Innholdsfortegnelse for 218 i The Week Junior

In a surprise result, a political party called Sinn Féin has claimed victory in the Irish general election, which was held on 8 February. It became the first political party in nearly 100 years to win more votes than the country’s two traditional main parties, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. Why was an election held? People in Ireland were voting to elect 159 Teachtaí Dála (TDs), who are the Irish equivalent of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the UK. TDs represent a local area known as a constituency. Ireland has 39 constituencies, each of which has between three and five TDs representing it. In the last election, held in 2016, Fine Gael won the most votes and its leader, Leo Varadkar, became the country’s taoiseach (prime minister, pronounced tee-shock). The…

A RECORD-BREAKING ASTRONAUT On 6 February, NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), where she had spent a record-breaking 328 days. It is the longest ever space flight for a woman. While on the ISS, Koch completed 5,248 orbits of the Earth. A PRO FOOTBALLER Ngangom Bala Devi has become India’s first professional female footballer after signing a contract with the Scottish club Rangers FC. She has represented India internationally since the age of 15 and became the top goal-scorer for the national women’s team. Bala Devi hopes her achievement will encourage more Indian girls to play football. AN INCREDIBLE FIND This tiny blue-and-white glass game piece has been found on the island of Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland. It is thought the…

The UK Government is set to give the go-ahead for the HS2 railway line to be built. HS2 is a new high-speed train link that will run between London and the West Midlands and then up to Manchester and Leeds. The Government hadn’t decided whether the project should go ahead because the price had risen dramatically. It is thought it will now cost more than £100 billion, which is more than double the amount estimated in 2015. There are concerns that the project will damage countryside and wildlife.…

How do you treat your books? Do you use a bookmark to avoid folding a page, do you try to prevent the spine from creasing or store your collection neatly on a shelf? Or perhaps you pay less attention to their condition – you’re happy to highlight quotes and paragraphs or scribble notes down the margins of a page. You take your stories with you wherever you go, even if that means they get a bit dog-eared and damaged. Some readers, like author Alex Christofi, take this one step further. He damages his books on purpose to make them easier to carry around. When he tweeted about it, lots of people had different opinions about the way books should be looked after. What’s your view – do you think they…

Jess Thom is a part-time superhero. The comedian has an alter ego (alternative personality) called Touretteshero, who helps to raise awareness of Tourette’s syndrome. This is a condition that causes a person to make sounds and movements that are out of their control, which are called tics. Thom was diagnosed with it in her 20s. Quotes from Thom’s interview with The Week Junior include some of these tics. This means some words will look out of place, but this accurately reflects how Thom speaks, and helps people understand more about Tourette’s syndrome. The performer said, “Some of the most common noises I have are biscuit, saying biscuit over and over again, biscuit, and hedgehog and cats.” Thom also uses a wheelchair because she sometimes has tics in her legs. Thom…

Ratty the hedgehog A once-bald hedgehog has returned to the wild after regrowing his prickles. The hog, nicknamed Ratty, was found in Perth and Kinross on 10 November with an infection. His fur and spines have now grown back and his weight has doubled, which means he is healthy enough to be set free. Fireflies Populations of several firefly species are rapidly decreasing, suggesting that the insects could be at risk of extinction. Only a few out of more than 2,000 species of firefly can be easily researched, but a new study shows that each of them is suffering from habitat loss and other issues.…

After 16 years studying the wonders of our universe, the Spitzer Space Telescope has finished its final mission. The telescope was launched in 2003 by the US space agency NASA to look at the universe through infrared rays, a type of light that is invisible to the human eye. Infrared is given off by hot or warm objects and can be detected with special cameras that show how hot or cold something is. Spitzer’s ability to see objects that do not glow in visible light has allowed it to make discoveries, including identifying a previously unknown ring around the planet Saturn and locating seven Earth-like planets outside our solar system. Scientists also used Spitzer to study asteroids, comets and newborn and dying stars, as well as how galaxies change over…

Sticking your nose in Two shepherd brothers in Van, Turkey, host a strange visitor. Feeding time Three walruses are fed at a zoo in Hamburg, Germany. Hanging about A performer rehearses a new show in London. A right royal event A 62-gun salute in London marks the anniversary of Elizabeth II being pronounced queen. Llama drama A competitor heads for success in a llama race at Llanganates National Park, Ecuador. En garde! Three would-be knights practising at the Tower of London.…

