Innholdsfortegnelse for 293 i The Week Junior

A LEGO LOVER A young Lego lover called Zoe Bingham has won a competition to create a model at Legoland Windsor in England. The nine-year-old’s passion for nature inspired her to create a fantasy creature called the Beauty Beast who fights climate change. The Beauty Beast will go on display at Legoland Windsor in August. NEWBORN FLAMINGOS Zookeepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England, are celebrating the birth of four flamingo chicks. Zookeepers gave them a helping hand by placing the eggs in an incubator until they were ready to hatch. The eggs were then returned to their parents so they could bond with them when they hatched. YOUNG POETS Children from schools in London and Norfolk, England, performed at a ceremony on 19 July to announce the shortlist…

The Story Museum in Oxford opened an exhibition on 17 July called The Book of Hopes. The exhibition is based on a book with the same name that was published in 2020. It is made up of 133 stories, poems and pictures, put together by children’s author Katherine Rundell, to help children and young people in lockdown. The exhibition includes objects, art and audio recordings. Visitors can sit under the Hope Tree, by sculptor Andrea Greenwood, and listen to stories read by actors such as Stephen Fry and Helena Bonham Carter.…

If you’re going off to battle a dragon it’s best not to go alone. Taking on a challenge is easier with your most trusted partner at your side. This is the strategy used by married couple Katie and Kevin Tsang. They are the authors of Dragon Mountain, the first book in the Dragon Realm series and one of 50 books suggested for The Week Junior’s Summer of Reading. Speaking to The Week Junior, Katie explains how they write the first third of a book together and then “divide and conquer” for the rest because each has their own specialities. “I do a lot of the dragon battles,” says Kevin. Then, they’ll edit each other’s work, although they don’t always agree. Katie and Kevin are working on book four in the…

To enter a bookshop is to find yourself in a world of adventure, drama and entertainment. Many bookshops hold events such as author readings, and the booksellers are usually happy to help visitors find the perfect title. To celebrate bookshops, here are some of the most interesting ones around the UK. The Edinburgh Bookshop The Edinburgh Bookshop, in the Scottish capital, has been nominated eight years in a row for Children’s Bookseller of the Year. It holds lots of events and has an expert who offers book advice to young people. Tales on Moon Lane This shop won Children’s Bookseller of the Year at The British Book Awards in 2020 and 2021. There are now two branches in London and one in Ramsgate, Kent. Tamara Macfarlane, the founder and owner…

People living in Peru’s Amazon rainforest could be very important in reducing deforestation (the felling of trees), thanks to smartphone technology. Around a third of the Amazon rainforest is classed as the territory of indigenous people – descendants of those who lived in the area before European settlers arrived. A new study has been exploring how these communities can help to save their forest. Previously, reports of deforestation that were spotted by satellites were passed to the Global Forest Watch network, an organisation that monitors forests around the world. However, the news rarely reached local communities in time for them to act, so scientists from the University of Michigan wanted to see what happened if alerts went straight to the indigenous people. Working with conservation groups, the scientists gave local…

Tug-of-war won’t be part of this summer’s Games, which began in Tokyo, Japan on 23 July, but it used to be a popular Olympic event. Tug-of-war was included at all five Olympic Games held between 1900 and 1920. The most successful nations were Great Britain and Sweden, who won two gold medals each during that time. Sweden’s golds were in 1900 and 1912, and Great Britain won their first gold in 1908. Great Britain are technically the current Olympic tug-of-war champions because they won gold at the last contest in 1920.…

• Lay a trail for your friends to follow. Use twigs and stones to make signs that point the way and warn of obstacles along the path. • Go on a penny hike. At each junction, decide the way by flipping a coin – heads for left and tails for right. Keep your eyes and ears open for things you haven’t noticed before. • Use natural materials to create a piece of art. Use leaves and sticks and find a space to display your work. This could be on the ground or arranged around something, like a tree. • Visit dreambigathome.uk for more fun outdoor ideas.…

When Nintendo’s Switch console was launched, its best game was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The company is working on a sequel but it won’t be out until 2022. There’s something to help fans of the Zelda games bridge the gap until then, though. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword came out in 2011 for the Wii console, cleverly using its stick-shaped controller for players’ swipes and strikes of a sword. Now it has been remade for the Switch, with improved graphics and still with the option to swish your virtual sword, this time using the console’s Joy-Con controllers. However, if you’d rather use normal controls – or if you’re using the Switch Lite, which doesn’t have detachable Joy-Cons – you can choose the “button-only” control mode…

