Innholdsfortegnelse for 342 i The Week Junior

International aid has started to arrive in Afghanistan following an earthquake on 22 June, which caused significant damage across the country. The Taliban, the group in charge of the Afghanistan government, requested aid from other countries and organisations to help with the impact of the crisis. What happened in Afghanistan? The earthquake struck in the middle of the night in the mountainous area of Paktika in eastern Afghanistan. Tremors were also felt in India and Pakistan. More than 1,000 people have died, and 3,000 have been injured. It is the worst earthquake to have hit the country in two decades (twenty years), and many people’s homes have been completely destroyed. Aftershocks have continued to be felt in the area in the days following the disaster, and it is currently unsafe…

DISCOVERING DORMICE The discovery of tiny dormice pawprints at a nature reserve in Worcestershire, England, has sparked hope that the species is making a comeback. The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust said the pawprints show that their conservation work has helped. TAKING A GCSE EXAM AT 92 A grandpa has taken his maths GCSE exam at the ripe old age of 92. Derek Skipper took the tricky test alongside 16-year-olds at a school in Cambridgeshire. “It was a bit of fun”, said Derek. His course tutor praised his achievement saying “Derek was the best student in the class”. He will receive his GCSE results in August. A SPECTACULAR DINO TRAIL On 27 June, a trail of dinosaur and mammoth sculptures popped up across Norfolk to raise money for charity. In Norwich, 55…

Nesting on lawns, at the base of walls or under stones, black ants are very easy to find. They may seem to exist to ruin picnics, but these black or dark brown insects are an important part of a healthy garden. They eat almost anything (including other ants), but have a sweet tooth for sugary treats, and will even “farm” aphids (sap-sucking flies) to encourage them to produce a sweet liquid called honeydew. Black ants live in colonies that mostly consist of wingless worker ants that are unable to breed. In July and August, however, winged queens and males emerge for a mating flight. About twice the size of a “normal” ant, these giants burst from all the nests in an area when conditions are right, resulting in a “flying…

There are a lot of animal species classified as “endangered” – nearly 40,000 at the last count – including the beautiful Bengal tiger. Wildlife numbers are tracked by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This helps conservation groups such as the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) know which need our help the most. 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…

Big international sporting events including football, rugby, boxing, ice hockey and cricket often take place in famous stadiums around Cardiff in Wales. Recently, a wide range of spectacular sports were held there but in a different setting. Called the Urban Games, the exciting activities were free to attend and were staged in the Cardiff Bay waterfront area. Special courts, courses and ramps were built so that BMX, skateboarding, basketball, wheelchair basketball, scootering and breaking (a dance competition) could be contested. The two-day Urban Games allowed young people to enjoy these sports. They learned new skills and many were given tips and advice from professionals. BMX champion James Jones and professional skateboarder Jordan Sharkey were there to help. Both are from Wales and were keen to show that sporting dreams can…

If you’re a fan of the Despicable Me films, you may have wondered just how Gru the supervillain and his Minions got to where they are now. If that’s you, the good news is that you’re about to find out The most recent film in the series was Minions, which was released in 2015. This ended with the Minions following a young Gru after deciding he would be their new leader. Now, seven years later, the next chapter in the story of young Gru and the Minions will be unveiled in Minions: The Rise of Gru. Set in the 1970s, the film reveals how 12-year-old Gru worked with the Minions (including Bob, Kevin, and Stuart) to try to join his favourite group of evil supervillains, the Vicious 6. When their…

Zeina Starborn and the Sky Whale by Hannah Durkan (Hachette Children’s) Zeina Starborn has always dreamed of exploring the skies, and can’t believe her luck when she wins the chance to visit the famous Willoughby Whale Hotel – an enormous hotel built on the back of a flying whale. Set in a fantastical world of inventors, explorers and mighty sky whales, this is a thrilling and imaginative adventure. White Fox by Chen Jiatong. Translated by Jennifer Feeley. Illustrated by Viola Wang (Chicken House) A young white fox searches for an amazing treasure with the power to make animals human in this delightful story translated from Chinese. Wicked blue foxes seek the treasure too. Can our hero stay one step ahead? My Friend the Octopus by Lindsay Galvin (Chicken House) It’s…

Name: Madeleine Good Dog McTavish by Meg Rosoff “Calming. Big-hearted. Clever. This book is flowing and fluent. It’s an exciting and intelligent read.” 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. Sum up the book in three words and write one sentence telling us what you liked about it. Please 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…