The Polka Dot Shop by Laurel Remington (Chicken House) Andy wants to dress like everyone else, but that isn’t easy when she only has weird clothes from her mum’s run-down vintage shop. Then Andy discovers a bag full of gorgeous designer clothes and everything changes. Soon she is on a mission to transform her mum’s shop into something really special. The Nowhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie (Floris Books) In this award-winning story, Daniel is recruited as an apprentice to Mr Silver, owner of the mysterious Nowhere Emporium – “a shop from nowhere”. Unfortunately, just as Daniel is beginning to learn some of the emporium’s magical secrets, Mr Silver disappears. Now the shop is under threat, and it’s up to Daniel to save it. The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodfine (Egmont…

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was a Dutch painter who is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. Although he only painted for 10 years of his life, and died at the age of 37, Van Gogh produced around 900 paintings and 1,100 sketches. He sold very few paintings during his lifetime, but his work became extremely popular after his death. Today, his paintings and sketches are some of the world’s best-known pieces of art. Now, a new exhibition is offering visitors the chance to step inside some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings and get to know the man himself. The Meet Vincent van Gogh Experience is a travelling exhibition from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. After visiting other cities, it has…

That Thing You Do! DVD, Google Play, iTunes, YouTube Tom Hanks is a very famous actor, but he has also directed some of the films he’s acted in. The first film he directed was 1996’s That Thing You Do!, the enjoyable story of a band in the 1960s trying to break into the music industry. The film follows them as they come together, squabble, have a big hit single and try to cope with success. It captures the spirit of the 1960s, when pop music and the world in general were changing a lot. If you like films with music, and want to try something a little different, give this one a go. WOW! Actor Tom Hanks is a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln, one of the most famous US…

Teacher’s name: Ms Feeney School: Bawnmore National School, Co Galway, Ireland “Ms Feeney encourages us to do our very best at everything – especially reading. She also highlights the importance of being kind and having good manners. Next week, we are going to have a talent show. It will be brilliant and Ms Feeney will be there cheering us on.” Rachel If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll sendyourschoolthreefreeissuesof 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…

On 11 February, schools and organisations marked Safer Internet Day. The annual event raises awareness about the importance of being safe online, especially for young people. This year’s theme in the UK was “Free to Be Me”, questioning whether young people are free to be themselves when they’re online. The UK Safer Internet Centre – a partnership of three organisations that work together to encourage safe and positive use of digital technology among young people – worked with 1,600 different supporters this year. These supporters include schools, charities and politicians. The centre also carries out research into young people’s online habits. This study revealed that the internet plays a big part in influencing people aged between eight and 17. Just under half (49%) of those surveyed said that what they…

● On 21 January, author Alex Christofi posted an image on Twitter that sparked a debate. He had cut three huge books in half lengthways to make them easier for him to carry around. ● Christofi was described as a “book murderer” by some people because of how he treated his books. Others came to his defence, arguing that some people care too much about how books look, instead of just reading them. ● In an article, Christofi wrote, “Authors don’t generally dream of seeing their books in mint condition... The biggest compliment you can pay an author is to read their book.”…

Bees are some of the world’s most important insects. As they fly from flower to flower they distribute pollen, directly leading to the creation of seeds that can develop and grow into new plants. Pollinators (pollen-spreading animals such as bees) play a vital role in the growth of three quarters of the world’s crops. However, bee populations have been dropping. To help protect them, people are being asked to look after dandelions. These plants, which begin flowering this month, are crucial for bees because they are one of the earliest sources of food to appear after the winter months. So, if you have any dandelions in your garden or at school, try to make sure they don’t get sprayed with pesticides or mown down. DID YOU KNOW? Only a few…

Three bearded pygmy chameleons – one of Africa’s smallest reptile species – have been born at Chester Zoo. Very little is known about these tiny reptiles, which are the size of a fingertip when they hatch, but keepers at Chester now plan to launch a conservation and breeding programme to help boost their numbers and learn more about them. ● LIFESPAN IN THE WILD: Unknown in the wild, but in captivity around one to three years. ● HABITAT: Forests on the coast of Tanzania, in Africa. ● DIET: Small insects, including crickets. ● FUN FACT: The chameleons can change colour and even flatten their bodies to camouflage themselves as leaves.…

A group of eight experimental archaeologists (researchers who test ideas about the past by reconstructing and re-enacting them today) are embarking on a dangerous voyage to try to answer an ancient riddle. They hope to prove that prehistoric humans, travelling from south-east Asia, reached a land mass called Sahul about 65,000 years ago on a raft made from bamboo. Sahul was a continent made up of the enormous present-day islands of Australia and New Guinea, along with a lot of land that is now under the sea. How these primitive humans managed to make this journey has long puzzled scientists. “It’s the equivalent of sending a spaceship to the Moon,” says Michael Westaway at the University of Queensland in Australia. “There’s nothing comparable in human evolution at that time.” Now,…

