Innholdsfortegnelse for 491 i The Week Junior

The shortlist for Museum of the Year has been revealed. Which museums have you really enjoyed visiting and why? Find out who is on the shortlist on page 7 A top scientist has reported many reasons to be positive about global efforts on climate change. Have you joined in any activities to help the environment? What were they? Discover which efforts are making a real difference on page 12 Lots of people dressed up to race and raise money at the Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup. What’s the wackiest thing you would do to raise funds for charity? Have a look at some of the crazy costumes on page 20 The big debate Is typing better than handwriting? Page 10…

On 30 April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine’s minerals and other resources, such as oil and natural gas. Minerals are useful natural substances that are found in rocks. They often have to be dug out of the ground and are used in lots of things, including health products and electrical items such as batteries. What’s in the deal? The deal gives the US special treatment that will make it easier to gain permission to extract certain minerals from Ukraine. Under the deal, a United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund will be set up. This fund will be jointly managed by both Ukraine and the US. Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said she expects the money in the fund to support…

In Runcorn and Helsby, north-west England, there was also a by-election on the day of the local elections. A by-election happens when a Member of Parliament leaves between general elections, so a new MP needs to be chosen. The two most popular candidates for the seat were Karen Shore, from the Labour Party, and Sarah Pochin, from Reform UK. Pochin used to be a Conservative Party councillor. The votes were counted twice because the result was so close. Both Reform and Labour had 38.7% of the vote, but Reform won because they had six more votes.…

Bavaria, Germany Venus Grotto reopens after repair The Venus Grotto, a fake cave created in the 1870s for Kind Ludwig II of Bavaria, has reopened after 10 years. The cave was built to look like a stage set from the opera Tannhäuser, by Richard Wagner. It features a pool and had the world’s first coloured lighting system. The repair work, needed after water damaged the cave, cost £51 million. Mexico Weekly working hours to be cut The Mexican government has announced it will cut the standard number of hours people work each week from 48 to 40 to improve conditions for workers. The change will be gradual and should be complete by January 2030. The government will put on events this summer to get people’s opinions on how to make…

On 28 April, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest person to score a century in a men’s T20 cricket match. A century is when a batter scores 100 or more runs without getting out. The teenager is from Bihar in India, which is one of the country’s poorest states, and he was playing for the Rajasthan Royals. He also broke the record for the fastest century by an Indian batter in the IPL (Indian Premier League), and the second fastest in IPL history. His century came from hitting just 35 balls. Suryavanshi said it was a “very good feeling” and added, “I just see the ball and play.”…

This May it is 25 years since Tate Modern first opened. The London art gallery is home to a huge collection of modern and contemporary art from all over the world. Contemporary art means art from the present day and recent past. It is not just the artworks that make Tate Modern so famous – it’s also the building that houses them; an old power station that is a famous landmark. Since it opened in 2000, more than 40 million people have visited Tate Modern. The history of Tate Modern There are four Tate galleries around the UK. The first, now called Tate Britain, opened in 1897. It was funded by a businessman called Henry Tate, whose company became part of the sugar and golden syrup brand Tate & Lyle.…

Bacteria-killing paint Researchers from Nottingham and Birmingham universities have developed a special paint that kills harmful bacteria (tiny living organisms). The paint contains chlorhexidine, an antiseptic (bacteria-killing substance) that dentists use totreat mouth infections. A study found that the paint was still effective even after being exposed to bacteria lots of times. The paint is still being tested but it’s thought it could be useful in hospitals or on frequently touched surfaces in public places. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

How does it feel when things get quiet? Silence can feel unfamiliar because we get used to chatting and hearing people talk, or all the sounds and noises that make up our world. Learning to appreciate silence is a great way to get calm, creative and curious in quiet moments. Why is silence good for you? Lots of research shows silence is good for your health. It gives your mind a break from all the things that we take in, which can sometimes leave you feeling exhausted. Silence helps to relax the brain and prevents you from using more energy than you need to. “It’s a kind of rest that helps us feel more like ourselves again,” says Rakhee Jasani, a teacher who uses art, writing and yoga to help…