It’s such a pleasure to meet readers of The Week Junior – and that’s not something we’ve been able to do very much over the last two years because of the pandemic. It made meeting some of our readers recently all the more fun and special. Readers Florrie and Ciara came to our offices before heading to an awards ceremony, because they had won the Young Food Writer competition organised by The Guild of Food Writers. Well done to Florrie and Ciara, and the third winner Maryam. The team of judges were super impressed with your writing. There’s another chance to meet The Week Junior team at our Summer of Reading Live event, featuring lots of fantastic authors, at the British Library, in London, on 16 July. It’s our first Summer of Reading event…

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 CBBC should be moved from live TV… “No, because some people can’t afford to use online TV services.” “Yes. The BBC needs to save money for more important things such as news.” “No, because it’s nice just to turn on the TV and see what’s on. A lot of people love watching this channel.” “I love CBBC being on TV and will really miss it!” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

In the past year, there have been 219 minor earthquakes in Afghanistan. Earthquakes occur when there is movement of Earth’s tectonic plates. Tectonic plates make up the outer shell of our planet (known as the crust). Earthquakes happen frequently in Afghanistan because a number of fault lines – where tectonic plates meet – lie deep beneath the country. The mountain range known as the Himalayas (where Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, is found), formed around 40 million years ago. It was created by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates.…

Calls for Boris Johnson to resign have grown after losses for his political party, the Conservatives, in two by-elections. A by-election happens when an area loses its Member of Parliament (MP) between general elections. The Conservatives lost to the Labour Party in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and to the Liberal Democrats in Tiverton and Honiton, Devon. Richard Foord became the new Liberal Democrat MP in an area where the Conservatives had won easily in 2019.…

In March, Minnie Mouse switched the spotty dress she’s been wearing since 1928 for a stylish trouser suit. The temporary outfit change was to celebrate 30 years of Disneyland Paris, and Women’s History Month. The suit was created by Stella McCartney, who describes herself as “a female designer who celebrates women’s rights”. It received a mixed reaction from Disney fans and the wider public. Some agreed that Minnie needed a more modern look and others wanted her to stick with her traditional polka dotted frock. It’s not only Minnie who’s had a makeover. Many books, films and TV shows have been updated to be more in tune with the times. Minnie is back in her classic, spotty dress for now, but is it time for her to change into trousers…

Our monthly sister magazine, The Week Junior Science+Nature, has launched its annual summer photo competition. It challenges you to get outside, find natural treasures and take fantastic photos. There’s a chance to win a Canon PowerShot Zoom camera worth £299 and a brilliant nature book bundle worth £60.Like any scavenger hunt, your task is to track down things you can find outdoors. However, you don’t need to take anything home with you – all you need to do is send Science+Nature photos of your favourite finds. There are five categories to seek out, from rock pools to urban wildlife. Your photos will be judged on composition, colour and creativity. The judging panel – made up of the Science+Nature team, along with Jess French, author of It’s a Wonderful World –…

England will host the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship (or Euro 2022 for short). The tournament, usually held every four years, was supposed to take place in 2021, but the pandemic delayed it until 6 to 31 July 2022. Ahead of the kick off, find out more about the tournament and the teams involved. Who’s taking part? As the hosts, England qualified automatically, while 15 other nations had to go through the qualifying process. This includes Northern Ireland, who are competing in their first major women’s football tournament. The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four, with the top two in each group progressing to the quarter-finals. Euros past and present Sweden won the first official Women’s Euros in 1984, but since then the competition has…

Ben Proud The British swimmer won gold at the World Aquatic Championships. He finished first in the 50-metre freestyle final. Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee Athletes Taylor-Brown and Yee both got gold medals for Great Britain at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Canada. Petra Kvitova The Czech Republic’s Kvitova, beat Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia to win the Rothesay International Eastbourne Tennis Tournament in East Sussex, England. Alice Towers The 19-year-old cyclist became women’s champion at the British National Road Race Championships in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.…

Illumination Studios Despicable Me was the first film made by Illumination Entertainment. Along with the five films in this series they have also made popular movies such as The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. Secret language The words that the Minions use to communicate are a language created by the directors of the films, called Minionese. One of the directors, Pierre Coffin, voices many of the Minions in the films. Gru’s voice Steve Carell, the voice actor for Gru, originally put on the voice to make his children laugh. When he tried it out in front of the Despicable Me film crew, they thought the voice was perfect for Gru’s character.…

by Olaf Falafel (Puffin Books) Trixie Pickle is an ordinary 12-year-old. She doesn’t have any special skills, unless you count her ability to burp the alphabet or draw hilarious cartoons. Art lessons at school are boring, and when her aunt takes her on a trip to an exhibition as a birthday treat, she’s expecting it to be just as bad – but instead, she discovers that not all art is just fusty old portraits of kings and queens. Taking some inspiration from the street artist Banksy, Trixie concludes that art might help her deal with some of the problems in her life. Before long, her masked superhero alter-ego is devising creative schemes to tackle stupid school rules, dangerous driving and even the class bully. Combining art and activism with lots…