What is your favourite city in the world? I had a brilliant time visiting St Petersburg in Russia. It’s an amazing city, full of fascinating things to see, and I’m really looking forward to going back to New York, US. What was your inspiration for this book? A lot of my ideas come from history. For this book, I was inspired by everything from the sinking of the famous ocean liner RMS Titanic to 1900s amusement parks in New York. Did you always want to become a writer? Definitely. I’ve always loved reading and writing stories, so being an author is my dream. Which historical person would you like to meet? Real-life 1900s detective Maud West. It would be great to hear about her adventures. Join our reading challenge at…

What you need • Card • Pencil • Scissors • Coloured paper • Blu Tack • Black marker • Glue stick Olaf Falafel is a children’s author, illustrator, dad of two daughters and a comedian. During the first lockdown he created an online Art Club (tinyurl.com/ TWJ-olafart). Each episode is filled with jokes (such as: What’s made of leather and sounds like a sneeze? A shoe!), useful tips, animations and facts about his favourite artists. Over to you, Olaf... “The artist I’ll be looking at today is Keith Haring. You can tell that I genuinely love his paintings because I have a Haring print hanging up in my front room. If it was an original painting it would be worth millions of pounds and I would be relaxing on my…

This non-profit organisation works to provide clean and safe drinking water to people in less well-off countries. Their aim is to end the global water crisis – nearly one in 10 people worldwide live without access to clean water. This leaves them vulnerable to disease and bad health, and they sometimes have to walk long distances to collect water. Charity: water works with local experts and communities to create clean water sources in 29 countries around the world. To discover more, visit uk.charitywater.org…

The online writing club for young people, ScribblerZone, has launched its annual competition for writers aged from seven to 16 years old. This year’s theme, The Lost Key, has all sorts of possibilities for fantasy stories, adventures and mysteries. There’s no word limit, so let your creativity run wild. First prize is a year’s full membership of ScribblerZone, £20 worth of books and the chance to have your story printed as part of a hardback book. The competition is free to enter and closes at midnight on 31 July. Head to tinyurl.com/TWJscribbler to find out more.…

Teacher’s name: Miss Kelly School: Stanley Park Junior School, Surrey “Miss Kelly deserves to be Teacher of the Week because she teaches us tricks and rhymes to help us with maths. She is funny and tells jokes in between PE lessons. She never gives up on us if we don’t understand. In English, she always pushes us to the top, so we always have top vocabulary. Many of us are brilliant spellers, thanks to Miss Kelly! And best of all, she makes each and every one of us feel like a star.” Shuddhi If we pick your teacher as Teacher of the Week, we’ll send yourschoolthreefreeissuesof The Week Junior.Sendyour nominations, along with a picture of your teacher and your school’s full name and address, to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Summer jobs have always been a great way to earn money, learn important skills and become more independent. Staff shortages in shops and restaurants across the country mean that there are now more job opportunities for older teenagers in the UK this summer. Besides shop and restaurant jobs, there are many other ways for young people to work, such as walking dogs, washing cars, watering plants and running errands for neighbours. Some say that young people should enjoy their summer break while they can. However, others feel that summer jobs teach valuable life lessons. Young people can find a job that’s appropriate for their age and skills. So what do you think? Should young people have jobs over the summer? Yes – work teaches you life lessons There is nothing…

On 6 July, the Earthshot Prize launched “Generation Earthshot”, calling on students around the world, aged 10–15, to share their brightest ideas about how to repair the planet. The Earthshot Prize, which was set up last year by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, hopes to create solutions to the environmental problems that the planet is facing. Generation Earthshot says its aim is “to repair and regenerate our planet within 10 years”, with the help of young people. There are five Earthshot Prize goals: protecting and restoring nature; cleaning our air; reviving the oceans; building a waste-free world; and fixing our climate. The foundation is providing free resources to teachers, who can use them to help their students. Why not come up with some ideas of…

Scientists have finally answered a question that has been puzzling them for 40 years. What’s the source of huge bursts of X-rays coming from Jupiter? X-rays are a type of high-energy light that is invisible but they have so much energy that they can pass through lots of materials, including metal. These X-rays are usually produced by very hot objects, such as stars, so astronomers couldn’t work out how Jupiter, a planet, could make them. The X-rays seem to come from Jupiter’s auroras – bright lights that glow around its north and south poles. The glow is caused when electrically charged particles (tiny bits of matter) from the Sun hit the planet’s gassy atmosphere. On Earth, they are called the northern and southern lights – they form as Earth’s magnetic…