Where the World Turns Wild by Nicola Penfold (Stripes) Juniper lives in a walled city from which nature has been banished. Following the outbreak of a deadly disease, most humans live like prisoners in order to stay safe, while outside the city walls, nature runs wild. Juniper and her little brother Bear have often dreamed of escaping the city to find their family, but when scientists realise that Juniper and Bear might hold the key to fighting the disease, the sister and brother find themselves in grave danger. They set out on a desperate journey into the wild, where they soon encounter both the beauty and the cruelty of nature, finding friends and enemies along the way. This story will make you think about the importance of protecting the natural…

Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix 1.15pm on 15 February, BBC One Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Laura Muir are some of the UK’s best athletes at this high-profile competition. Muir will be hoping to break the world record in the 1,000-metre race, and Johnson-Thompson will be looking to build on her success from the World Championships. Penny on MARS 6pm on 17 February, Disney Channel Penny is back for a third series of this hit drama. She’s 16, the daughter of a famous pop singer, and attends the Music Arts Reiner School (MARS), where it has only just been revealed who her mother is. The Call of the Wild In cinemas from 19 February This new film, based on a famous book from 1903, follows Buck, a dog sent to live in the…

If you’ve seen The Greatest Showman and felt inspired by Zendaya’s performances as trapeze artist Anne Wheeler, you might be surprised to discover that you too could learn to “fly” like this – by taking up aerial gymnastics. Also called aerial circus or aerial arts, this form of gymnastics uses silks (long strips of silky fabric), hoops and trapeze swings suspended from the ceiling. You’ll learn how to move through the air in a controlled way using the apparatus – and the movements of your body – to create beautiful, dramatic routines. You’ll spend quite a lot of time hanging upside down. “Aerial gymnastics is a combination of skill and creativity,” explains Catriona McGrory from Aerial Southampton. “I think it appeals to many people for its beauty and diversity, and…

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Follow The Week Junior on PopJam@TheWeekJunior. You can download the PopJam app from the App Store or Google Play. On 25 January, the UK’s first climate change assembly took place. You said... “Finally, people are taking action!” “We have to fix what we have done and make sure we don’t leave it too late.” Last week, we asked you if cameras should be allowed in courtrooms. You said... “People might say what they don’t think or mean.” “Yes. There is no reason why they shouldn’t be.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

A dog in Essex has escaped from its house more than 270 times. Kelly and Bryan Coombs, the owners of the 18-month-old cocker spaniel called Hugo, say they have no idea why he is so naughty. They say that after he escapes they find him quickly, but no sooner is Hugo home than he tries to get out again. Hugo has also chewed up clothes and their sons’ homework, and he once ate £300 in cash. “It’s impossible not to laugh,” Kelly Coombs told The Times newspaper.…

1 Which party won the most votes in the Irish general election? a) Sinn Féin b) Fine Gael c) Fianna Fáil a ■ b ■ c ■ 2 True or false? A badger broke into Parliament. 3 What is the name of the ESA probe that was launched in the US to study the Sun? 4 How many books were sold in the UK in 2018? a) 19.9 million b) 190.9 million c) 1.9 billion a ■ b ■ c ■ 5 True or false? Halima Aden was the first model to appear on the cover of Vogue wearing a kilt. 6 What was a wild seal filmed doing for the first time? 7 What does Studio Ghibli make? a) Cornish pasties b) Animated films c) Sun cream a ■…

18 February 1930 Pluto is discovered On 18 February 1930, Clyde William Tombaugh discovered the dwarf planet Pluto. Dwarf planets are smaller than planets and orbit the Sun, but their gravity isn’t strong enough to affect objects in their path. Tombaugh discovered Pluto while working at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona, US. It was named by 11-year-old Venetia Burney, from the UK, whose grandfather sent her suggestion to the observatory. Pluto is the name of the god of the underworld – or the dead – in Roman mythology.…

Now that you’ve read a bit more about it, tell us what you think by voting in our poll at theweekjunior.co.uk/polls. Vote YES if you think books should be kept in good condition, or NO if you don’t. We’ll publish the results next week. The aim of the Big debate page is to present two sides of an issue fairly and objectively, in order to stimulate discussion and allow our readers to make up their minds. The views on the page do not reflect those of The Week Junior, and the page is not funded by third parties. The page is created in association with the English-Speaking Union, an educational charity helping young people discover their voice and realise their full potential. For more information, please see esu.org…