Described as a mix of surfing, water skiing and snowboarding, wakeboarding is an exciting watersport. A rope with a handle at the end is attached to a speedboat and you hold it to balance on your wakeboard as you are pulled along on the water. With practice you can ride the waves, make turns and possibly do some tricks.Most beginners start on a lake or river. More experienced wakeboarders can also do it in the sea. Wakeboards come in different shapes and sizes and as a beginner you’ll use a board that’s designed to help you stand up and control your direction more easily. Beginner sessions start on dry land. An instructor will demonstrate how to hold the handle, how to position yourself and what you must do to stand…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. Across 1 Shoe fastener (4) 3 Section of a Scout troop (6) 8 Place to board a plane (7) 9 Place to sleep (3) 10 Coin worth half a pound (5,5) 13 Device that wakes you up (5,5) 17 Limb used for walking (3) 18 Globe of the visual organ (7) 19 Entertainment in a big top (6) 20 Plant stalk (4) Down 1 Block of bread (4) 2 Welsh breed of dog (5) 4 Creative school subject (3) 5 Batman’s companion (5) 6 Climbing aid with rungs (6) 7 Opposite of top (6) 11 Curtain-rail cover (6) 12 Small, strong, onion-like bulb (6) 14 Fury (5) 15 Graph, diagram (5) 16 Purple fruit with a stone (4)…

Vigo, a city in north-west Spain, has introduced a new law that says anyone caught weeing in the sea has to pay a fine of up to £640. The city council has said that relieving yourself in the sea is unhygienic. To make up for the ban, the council plans to introduce more public toilets on their beaches. People trying to reserve a spot with a towel will also be fined, and officials are said to be considering punishments for other bad beach habits, such as using soap in the sea.…

If you’ve enjoyed this issue why not listen to our podcast by scanning the QR code below. This week we’ll be talking about Glastonbury festival, the Windrush statue, and the women’s Euros. Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior to print them in the magazine and digital editions. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, accuracy and suitability. Ensure you have your parent/guardian’s permission before sending anything to us.…

A new statue honouring the Windrush generation has been put up in London’s Waterloo station. The National Windrush Monument was unveiled to the public on Windrush Day, 22 June. Who were the Windrush generation? The Windrush generation is the name used to describe the hundreds of thousands of people from the Caribbean who moved to Britain between 1948 and 1973. The group is named after the Empire Windrush, a ship that brought around 800 people from the Caribbean to the UK in 1948. At that time a new law was passed, called the British Nationality Act. This stated that people who lived in British colonies (countries then run by Britain) were British citizens and could live and work in Britain. At the time, Britain needed to rebuild following the Second…

When the Children’s Fiction Book of the Year was announced at the recent British Book Awards, one person was especially surprised. “I literally didn’t have a clue,” the winning author, Phil Earle, tells The Week Junior. The other nominees were so good, he says, “it was nice just to be breathing the same oxygen.”Earle’s winning book, When the Sky Falls, is a powerful story about the bond between a boy and a gorilla during the Second World War. He took inspiration from classic wartime tales, such as Michelle Magorian’s Goodnight Mister Tom. The idea for the plot came from a real-life tale about a lion in a wartime zoo, but Earle chose a gorilla because of the animal’s friendly reputation: “There are lots of real examples of kids falling into…

A new study has shown that tropical birds (those from regions of the world that are warm throughout the year) really are more colourful than birds from other parts of the world. This has been something that has long been suspected, but has never been proven. Scientists from the UK and Hungary looked at more than 24,000 pictures of 4,500 bird specimens from all around the world. The pictures are kept at the Natural History Museum collection in Tring, England. The researchers used computers to measure the colour and intensity of different feathers on each bird, producing millions of readings that could then be processed to get a scientific measurement of just how colourful each bird was. The results showed that birds from west Africa, Southeast Asia and the Amazon…