Tadej Pogačar The cyclist from Slovenia won the three-week-long Tour de France race. Britain’s Mark Cavendish won the green jersey for being the best sprint cyclist. Lewis Hamilton The F1 world champion finished first in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, England. It was his fourth win of the year. Alice Powell Racing driver Powell won the third round of the W Series tournament at Silverstone. It was her second win of the season. Collin Morikawa Morikawa won The Open at Royal St George’s, England, which is one of golf’s four major competitions. It was the first time the American had played in the event.…

In ancient Mesopotamia in 177BC, an astronomer wrote down the rules for the Royal Game of Ur, which has been played for 4,600 years and is the world’s oldest playable board game. In the game, two players race their pieces from one end of the board to the other. From the Royal Game of Ur to Monopoly, board games have entertained people for thousands of years. The UK Games Expo, at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England, celebrates this history, while giving you a sneak peek into the future. The UK Games Expo is the largest tabletop games show (a tabletop game is one played on a flat surface, such as a table) in the UK. Speaking to The Week Junior, Richard Denning, one of the founders of…

Tiger Skin Rug by Joan Haig (Cranachan Publishing) Brothers Lal and Dilip don’t like Scotland, with its drizzle and midges. They long to leave their creepy new house and go back to India but things change when they make friends with Jenny – and then an old tiger-skin rug comes magically to life... The Acrobats of Agra by Robin Scott-Elliot (Everything with Words) Amid the Indian rebellion of 1857, three children set out on a wild and dangerous journey through the forests of India, to help save Tonton the tiger and find lost loved ones. This exciting adventure is inspired by the true story of a French circus that vanished during the Indian rebellion. Tanglewood Animal Park: The Troublesome Tiger by Tamsyn Murray. Illustrated by Chuck Groenink and Jean Claude…

The £1.12 million Mario game An unopened copy of an old Super Mario game has sold for more than £1 million at auction. This makes it the most expensive video game ever sold. The game, Super Mario 64, was first released for the Nintendo 64 console back in 1996. It was one of the bestselling games on the Nintendo 64 and marked the first time Mario had appeared in 3D. The copy was sold by an auction house in Texas, US, for £1.12 million. The game had been kept in such good condition that it was like new. According to the auction house, there are fewer than five other copies of the game that are in as good condition as this one. The leopard who came to lunch A leopard…

28 July 1540 Thomas Cromwell is beheaded On 28 July 1540, King Henry VIII had his chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, beheaded. Cromwell lost favour with Henry VIII after he arranged the king’s marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. “I like her not,” Henry said when he met her for the first time. Cromwell wrote to Henry from prison, pleading for mercy but he was ignored. On the same day Cromwell was killed, Henry married Catherine Howard, his fifth wife.…

• Many shops and restaurants in the UK are facing staff shortages. This is because there are fewer workers coming to the UK from abroad. • Some have suggested that young people could help by taking up summer jobs – a job that a young person does in their summer holidays. They are seen as a good way of preparing for working life in the future. • Young people in the UK can work part-time from the age of 13, with some restrictions. They can then work full-time from 16. However, in England, young people must stay in part-time education or training until they are 18.…

Sloths spend most of their lives in the treetops and their main source of food is leaves. These take a long time to digest and don’t provide much energy, and as a result, sloths have developed a very slow lifestyle. They travel an average of 37 metres a day. Sloths are skilled climbers, with muscles that appear skinny but are three times stronger than those of the average human when it comes to pulling and grasping. A sloth’s great sense of smell makes up for very poor eyesight, and they are surprisingly good swimmers.…

Although most people think a camel’s humps contain water, they actually contain fat. This acts as an emergency reserve in case of food shortage and insulates them against the effects of the overhead desert sun. As there are no bones supporting the humps, they tend to be a bit floppy, and when camels are born their humps hang downwards. They fill with fat and become more upright as the camel puts on weight. 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…

Scientists from the University of California and the Georgia Institute of Technology, in the US, have created a burrowing space robot that could be used to explore one of the moons of Saturn. The soft and flexible robot can move through sandy surfaces by blowing air from its tip. Its movements are inspired by the sand octopus, which burrows to hide itself from predators. The team is working with the US space agency NASA to develop the robot further. It is hoped that the robot might one day be used to explore below the surface of the Moon, Mars, and Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus, in a search of alien life.…