Researchers carrying out a study of rare salamanders (a type of amphibian distantly related to frogs) have discovered an animal that looks as if it hasn’t moved for more than seven years. The olm is a species of salamander that lives underwater in dark caves in southeastern Europe. The animals in the study live in a cave called Vruljak 1 in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Researchers from a university in Budapest, Hungary, have been visiting since 2010 and putting identifying marks onto individual olms in order to find out more about their lifestyle. The team returned to the cave every few months to record precisely each olm’s location. This revealed that they are remarkable stay-at-homes. The most active moved just 38 metres in 230 days, but one didn’t seem to move at all…

Donovan Glyn Team leader of deer & antelope, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Reindeer and caribou are actually the same species of animal, but there are slight differences in their appearance. Caribou is the name given by Native American tribes to the large, wild animals found in North America and Greenland. Reindeer are slightly smaller and have been domesticated (deliberately bred) by humans in Europe since about 2,000 years ago. 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…

On 28 April 1947, Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl, with a crew of five and a parrot named Lorita, set sail from the western coast of South America aboard the Kon-Tiki, a raft made of lightweight wood from the balsa tree. Heyerdahl wanted to prove that ancient humans from the Americas could have colonised the Polynesian islands of the Pacific thousands of years ago. It took the crew three and a half months to make a 4,300-mile journey to the islands east of Tahiti by sea. Heyerdahl’s book The Kon-Tiki Expedition has been translated into 70 languages, and inspired two films.…

Scientists at the ETH Zurich university in Switzerland have created a robot that can pick things up without touching them. It has been designed to deal with fragile objects that could be damaged if they’re not handled carefully. The robot uses ultrasonic waves (sound waves too high-pitched for humans to hear), to create high air pressure underneath an object and low air pressure above it, which pushes it gently upwards. This process is known as acoustic levitation. The object then sits suspended in the air between the robot’s two arms. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Bangladesh Under-19 cricket team They won the Under-19 Cricket World Cup for the first time after beating favourites India in the final in South Africa. India were the reigning champions and have a record four victories in the competition, but Bangladesh hung on to win by three wickets. England were ninth and Scotland came 12th out of 16 teams. Jemma Reekie On 8 February, the 21-year-old runner set a British record time of four minutes and 17.88 seconds for the indoor mile race. Terri Harper Harper became Britain’s second major female world boxing champion by winning the WBC super-featherweight title.…

Do any of the characters remind you of yourself? There’s quite a bit of me in 13-year-old Juniper. She’s an avid reader. She loves language and playing with words. She’s at her best with green things around her! What inspired you to write this book? I was hearing a lot about how people are less connected with nature than they used to be, and also becoming aware of quite how important wild spaces are to my own health and happiness. If you could be any animal what would you be? The beautiful, enigmatic lynx! I’d roam the Białowieża Forest, Europe’s last large primeval forest, which straddles the border between Poland and Belarus. Besides lynx, there are wolves, bison, moose and beavers there. Tell us a place that you visited recently…

How difficult is aerial gymnastics to do? If you already enjoy dance or take part in gymnastics, this is definitely a sport to try. Don’t worry if you’re a complete beginner, though, many skills are more achievable than you might think. Where can I try it out? Look online for local clubs. You might need to try a few different search words – try aerial arts, circus arts, aerial circus or aerial classes. Can I still do it if I’m scared of heights? Aerial gymnastics is all about building confidence in a supportive and encouraging environment. Take it slowly and you might just find that you conquer your fears.…

In the past few weeks, I’ve attended some exciting book events on behalf of The Week Junior. At Chicken House’s big breakfast event, we sang Happy Birthday to mark the 20th anniversary of the publisher. At the Penguin Showcase, I was blown away by Catherine Doyle’s introduction to her book The Miracle on Ebenezer Street, which is based on A Christmas Carol. What an incredible storyteller she is! Michael Morpurgo then took to the stage to announce his new book, The Puffin Keeper, which is being released to mark the publisher’s 80-year anniversary. To top it all off, I went to the Laugh Out Loud Awards – also known as the Lollies – which celebrate the best and funniest children’s literature and are voted for by children. I was pleased…

A rescued owl had to be put on a diet because she was too fat to fly. The bird was brought into Suffolk Owl Sanctuary after she was found in a ditch. At first, staff there thought the owl was injured, but they soon realised she was just overweight and couldn’t get off the ground. The owl was put on a strict diet and was then released back into the wild. Experts believe that the mild winter meant there were lots of mice around for the greedy owl to eat.…