Twelve new Konik pony foals have joined a herd at Wicken Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, England. As these small horses, originally from Poland, graze the reserve, it’s hoped that their hoofprints and dung piles will create new habitats for other plants and animals. ● LIFESPAN: 25 to 30 years ● HABITAT: Wetland, marshland, and woodland ● SIZE: 1.3–1.4 metres tall ● DIET: Vegetation, such as grasses ● FUN FACT: Koniks were once thought to be related to an extinct wild horse called the tarpan. They’re actually domestic horses that just happen to look similar.…

A newly identified ancient species may help shed light on a question everyone asks about giraffes – why do they have such long necks? Remains of Discokeryx xiezhi – a relative of modern giraffes that lived about 17 million years ago, have been found in northern China. Their unusual features have offered new clues to why these plant-eating mammals developed their unusual shape. The giraffe’s neck is often used to demonstrate a scientific idea called evolution by natural selection, which explains how species adapt and change over many generations. Individuals with features that make them better suited to their environment than others, are more likely to survive and pass on those features to their babies. In the past, scientists suggested that giraffe ancestors with longer necks benefited by reaching food…

Have you ever felt like you wanted to escape the world for a while? Everybody needs to take time out occasionally. Making your own quiet space or calm corner will give you somewhere to go when you want to relax and rebuild your energy for the rest of the day. What is a calm corner? A calm corner is a special space at home where you can go to relax and let go of your worries for a while. It can be a favourite chair, a sunny window seat or a few comfy cushions in the corner of a room – anywhere that lets you spend time by yourself and take a small break. As well as being a physical place, a calm corner gives you space to reflect on…

From Darth Vader in Fortnite to Pac-Man and Pikachu in Super Smash Bros, seeing unexpected characters pop up in games is always fun. The latest example is Disney Mirrorverse. It’s a mobile game for Android and Apple devices that features a who’s who of famous cartoon characters from Disney’s history, including Pixar films. Among them are Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Anna and Elsa from Frozen, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook from Peter Pan, Baloo from The Jungle Book, as well as Snow White, Mr Incredible, Aladdin, Mulan – and, of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. What are they doing? Joining together to defend their magical mirrorverse – a parallel universe – from a mysterious enemy called The Fractured. That means Disney’s heroes and villains are on the…

What is your type of art? Definitely surrealist art (art that focuses on unusual things), my comedy can be weird at times so I think I’d probably have got on quite well with Salvador Dalí and René Magritte. What was your favourite subject at school? I obviously loved art but I was also really into sport. I enjoyed rugby, cricket, athletics and tennis, but most of all football, which I still play every week. What inspires you to create art? I find art is therapeutic, so if I ever need to unwind, I get my paints out – you should try it! Which character are you most like in the book? I’m definitely like Trixie’s dad – that complaining about people who don’t pick up their dog’s poo is based…

What is cable wakeboarding? Instead of being towed by a speedboat, in cable wakeboarding you are pulled by a cable system that works from a tall tower by the side of the water. The cable can move at different speeds depending on how experienced the boarder is. Cable wakeboarding is common around the UK. How can I get involved? There are many centres that offer wakeboarding instructions in the UK. With adult help, search online for one near to you. British Waterski & Wakeboard (bwsw.org.uk) is a great start for beginners and wakeboard.co.uk has helpful information too.…

Here’s a chance to win a family ticket to the Towersey Festival, with weekend camping at Claydon Estate, Buckinghamshire, 26–29 August. To discover more about the festival (the UK’s longest-running independent festival), head to towerseyfestival.com. To be in with a chance of winning tickets for a weekend of music, dancing, laughing and more, ask a parent or guardian to enter at tinyurl.com/TWJfestivaltime GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Teacher’s name: Ms Rutter School: Moulton CEVC Primary School, Newmarket, Suffolk “I would like to nominate Ms Rutter. She is kind, caring and very funny. She makes lessons really enjoyable and interesting. She inspires me to do well and we are really lucky to have her as our teacher.” Georgia 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…

1 Which of these artists played at Glastonbury this year? □ a) Paul McCartney □ b) Bob Dylan □ c) Lady Gaga 2 True or false? Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall opened the Windrush monument. □True □ False 3 What is Colombia’s new Vice President called? 4 When was a trouser suit first worn? □ a) 1920s □ b) 1930s □ c) 1940s 5 True or false? Phil Earle’s book When the Sky Falls is about the bond between a boy and a lion. □ True □ False 6 Which country has the most species of bird in the world? 7 Which country is hosting the women’s Euro 2022 football tournament? □ a) Germany □ b) Northern Ireland □ c) England 8 True or false? Sweden won the first official…