Secrets on the Shore by Katherine Woodfine (Farshore) Young detectives Sophie and Lil are back with another mystery to solve in this new instalment of the Taylor & Rose Secret Agents series. On their first case for the shadowy Secret Service Bureau, the pair travel in disguise to a seaside town, where they team up with a new friend to investigate sinister spies. How to Train Your Dragon School: Doom of the Darkwing by Cressida Cowell (Hachette Children’s) Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and his dragon friends are back for this new illustrated series, which is set at the Isle of Berk’s Training School for Vikings and Dragons. When a lesson goes wrong, Hiccup and his friends find themselves in trouble and are soon adrift on stormy seas in a…

Name: Josh Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman “Thrilling, unpredictable and cliff-hanging. I love this series because it is impossible to predict what will happen next.” YOUR TURN Please email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it is printed in the magazine you will receive a Roving Reporter badge. Describe your chosen book in three words, tell us what you liked about it and why you would recommend it to others. Don’t forget to include your name and address.*…

What you need Serves 4 • 350g penne pasta (or any shape)• 1 tbsp olive oil• 1 red onion, chopped• 1 clove garlic, crushed• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes• 200g tinned tuna, drained• 250g green beans, halved• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved• 1 or 2 tbsp black olives• Saucepan• Colander• Chopping board• Chopping knife• Wooden spoon This tasty pasta dish is packed with protein – from the tuna – that will keep you feeling full, as well as lots of vegetables. It can be eaten piping hot, straight out of the pan, or cold. Left-over pasta can be a great addition to a picnic lunch. This recipe serves four people and takes about 25 minutes to prepare. If you don’t like olives, just leave them out. If you have any fresh herbs,…

Name: Charlie “Just over a year ago, I was diagnosed with dyscalculia, which affects the way I understand numbers and makes it hard for me to organise information. I have always struggled with maths and even before my diagnosis, my mum, Beth, helped me with numbers. She was a secondary school English teacher for many years, and alongside teaching her own students, she produced creative, visual ways to teach me number bonds and times tables. She stayed up for ages, well into the early hours of the morning, writinglessons at our kitchen table for her students. She was also teaching me so I wasn’t behind at school. Now that she’s stopped teaching in the classroom, she helps me even more. We study maths, science and history together, before and after…

“We enjoyed making tuna onigiri one Monday evening. It’s one of my favourites and I ate five of them!”Connie “This is me reading The Week Junior upside down in my hammock.”Ewan “This Easter weekend I made Easter fairy cupcakes at home following The Week Junior recipe.”Ahana “We made a carrot cake and decorated it with mini eggs and crystallised edible flowers.”Ruby and William We’re proud to be plastic-free The Week Junior is delivered without a wrapper. This decision was made in response to requests from our readers who wanted us to reduce waste. Since removing the wrap in 2018 we have saved our planet from more than 20 tonnes of plastic and made your magazine 100% recyclable. Very occasionally, magazines are damaged in the post. If you are dissatisfied with…

Thank you to everyone who sent us photos of themselves reading the new-look, bigger magazine. We’re so glad you like it. This week’s cover is all about a new documentary called Ocean with David Attenborough, which was released in cinemas on 8 May. We’ve got a report on how the team made the film (it took courage and a lot of waiting patiently) and why Sir David is such an inspiration, on page 22. As I’m writing this the film hasn’t yet come out but I’m looking forward to seeing it – associate editor Laura has already booked her tickets. Have you taken part in any VE Day commemorations, perhaps with your school? On the opposite page you’ll see that our Big Picture shows the Red Arrows at the flypast…

A YOUNG LYNX An 11-month-old lynx born at Newquay Zoo in Cornwall, England, is preparing to be released into the wild. Petitia has been transferred to a wildlife centre in Germany, and could be released into the Carpathian Mountains in eastern Europe this autumn. A MINI BUS MEGA JOURNEY On 25 April, three brothers completed a journey in a miniature bus, driving the length of Britain from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’ Groats in Scotland. James, Andrew and Will took turns to drive the bus at an average of 12 miles per hour. The 1,000-mile journey took eight days and raised £30,000 for charities. THE WORLD’S OLDEST PERSON On 30 April, Ethel Caterham became the world’s oldest living person. The 115-year-old, who lives in Surrey, England, was born…

