Innholdsfortegnelse for 346 i The Week Junior

On 22 July, Ukraine and Russia signed a deal to restart the transporting of Ukrainian grain (crops such as wheat and barley) through the Black Sea. Many people across the world have been facing food shortages and hunger because grain has been blocked from leaving Ukraine. Why have the shortages been so serious? Ukrainian farmers grow a huge amount of grain – about 10% of the world’s total supply. Ukraine’s ports on the Black Sea, in the south of the country, have deep water and very big ships can sail in and out. Russia blocked these ports earlier this year following its invasion of Ukraine in February. It meant that about 20 million tonnes of grain that would usually be shipped out of Ukraine could not be moved. Many countries…

Catalonia, Spain Town purchases unusual building Espai Corberó, a building that is also a work of art, has been bought for £2.5 million by the town where it stands. Designed by the artist Xavier Corberó, the building is known for staircases leading nowhere, empty caverns and a theatre that can seat 250 people. The plan is for the site, in Esplugues de Llobregat, to be opened to the public. Washington DC, US January 6 investigation extended An investigation into the role of then US President Donald Trump in an attack on the Capitol (the US parliament building) has been extended. The investigation was due to end in June but new evidence means they will run into August. On 6 January 2021, Trump held a big gathering before a crowd of…

When Alena Analeigh Wicker was three years old she wasn’t reading picture books – she was already on to books with chapters. By the time she was 12, Wicker had left high school in Texas, US, and started to study for two degrees at university. “I love school, I love learning, I love reading,” she told The Washington Post newspaper. Now aged 13, Wicker is the youngest-ever black student to be accepted into medical school in the US. Wicker, who hopes to be a doctor by the age of 18, has this advice for young people, “It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can do it. Don’t let anybody tell you no.”…

Tasmanian kelp forests Conservationists have found a way to restore forests of kelp in the seas off the Australian island of Tasmania. The seaweed had almost vanished due to warming waters, but scientists found that temperature-resistant kelp grown in tanks can grow quickly when put back into the wild. English beavers Beavers that have been introduced or naturally spread into England face uncertainty over plans to give them legal protection. They have been protected by Scottish law since 2019, but the Government stopped working on a UK-wide law. Officials now say a law will be introduced in October.…

Scientists have worked out exactly where a meteorite (fallen space rock) containing some of the oldest known Martian rock came from. The 320-gram “Black Beauty” meteorite was discovered in Morocco in 2011. It is made from a jumble of earlier Martian rocks and scientists think some of these fragments could be around 4.4 billion years old. Given its age and variety of rocks, astronomers have been keen to learn more about Black Beauty’s history. Studies suggest that it was dug out of the Martian crust in a large impact about 1.5 billion years ago. It then lay on the surface until it was catapulted into space when another space rock hit Mars five to 10 million years ago. Now, a team from Curtin University in Australia say they’ve traced its…

Jake Wightman Wightman won gold for Great Britain in the men’s 1,500 metres race at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, US. The Lionesses England’s women footballers beat Sweden 4-0 in the semi-final of the Euro 2022 tournament. They will play France or Germany in the final at Wembley on Sunday. Jonas Vingegaard On 24 July, the Danish cyclist won the men’s Tour de France. The women’s event also began, and Lorena Wiebes from the Netherlands won the first stage. Fallon Sherrock The British player won the first Women’s World Matchplay darts contest. She beat Aileen de Graaf, from the Netherlands, 6-3.…

Have you at your pet, or someone else’s, and wondered if they secretly lead a double life? Perhaps they are a fun-loving furry friend by day but by night they take to the streets to fight crime. That’s sort of what happens in the new film DC: League of Superpets. The film is the story of Superman’s dog Krypto (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who was Maui in the film Moana), who also has superpowers. The two of them are inseparable best friends with the same special abilities (flying, laser eyes, superhuman strength), who fight crime side-by-side in the city of Metropolis. When Superman and the Justice League – which includes heroes such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Batman – are kidnapped, Krypto must save them all. He convinces…

