waters of marinas, ports, yacht clubs and any other area of calm water. It cannot be used in open water, where boats and water currents might overwhelm it. Powered by a small waterpump, the Seabin can catch up to 1.5 kilograms of debris a day – that’s about 83,000 plastic bags a year. The pump sucks in the water, and a filter inside the bucket catches the rubbish. Clean, litter-free water then exits from the bottom of the bin. The filter bag can hold 12 kilograms of debris before…

The Week Junior’s 100th issue is the perfect time to reveal all about 100-mile ultra-marathon races. At these tough events athletes run for many hours, usually across terrain including countryside, fields, forests, hills and river paths. Competitors often run through the night with no sleep, and they have to carry equipment such as a blanket, torch, water, waterproofs and whistle. The Autumn 100 ultra-marathon began in Goring, south Oxfordshire, at 10am on 21 October. The route went through parts of Oxfordshire and Berkshire in England, and runners had a maximum of 28 hours to finish. During the event, athletes ran 1,170 metres uphill, and there were 16 aid stations, where they could have food and drink and go to the toilet. Hot food was available at only one aid station.…

Friendly vampire Amelia Fang lives in the quirky magical world of Nocturnia. It’s time for her parents’ annual Barbaric Ball – but Amelia would much rather hang out with her friends Florence the Yeti, Grimaldi the reaper-in-training, and her adorable pet pumpkin, Squashy. This year’s Barbaric Ball is going to be more exciting than usual – the rarely seen King of Nocturnia has agreed to attend, along with his son, Prince Tangine. Despite being a guest, the mean, spoiled prince kidnaps Squashy, so Amelia and her friends must escape the party and stage a rescue attempt. In doing so, they begin to realise that things in Nocturnia may not be all they seem... This surreal, funny adventure story is set in a weird and wacky world in which kittens and…

Blue Planet II 8pm on 29 October, BBC1 Dive into the unknown realms of our oceans as this new seven-part series explores our planet’s waters like never before. From creatures braving the frosty poles to dolphins surfing through the hot tropics, Earth is filled with life – but sadly climate change is threatening it. Harry Potter – A History of Magic 9pm on 18 October, BBC2 This documentary delves into a brand-new exhibition at London’s British Library, exploring the legends and real-life traditions of magic and how they inspired the creation of J.K. Rowling’s super-successful wizarding world. The Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need 6pm on 29 October, BBC1 Watch as TV presenters such as Matt Baker and Anita Rani head out on country walks around the UK to…

Name: Nancy Year: 3 Penguin Class at Kings Hill Primary School in Kent raised funds to help local boy Charlie Farragher go to the US for life-changing surgery that, if successful, will allow him to walk. “I loved helping Charlie when we raised cash by doing chores at home, and selling raspberries and treats at a concert that we arranged and performed to a paying audience. Charlie is now on his way to receiving treatment to help him walk,” said Nancy.…

This week, The Week Junior hits an important milestone – the magazine is 100 issues old! That means that since our first issue was published, the editorial team has created more than 3,000 pages. We’ve also gained tens of thousands of readers, written and designed two annuals and won five awards. That’s not bad for a magazine that’s not even two years old! On page 12 we look back at some of the stories that have made the front cover. Elsewhere in this issue, our Big debate focuses on the value of being bored. Although we aim to ensure that every issue of The Week Junior is absolutely packed with stuff to read, do, think and talk about, many people believe that it’s important to find…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Carman School: Osborn School, New York, US Mrs Carman is a great teacher with a story to tell. She finds new and original ways of teaching, and encourages us to make good choices and to be kind to others. She is thoughtful and caring, and can always see the brightest side of things. Mrs Carman has a big personality and is very bubbly. She can figure out problems in a flash, and when I go to secondary school it will be sad to say goodbye. Molly, Year 6 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…

As agirl growing up on an estate in Birmingham, Eniola Aluko used to join in football matches with her younger brother and his friends. She was a couple of years older than her brother, Sone, but she knew there was something different to their kickabouts. “I realised pretty quickly I was better at football than all of them,” she says. “The boys would all boast about having me as a friend.” Sone went on to become an international footballer – but Aluko beat him to it. She’s played for Birmingham, Charlton and Chelsea, not to mention her 102 appearances, and 33 goals, for England’s national side. Aluko – Eni to her friends – is from a Nigerian family, although she’s lived in the UK since she was six months old.…

You might think your only chance to see truly amazing creatures is on wildlife documentaries, such as the upcoming TV series Blue Planet II, but you’d be wrong. Across the UK there are many astonishing spectacles to experience, from watching sea eagles plunging their talons into the water to catch their prey, to seeing salmon launch themselves upriver. The Guardian newspaper recently published a list of 10 of the UK’s most stunning wildlife sights. One of the most impressive wildlife events on The Guardian’s list takes place in the sky. Through autumn and winter, as afternoons turn into evening, thousands of starlings swoop and dive in the skies to create huge swirling patterns. This impressive aerial display, known as a murmuration, can involve as many as 100,000 birds. Starlings do…