Sunny and dry weather in the UK has led to fruit and vegetables arriving earlier than usual. This time of year was traditionally called the “hungry gap” because farmers have no more winter crops but the summer crops aren’t ready. However, farmers have said that crops such as aubergines, cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes are ready a few weeks early. Gardeners at Kew Gardens in London are growing tropical fruits to see if they will flourish during a warm spring.…

Thanks to technology, people are spending less time writing by hand. Early in life, toddlers like to scribble, and at school most children still write rather than type in lessons. Even though lots of children are taught to write using the same lessons, people develop their own unique style of handwriting. However, lots of people prefer typing to writing and do it more often. Some exam boards now let students choose if they want to write or type their exams. In everyday life, people often communicate by text and email and they type plans into digital diaries instead of paper ones. There’s no need to look for a pen and paper if you carry a device like a phone. Even so, some say handwriting is a skill worth keeping. What…

This tiny bird is found across the UK in May, often in open woodland with young trees. A good place to spot the willow warbler is – unsurprisingly – among willow trees, as well as birch and alder, all of which often grow near water. The birds arrive in the UK from southern Africa in March and April, and spend the summer here before flying back to Africa from July to September. They are easily mistaken for a bird called a chiffchaff, but the willow warbler has light brown or pink legs, rather than black. Both birds have a yellowish or olive green breast with a paler belly, light brown wings and head, with a yellow stripe above the eye. Willow warblers like to sing and shake their feathers as…

On 24 April, the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 35th birthday. It was launched into space in 1990 and since then it has made 1.6 million observations. Hubble orbits Earth 320 miles above the surface. Observations made by telescopes on Earth aren’t always very clear because the atmosphere gets in the way, affecting the light from far-off objects. Hubble is above the atmosphere, so it can get clearer images. Over the last 35 years, the telescope has helped space scientists learn more about the universe. It’s named after Edwin Hubble, an astronomer who discovered that the universe is constantly expanding. Scientists used the telescope to look at how fast this is happening. They also calculated that the universe is 13.8 billion years old. Observations taken by Hubble also proved the…

With people dressed as a pig, a lion, a sausage and all sorts of fun characters, the Sue Ryder Mascot Gold Cup is a wacky running race for mascots. It is held at Wetherby Racecourse in West Yorkshire, England, and is a special annual charity event. The Mascot Gold Cup raises money for Sue Ryder, a charity that supports people and families needing help as they face life-ending illnesses. Before the race started there was a mascot parade, a dance off (a dancing competition) and prizes for the best costume and most entertaining mascot. Around 55 mascots took to the grass course for the start of the race. The slower mascots with heavier costumes were allowed to start first, and the faster characters had the challenge of catching them up.…

On 8 May, a spectacular new documentary about the world’s oceans arrived in cinemas. The film is narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the famous naturalist (someone who studies animal and plant life), and the release date was also his 99th birthday. Like with his past documentaries, Ocean with David Attenborough has plenty of breathtaking videos of nature, including whales, seals, albatrosses (large birds) and forests of kelp, which is a type of seaweed. There’s also footage that shows the harm humans are doing to the oceans, but the overall message is a positive one – that the oceans are key to a healthy planet and that they have the power to recover more quickly than we thought. Keith Scholey, co-director and executive producer of the film, tells The Week Junior…

by Eve Wersocki-Morris. Illustrated by Honie Beam (Little Tiger Press) Welcome to the streets of London in 1951 – and meet Clem Fatale, the youngest crook in the city. She’s the street-smart, wise-cracking, quick-thinking daughter of Jimmy Fatale, a notorious jewel thief and leader of the Spider Gang. Now Jimmy has gone missing, along with London’s most valuable jewel, a diamond known as the Fool’s Canary. Clem sets out to investigate, taking us on a thrilling ride through the city’s criminal underworld, from greasy-spoon cafés to glamorous dance clubs. Along the way she accidentally kidnaps a boy called Gilbert, who becomes an unexpected ally as she attempts to track down her father and outwit a sinister villain. This fast-paced, funny adventure is packed with mysterious clues, crazy capers, dodgy gangsters…