The Secret Life of Birds by Moira Butterfield. Illustrated by Vivian Mineker (Quarto) Learn about birds from around the globe with the help of Speedy the Swift. You’ll read about nest-building, flying journeys, bird calls, how to spot birds and how to look after them. The book also includes stories about birds from all over the world. Everything You Know About Minibeasts Is Wrong by Dr Nick Crumpton. Illustrated by Gavin Scott (Nosy Crow) If you think that bees die when they sting, centipedes have 100 legs and cockroaches are indestructible, this book will prove you wrong. Investigating everything from insect architects to whether we eat spiders in our sleep, it will turn you into a creepy-crawly expert. The World’s Wildest Places by Lily Dyu Dorling Kindersley) Discover some of…

Name: Scarlet The Flames of Hope (Wings of Fire) by Tui T. Sutherland “Complex. Fantastical. Otherworldly. This story dives into dragon’s minds, literally, as a brave group of dragons fight emotions.” 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.*…

Holly King-Mand, widely known as the nation’s favourite English teacher, taught thousands of children online during the pandemic and has become an expert in making online classes fascinating and fun. She loves books, creative writing, libraries and vocabulary. Parents can find out more about Holly’s live and interactive classes at hollysclassroom.com Summer is here! It’s a season that often means less time studying and more time to dive into a great book and get lost in another world – but where do you start? Libraries hold so many books that choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. Here are some tips to narrow your search and pick a great read. 1 Challenge yourself Reading something comfortable might be your “go-to” when it comes to picking a book, but challenging yourself…

It’s exciting to read this week about the introduction of animals into areas where they had gone extinct because of humans. Beavers released into the wild in parts of the UK seem to be settling in or even spreading (p11), although a law to protect them that is in place in Scotland has yet to be agreed in England. On the same page, we have a report of bison coming to live in Kent. Both beavers and bison are “keystone” species – in other words, the way they live and behave supports lots of other animals and plants. The bison will help a forest recover and take on a wilder character, giving space for all sorts of animals, birds, insects and young trees to thrive. On p3 we report on…

Exercise your brain Keeping your brain active during the holidays is as important as keeping your body moving. There’s lots of logic-based fun to be had, from coding and number games to puzzles. For instance, our weekly Puzzles (p26) page is packed with brain twisters, or you could try a jigsaw puzzle or challenge someone to a game of Monopoly. You can share what you get up to with us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Chicken feed is usually made up of between 60% and 70% grain. The grain shortages caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine have caused the price of chicken feed to rise by as much as 40%, which has been difficult for many farmers in the UK. One told the BBC, “If the conflict continues we could continue to see wheat prices rise.” Further issues such as bird flu and rising energy prices have presented problems for chicken farmers as well. As a result of these issues, the price of both chicken and eggs in supermarkets have gone up.…

AN ISLAND ADVENTURER A man has completed his mission to visit every inhabited island in the UK. It has taken 74-year-old John Chatterton, from Birmingham in England, five years to visit all 223 UK islands where people live. He said, “Each island has a unique story to tell.” A NEW MAYOR, PATRICK THE PONY In Cockington, a village in Devon, England, a Shetland pony has been made the mayor. Patrick, a therapy pony who is taken to hospitals and helps raise money for charities, was given a special ceremony at the village pub. Patrick’s owners, Kirk and Hannah Petrakis, even made him a special mayor’s chain. A DOTTY ART EXHIBITION The Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who is famous for works featuring colourful dots, has a new show called The Obliteration…

More than 6,000 people in Manchester, England, have signed up to train in first aid, as part of the “Three Ways to Save a Life” scheme. BBC Radio Manchester and the charity St John Ambulance launched it on 25 May, the fifth anniversary of the Manchester Arena bombing, when 23 people died. The training is led by volunteers in person and online and they teach people skills that could help them save lives. Training will run until the end of the year.…

If you’ve ever tried enjoying a picnic in the summer, you’ll know that wasps can be a nuisance. The most common type of UK wasp is the yellowjacket, and this is the yellow and black insect that buzzes around in summer looking for ripe fruit, flower nectar and sugary treats like ice cream. However, wasps also play an important role in nature. They hunt small flies and caterpillars, and many gardeners are grateful to them for keeping pests away from plants. Despite this, the possibility of a painful sting means some people think wasps are pests themselves, and should even have their colonies destroyed. Others think these intelligent insects have the right to live and work just as we do. What do you think, are wasps misunderstood or are they…