Syrian tigers A pair of tigers who were rescued earlier this year from an abandoned zoo in Aleppo, Syria, have arrived at their new home in Nijeberkoop, a village in the Netherlands. Sayeeda and Sultan are reported to be settling in well to their new surroundings at the Felida Big Cat Centre. Rivers A report from conservation group WWF has revealed that raw sewage (water containing debris, industrial waste, poo and pee) is flowing into rivers across England and Wales. They describe this as a “huge concern” for the health of both wildlife and humans.…

The first issue of The Week Junior was published on 21 November 2015. Since then, the magazine has helped readers make sense of the world by bringing important stories, entertaining features, fascinating facts and awesome pictures to you every Friday. Here are just some of the amazing stories that have made it onto the front cover. Britain votes for Brexit Brexit has been one of the hottest topics in the Home news section. On 23 June 2016, UK citizens voted on whether they wanted the country to remain part of the European Union (EU), or leave; 51.9% of voters chose to leave. This decision has paved the way for what is known as Brexit (a combination of the words Britain and exit). A week before the vote, The Week Junior…

Team GB cycling team Katie Archibald won two golds – and Elinor Barker and Ellie Dickinson won one each – at the European Track Championships in Germany. Australian women’s cricket team They beat England in the first one-day international Women’s Ashes competition in Brisbane, Australia. Lieke Martens and Cristiano Ronaldo Martens, from the Netherlands, and Portugal’s Ronaldo were named best female and male players at the 2017 Best Fifa Football Awards. Team GB taekwondo team Jade Jones, Bianca Walkden and Lauren Williams won gold medals at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix event in London.…

If you could be any book character, who would you be and why? I’d love to be Matilda. She’s clever, brilliant and can move objects with her eyes... What more could one want? What is the scariest thing you have ever done? I had to have a lumbar puncture – which is basically a needle put into my spine. It still makes me pull a funny face and feel a bit squeamish even now. In the end, I didn’t feel a thing because they numb your back, and it’s like magic! The week after, I had a big headache and the only way to stop it was to stay lying down – so I used that week to write a picture-book idea, I Don’t Want Curly Hair, which is now…

Toy Attack Android / iOS (Free) There are quite a few apps devoted to teaching you coding skills, but not many of them involve building cute robots to battle one another. That’s the idea behind Toy Attack, which puts your programming knowledge to the test. Your job isn’t to fight, but rather to construct your robots from a mixture of parts and weapons. There are plenty of bits to choose from, so you can tweak your robot to your heart’s content until it’s ready for battle. Well, nearly ready. Toy Attack also gets you to program your robot’s artificial intelligence, telling it what to do in certain situations. This is where the coding comes in; the game uses block-based programming commands to give your robot instructions. The actual battles take…

There have been lots of concerns about bullying and other unfriendly behaviour on social networks; a new app called tbh sets out to be more positive. The app – its name stands for “to be honest” – encourages people to give their friends compliments, while keeping them anonymous. More than five million people downloaded it in the first nine weeks after it launched. Facebook was so impressed with the idea, it has just bought the company that made tbh, and will be keeping the app running. So, how does it work? The app asks you nice questions about your friends such as “Who has the best smile?” You then secretly choose a friend. For now, tbh is only available in the US. Also, like other social networks, it’s only supposed…

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is an organisation that strives to make the UK a greener place, filled with hundreds of different species of plant. Each year, the RHS holds a photography competition to encourage people of all ages to venture outside and discover how inspiring gardens can be. The photos can feature anything related to plants, gardens or wildlife. The deadline for entries is 31 January 2018, and the winners will be announced next summer during an RHS Flower Show. Visit rhs.org.uk/Promotions/rhs-photo-competition for more.…

Follow The Week Junior on Popjam @TheWeekJunior You can download the free Popjam app from the App Store or GooglePlay. We asked our Popjammers if they are planning to go to the new Harry Potter exhibition at the British Library... “It sounds exciting” @profpuplex “Yes! I love all of the books” @yellow30 “Hopefully going to go in February” @PurpleTiger01 “That sounds sooo cool” @ApricotTennisOrchid Last week, our All about feature was on fossils. We asked you if you’d ever found a fossil... “I found one on the beach. When we sat down, there was one right next to us!” @sparklingdolphin139 “My family found one in the sea, but then we put it back in the sea” @chocolatedog999 “Yes, quite a few actually on the Jurassic Coast” @thespacebatman Tell us what…

Imagine sitting in a car that’s travelling faster than a commercial plane. That’s what a British team hopes to achieve with the car Bloodhound SSC. At 13.4 metres long and weighing more than seven tonnes, Bloodhound is designed to break the land-speed record in 2019 by travelling at 1,000mph. Earlier in October, the team behind Bloodhound announced that they had fired up its engines for the first time. Bloodhound will use jet engines and a rocket booster to help it smash the record. Together, the engines will need about 400 litres of jet fuel on each record attempt. The temperature inside the rocket itself when it is travelling at top speed will be 3,000° C – that’s twice as hot as the inside of a volcano. The hard work of…