You may have enjoyed fun tug-of-war contests at school or with friends but this month around 250 competitors took the sport very seriously. They battled for gold, silver and bronze medals at the National Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Oxfordshire, England. There were 20 tug-of-war clubs from around the country taking part. Women’s, men’s and mixed team events were held. Each tug-of-war team has eight people, called pullers, and the team enters a category, depending on the total weight of their pullers. The aim is to pull the rope four metres from the centre line. When a team wins two games they win that match. Pullers wear boots that help their feet dig into the ground and they are not allowed to sit down. Tug of war is also…

The summer holidays are a great opportunity to get outside as much as you can to play games, walk, cycle, explore or just hang out on your own or with friends. Not only does being outdoors make you feel happy and free, it’s a great way to boost your physical and mental health. How is being outdoors good for you? Outside activities can improve your wellbeing in lots of ways. As well as giving you exercise and fresh air, exploring outdoors can take your mind off your worries and lead to adventure. Woodcraft Folk, an organisation that uses open-air group activities to boost young people’s skills and confidence, told The Week Junior, “Getting outside is a great way to connect with friends, learn about your local area, practise new skills…

Ticket to Ride In Ticket to Ride, players build cross-country train routes and win points according to the length of the routes. There are versions of the game for different parts of the world. Catan In Catan, also known as The Settlers of Catan, players compete to build settlements on a newly discovered island. The board is put together using hexagonal tiles and is different each time you play. Machi Koro As the new mayor of the town of Machi Koro, you must build four landmarks for your citizens – a shopping centre, radio tower, theme park and train station. In this card and dice game, players try to be the first to build all four landmarks.…

Nightfall in New York by Katherine Woodfine. Illustrated by Karl James Mountford (Farshore) Nightfall in New York is the fourth and final part of the Taylor & Rose Secret Agents series, starring young detectives turned secret agents Sophie Taylor and Lil Rose. In this book, the whole team are going undercover on a luxurious ocean liner to rescue one of their own from the clutches of the shadowy Fraternitas Draconum. The detectives must uncover the identity of the mysterious “dragons” at the top of the villainous society and save their friend without handing over the Draco Almanac – a secret book that contains deadly information. The story is packed with clever disguises and misdirection, and it is the perfect conclusion to a thrilling four-part tale of travel, adventure and…

What food could we have? Homemade cakes or biscuits using red, white and blue food colouring will show your support for Great Britain. If you can get help from an experienced cake maker, try baking a cake that uses the blue, yellow, black, green and red rings of the Olympics logo. Other food and snacks from around the world will give a global taste of the games. What about music? If you have access to online music or a streaming site, play national anthems of different countries. Chariots of Fire by Vangelis is a well-known song connected to the Olympics, or you may like to make a playlist of upbeat, inspiring tunes to play while your party is in full flow.…

As The Week Junior was on its way to press, we weren’t entirely sure whether the Olympics would be going ahead or not. The head of the Tokyo 2020 organising committee, Toshiro Muto, had not ruled out cancelling the Games because of a rising number of Covid cases among competitors and officials. The Olympics and Paralympics have already been postponed for a year because of the pandemic – the first delay in the 124-year history of the modern Games. It already feels like a totally different sporting event to the ones we’ve enjoyed in the past, with no fans allowed in stadiums. Despite that, some fixtures had already begun at the time of writing, including a fantastic victory for Team GB over Chile in the football. I certainly hope the…

Name: Callandra and Trinity The Week Junior teamed up with stationery company Maped Helix in a competition to celebrate National Best Friend Day on 8 June. Participants were asked to draw a picture of themselves with their best friend on a blank cover of The Week Junior and feature details of their friendship, such as how they met and what they like about each other. Callandra won the first prize with a drawing of herself and her best friend Trinity. Callandra said, “I am pleased I won the competition so I can share the prize with Trinity.” Trinity says, “I’m really happy that Callandra won and it’s great having her as a best friend. She’s always so kind and caring.” What have you been up to lately? Which books have…

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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 fantasy tales are better than realistic ones. “Yes, some of the things characters can do and have are really cool in fictional worlds.” “They are both good in different ways. Fantasy tales makes you imaginative but real ones inspire you to be a better person.” “Yes, because they could teach you something through a moral, which will help you to learn something in a fun way.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…