On the morning of 18 July, the first bison to roam free in the UK for thousands of years were released into countryside in Kent, England. As part of a project managed by the Kent Wildlife Trust and the Wildwood Trust, a small herd of bison is now living freely on the Wilder Blean reserve near Canterbury. The project’s aim is that reintroducing these ancient animals will transform the Wilder Blean environment – at the moment a dense, man-made pine forest – back into a natural mixed woodland that can support a rich variety of wildlife. Bison love to eat tree bark, which can help to control the numbers of fast-growing pines, creating trails through the forest and allowing more sunlight to reach the forest floor. With more sunlight and…

Oily skin, greasy hair and whiffy body odour are the completely natural and unavoidable side effects of growing up. As people reach their teenage years, their bodies change and need a bit more looking after. It is nothing to worry about and there are some easy solutions to help you stay clean and smelling fresh. Looking after yourself is not only good for your physical health, it can also improve your wellbeing by boosting your confidence and self-esteem (belief in yourself). What is personal hygiene? The National Health Service (NHS) says personal hygiene is “keeping yourself clean and is important, especially during puberty”. Puberty is when a child’s body begins to change as they become an adult. This usually takes place between the ages of eight to 14 years old.…

Dogman Created by Dav Pilkey, the author of Captain Underpants, Dogman is a crime-fighting police officer. He has the head of a dog and the body of a human, and uses his dog abilities to sniff out criminals. Danger Mouse The greatest secret agent mouse on the planet, Danger Mouse works with his hamster sidekick, Penfold, to save the world. The original TV series began in 1981, but there was a recent revival on CBBC. You can watch episodes on BBC iPlayer. Spider-Ham Peter the spider lives in a basement belonging to May Porker, a pig scientist. When she has an accident with her atomic hairdryer she bites Peter and he turns into a pig with spider abilities. In the comics, Peter Porker has fought crime and injustice alongside heroes…

(HarperCollins) Sid often hangs out at the graveyard with her best friend Zen, playing games and making up stories about the people buried there. By accident she releases a 300-year-old pirate from the grave and now she is being followed everywhere by Bones, a huge ghostly pirate captain (and Elizabeth, his very noisy parrot). What’s more, she finds a door that leads to the Halfway House – a magical inn, full of lost souls from across the ages. Trapped there by a sinister landlord, they are desperate for Sid’s help, but someone is watching, and they don’t want Sid helping. Can she rescue the souls in time? Land of Roar author Jenny McLachlan’s new book is spooky and silly. Packed with peril, pirates and peculiar goings-on, it’s a funny, exciting…

Are you looking for something exciting, fun and a little unusual to do with your family during the summer holidays? Take a trip to a maize maze and you’ll have a great time together as you search for a route to the centre and then (hopefully!) back out again. A maize maze is a large pathway of puzzling twists and turns cut into a field of maize, a crop that can grow more than two metres tall. Maize includes varieties like sweetcorn (corn on the cob) or corn grown for feeding to animals. Visitors must find their way between the plants, choosing which path to take and trying to avoid routes that may lead to a dead end or take you the wrong way. You’ll often complete mini missions or…

Number fit All of these numbers fit in the grid. Can you work out where they go? We’ve placed one to start you off. 3 numbers 217 537 653 744 783 958 4 numbers 6823 8886 9586 5 numbers 20473 36681 39185 70115 6 numbers 187279 466052 619385 7 numbers 1414460 8851876 9634662 8 numbers 36213107 42530751 86467447 9 numbers 250537725 378188162 585387166 Sudoku Place the numbers from 1 to 6 exactly once in each row, column and 2x3 bold-lined box to complete the grid. ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 29 Spot the difference These two pictures appear to be the same, but take a closer look. There are actually five differences. Can you spot them? Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden…

A group of farmers in Staffordshire, England, decided to build a pool out of hay bales to keep themselves cool during the recent heatwave. Hay is dried grass used to feed farm animals. The farmers arranged the bales in a square to create the walls of the pool and then draped a plastic sheet across them to line the pool. It took four days to build it and fill it with water. There were about 13 farmers working on it together, including Jack Smith. “We’re really happy with the result – it’s the perfect way to cool down in the heat,” he said.…