Fern-tastic hat This model shows off a funky fern creation at Tokyo Fashion Week in Japan. Digging deep A cheeky chimp mines for gold at a zoo in Russia. Bizarre boat race Police officers race fire fighters at an annual pumpkin boat race in Oregon, US. Super strength This stag beetle can lift objects three times its size. Doggy drivers These pets are specially dressed up for the Tomkins Square Halloween Dog Parade in New York, US. Valley of flowers Marigold flowers are used as religious offerings at Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. Eyeball massage A gecko in Indonesia gives its eye a quick bath. Most geckos can’t blink because they don’t have eyelids. Foaming good fun Students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland take part in…

100 Things to Know About Space by Alex Frith, Jerome Martin and Alice James. Illustrated by Shaw Neilsen and Federico Mariani (Usborne) Learn how to escape a black hole, how we could grow food on Mars and why astronauts learn wilderness-survival skills, with this fun and informative guide. It’s packed with colourful infographics and comes complete with links, so you can find out lots more online. The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. Illustrated by Alex T Smith (Egmont UK) When evil Cruella de Vil kidnaps their puppies, brave Dalmatians Pongo and Missis set out to save them. Can they manage it, even with help from their friends? Perfect for dog lovers, this gorgeous version of a popular story has stylish and funny illustrations by top artist, Alex T…

Thor is one of the Avengers’ most ferocious warriors; a god turned superhero from outer space. He’s appeared in this form on the pages of Marvel Comics since 1962, when he was dreamt up by a team that included the legendary comic creator, Stan Lee. Lee’s inspiration for Thor has ancient origins. Instead of inventing a totally new superhero, Lee looked to the past, to Norse mythology. These myths are most famous for their association with the Vikings, the ferocious warriors who raided Britain’s shores from their homelands in northern Europe from the eighth century AD. According to Viking folklore, Thor was a great, red-bearded warrior. His name meant Thunder, and he fought valiantly against his enemies, wielding a giant hammer as his weapon. In legend, Thor lives in Asgard,…

The Addams Family (1991) DVD, Blu-ray, Amazon Prime Instant Video, iTunes The production of The Addams Family was a very troubled one. Barry Sonnenfeld, its director, was regularly sick on set and even fainted at one point. Leading actor Raul Julia missed days of filming when a blood vessel in his eye burst. Then, the company behind the movie nearly went broke and had to sell it to another company when the film was already deep in production. Luckily, the story had a happy ending: the deliciously spooky-themed comedy was a box-office hit, and would result in an excellent sequel: 1993’s Addams Family Values. DID YOU KNOW? The creepy and kooky family made their screen debut in 1964 on a hit US TV show also called The Addams…

Super Mario Odyssey Nintendo Switch from £41.99 Mario’s back for his first proper adventure on Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Odyssey is an “open-world ” adventure, which means you can go anywhere you like. There’s also a new setting: New Donk City, which combines New York in the US and the game Donkey Kong. The game itself looks fantastic; each world you explore has its own look and quirky characters to meet. One of the best features is Mario’s new ability to throw his hat at enemies and objects, then mind-control them. There’s a lot to explore in this new game.…

Have you ever had the urge to make things better in your local area? Are you aware of anything that you consider to be unfair? Have you noticed people in your community who need more support? Are there places in your area that are unsafe or in need of improvement? If you thought only grown-ups could do anything about these things, there are many children who could tell you otherwise. For 10 years, children from around the country have been improving their communities through the Go-Givers Make a Difference Challenge. The project begins in schools, with children discussing the issues that are important to them. After this there is a class vote to decide which issue is of greatest concern. Pupils then carry out research to find out more about…

Names: Phoebe and Kit Year: 9 “On 10 October, National Mental Health Day, Felsted School in Essex undertook a Digital Detox Day. It was interesting to see how pupils and teachers fared with this, as both are usually very dependent on their devices, both in and out of lessons. Our headmaster was keen to stop us becoming “absorbed in social media”. Therefore, the day was all about using “technology positively”. How did the teachers feel? We spoke to a number of teachers, and most commented positively. One teacher believed that it had forced them not to take the easier option and send an email, but to talk to others face-to-face. Consequently, the school was a far more sociable place. How did the students feel? They agreed that the day encouraged…

“I had a Viking Day at school last week, and I made my own shield for it. It was really fun.” Eliza, Year 4 “I was inspired by your hot chocolate recipe, and made my own. It was absolutely delectable!” Sylvie, Year 6 “Here’s a picture of me reading my copy of The Week Junior at Disney World in Orlando. I had an amazing time and just love Magic Kingdom and the princesses.” Hannah, Year 5…

Green oranges for sale You may think it’s a silly question, but do you know what colour oranges are? Orange, right? Wrong! Tesco is about to start selling ripe green oranges – and it insists that the satsumas and clementines will be just as sweet as the orange versions. In fact, in hot countries, ripe oranges are often green. It’s only when the temperature gets chilly that they change colour – a bit like leaves in autumn here in the UK. The weather in Spain, where they grew, has been warmer than usual, so the fruit stayed green. So, would you tuck into a non-orange orange? DID YOU KNOW? The word orange comes from the Arabic naranj and arrived in the English language as “narange” in…