Phab Phab inspires and supports disabled and non-disabled children, young people and adults to make more of life together. It helps to break down barriers, reduces social isolation and creates opportunities for everyone to enjoy the same activities and challenges side by side. Around 130 Phab Clubs across England and Wales take part in a variety of activities, days out and sport. Phab also runs its own holiday projects where people enjoy fun things such as rock climbing, canoeing, zip lining and much more. Find out more at phab.org.uk…

“I made this owl out of things in my garden like sticks, leaves, pine cones, pebbles and apples. I wanted to do some art and thought the grass was a big canvas.”Arjun “I made the shortbread biscuits from the last issue with my mum and brother Jonah. They were delicious.”Willow “These are my two guinea pigs reading The Week Junior whilst I was helping clean them out. They are called Ginger and Snoopy.”Nina…

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 people should ditch smartphones. You said… “It depends what you are using them for.” “Yes, social media rots brains.” “No, because if your family lives far away in another country it is hard to communicate as you would have to upload pictures from a camera onto a laptop to send them.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

Monkeypox has been declared an “emergency of international concern” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), an international health group. Monkeypox is a rare disease that has entered the UK in recent months. The monkeypox virus, which causes the disease, spreads through close contact, such as skin-to-skin or sharing bed sheets. Symptoms include fever, headaches and a rash. These are usually mild and clear up after two to three weeks. The WHO announcement follows the infection spreading to more than 70 countries. So far 16,000 cases and five deaths have been reported across the world. The head of the WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said, “With the tools we have we can bring this outbreak under control.” When The Week Junior went to press there were 2,367 monkeypox infections reported in…

Thousands of travellers heading across the English Channel to France were caught up in long delays over the weekend of 22 and 23 July. Many families setting off on their summer holidays got stuck in long queues of traffic that lasted for hours. How bad were the delays? Thousands of cars and lorries were stuck in traffic jams at two places in Kent, England: Dover, where many ferries depart for France, and Folkestone, at the UK side of the EuroTunnel, which transports cars by train to France. Andrew Dyer-Smith and his family, who were going to France for their summer holiday, arrived in Folkestone at 9am on 23 July for a train at 10.30am but spent the whole day stuck in traffic. Dyer-Smith said they had been “slowly crawling along”…

Sanjar Qiam loves kites. As a child, he remembers flying them in his home country of Afghanistan. Now, Qiam is launching a kite-flying festival called “Fly with Me”, which will take place in 16 cities around the UK and Europe. The festival will mark the one-year anniversary of Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban, a military and political group with extreme views. Qiam wants to draw attention to the Taliban’s treatment of the Afghan people and celebrate the unique role that flying kites has in Afghan culture. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, they banned popular activities such as listening to music, dancing, playing cricket and kite-flying. “I thought it was ridiculous,” says Qiam, “because they were going to interfere with children’s toys and hobbies. It was sad…

Dogs are our oldest animal companions and have probably lived alongside humans for at least 15,000 years. Over many centuries, careful breeding has produced dogs that vary hugely in shape and behaviour. All dogs are said to share the same wolf ancestors – but do they? For a long time, scientists have wondered where and when humans and the wolves first learned to live together (a process called domestication). However, different approaches to the question have produced lots of answers. Now a new study suggests an explanation for the confusion – our modern canine pals may be descended from two different groups of wolves that learned to live with humans in separate events. An international team of scientists, led by Pontus Skoglund of London’s Francis Crick Institute, collected remains from…

Meet our deliciously inventive young writers… Earlier this year The Week Junior teamed up with the Guild of Food Writers for an exciting writing competition. The Guild’s Young Food Writer of the Year is an award for young people who love food and want to become writers. The theme for this special Jubilee year was “Food Fit for a Queen”. We received bundles of beautifully written, mouth-watering stories and we would like to thank absolutely everyone for entering the competition. The judges had the tricky task of choosing their favourites. The panel included expert food writers Tom Parker Bowles, Yotam Ottolenghi, Xanthe Clay and Samuel Goldsmith, along with Vanessa Harriss, acting editor of The Week Junior. Now we can reveal the winners. Congratulations to Florence Dalgleish and Ciara Martin who…

Scientists have built a four-legged, dog-sized robot that taught itself to walk in just an hour. It’s hoped that the Labrador-sized machine, named Morti, will improve our understanding of how baby animals take their first steps. Newborn animals often fall over when they try to walk for the first time, but they learn from these stumbles and soon make adjustments to walk steadily. To do this, they rely on reflexes from their spinal cord – a bundle of natural signal-carrying fibres that connect the brain and other parts of the body. Morti the robot also learns from its mistakes; a clever algorithm (a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task) allows it to compare feedback from pressure sensors on its mechanical feet with the pressure…

Tymal Mills can’t wait for The Hundred cricket competition to begin on 3 August. Mills plays for Southern Brave, a team based in Southampton, England. Southern Brave men won The Hundred last year, and Mills wants to defend the title as they prepare to play Welsh Fire, from Cardiff, in the opening men’s match. “It’s really exciting. As defending champions, we want to start well, and there will be a great buzz around the ground,” Mills tells The Week Junior. The competition is called The Hundred because when two teams play in a match, each team bowls 100 balls. The batting team aims to score as many runs as possible from the 100 balls, and the team that scores the most is the winner. Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers (based in…

British people are famous for being animal lovers but during the last year, 3.4 million people in the UK sadly had to give up a pet, according to one recent study of animal ownership. For some of those people it was because they moved house or changed their work and didn’t think they would be able to look after their pet well enough. Others had worries about money or were struggling to deal with their pet’s behaviour. When pets are given up they are often sent to animal shelters, which look after them and try to find them new homes. A new mobile game called Animal Shelter Simulator gives you the chance to run your own rescue centre. The game teaches you what animals need when they’re in a shelter.…

Ghosts or pirates? I think ghosts have the edge, even though I don’t actually believe in them (despite my next answer). They have huge comedy potential. I’d love to be friends with a ghost, like Sid is in Dead Good Detectives. Ever seen a ghost? I smelt a ghost at Hampton Court Palace. I smelt baking bread, which I thought was coming from a café. The guide told me that lots of people claim to smell baking bread in that room. Instantly, the smell vanished. Of course, my parents didn’t believe me. That’s my only ghost story… ghost bread. Any writing tips? Think about a story for a long time before you start it. I fall asleep thinking about stories, daydream about them when I’m walking the dog and talk…

How can I find out more? With the help of an adult, go to the Maize Maze Association’s website at maize-maze.com. It has locations and information about lots of maize mazes around the UK this summer. Look for the opening dates and times and other information such as ticket prices and how long it might take to complete the maze. What other mazes are there? When summer ends and maize mazes disappear from fields, there are plenty of other permanent mazes you can have fun navigating. Large country houses and estates often have garden and hedge mazes in their grounds, and many of them are open all year.…

Name: Muna “Kestrel Island is gripping, exciting and surprising. When Sophie visits a sleepy seaside town she isn’t expecting much. But everything changes when she meets Sienna and an unexpected friendship blossoms. Together they discover an evil plot that could be catastrophic. Will the girls be able to stop the villains in time? I really enjoyed this book because it has lots of surprising plot twists. I like how Sophie changes throughout the book. She starts being quite cautious, the very opposite of a risk taker, but near the end realises there is more to life. This girl-power book really is memorable. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.” What have you been up to lately? Which books have you enjoyed reading? What have you made?…

Teacher’s name: Ms Ramsay School: Hollyfast Primary School, Hollyfast Road, Coventry, England “Ms Ramsay is always really kind and helps us when we’re feeling sad. She loves science and she makes it really fun and exciting for us. We all love her lessons. I wish we could stay with her every year.” Ben 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 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…

1 The population of what type of big cat has risen sharply since 2015? □ a) Tigers □ b) Snakes □ c) Pandas 2 True or false? The “Three Ways to Save a Life” scheme is run by BBC Radio Liverpool in partnership with St John Ambulance. □ True □ False 3 Which country has told shops using air conditioning to shut their doors? ________________ 4 True or false? Wasps haven’t been around for as long as bees. □ True □ False 5 What is the name for the activity that involves picking up litter and jogging at the same time? □ a) Plogging □ b) Litter-jogging □ c) Jitter-picking 6 Where have scientists been restoring forests of kelp in the sea? ________________ 7 Which animal was recently released in…