Adam Kay and Henry Paker won Picture Book of the Year at The Week Junior Book Awards in 2024 for Amy Gets Eaten. It’s the tale of Amy, a tiny piece of sweetcorn who gets eaten and travels through a human body, discovering lots of facts about digestion. The author-illustrator duo combine their talents and a shared sense of humour to create entertaining and educational books. “Books will be your constant companions,” Kay tells The Week Junior. “You’re never bored if you’ve got a book.” Here, the pair share their storytelling tips. 1 Ping pong ideas Kay and Paker’s creative process starts off a bit like ping pong, as the pair like to bounce ideas back and forth to see what works best. “The words come first,” says Paker, “I…

Terrier tackles highest hikes Betty, a nine-year-old Kerry Blue terrier, has become the first dog to climb more than 1,000 of the highest mountains in Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, alongside her owner, Shona Marshall. The achievement is known as a “full house”. Four years ago, the pair started going on long walks together. They planned to finish their hillwalking challenge in time for Betty’s 10th birthday in June but achieved their goal a few weeks early. Marshall said Betty is “a great companion”. So far, they have raised £3,460 for a dog charity. A tasty cake with robotic powers A group of scientists and chefs revealed the world’s first edible robotic cake at the 2025 Osaka Expo in Japan on 14 April. Called the RoboCake, it has robotic features…

Teacher’s name: Miss Bishop School: Cheam Common Junior school, Cheam, England “Miss Bishop is an incredible teacher and she goes above and beyond to make our lessons fun. She is an all-round teacher who is excellent at maths and English and she also teaches music and even runs a netball club. Her science, history and computing lessons are exciting and enjoyable. She goes beyond the curriculum, inspiring and entertaining the class with incredible knowledge and teaching style.” Sahanna 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 JOKE OF THE WEEK “What do people eat on rollercoasters? Shredded wheeeeeeeat!”Willoughby…

1 Dr Olivier Nsengimana, a winner at the 2025 Whitley Awards, was protecting which species of bird? ☐ a) Blue crowned cranes ☐ b) Grey crowned cranes ☐ c) Pink crowned cranes 2 True or false? Luke Campbell, the new mayor for Hull & East Yorkshire, used to be a boxer. ☐ True ☐ False 3 What type of animal left people stranded on high-speed trains in Japan after it caused a power cut? 4 Which group of people developed the earliest known writing system? ☐ a) Mayans ☐ b) Sumerians ☐ c) Aztecs 5 True or false? Dr Keri Wallace works for the charity Birds without Borders. ☐ True ☐ False 6 What nickname was given to scientist Nancy Knowlton? 7 The building that houses Tate Modern used to be…

On 3 May, Anthony Albanese, the leader of the Labor Party, was re-elected as the prime minister of Australia. He is the first Australian prime minister to be re-elected in more than 20 years. At the time The Week Junior went to the printers, the Labor Party was expected to win 85 seats out of 151 in the House of Representatives. This would give the party a majority in parliament so it could govern without asking another party for support. Albanese has been Prime Minister since 2022. His main opponent in the election was Peter Dutton, the leader of the Liberal-National Coalition. In the lead-up to the election, it seemed that Dutton was more popular because people didn’t like the way Albanese’s government had managed issues such as healthcare and…

On 1 May, a party called Reform UK won lots of seats in local elections across England. The local elections included 23 council elections around the country, where people voted for who should be in charge of managing services in their area, such as education, housing and bin collections. There were also elections to choose six local mayors. What happened? There were 1,637 council seats (places) that had to be filled in England and Reform won 677 of them. The party now has councillors in all of the 23 councils where elections were held. In 10 areas, Reform has enough councillors to control the local council. The Liberal Democrats won 370 council seats, which was 163 more than they had before. The Green Party gained 44 councillors, taking them up…

Dr Keri Wallace is a zoologist (scientist who studies animals). She works for a charity called Bats without Borders and says bats are misunderstood. She tells The Week Junior, “People associate them with Halloween and scary stories.” In real life, this reputation isn’t fair and bats play a very important role in helping nature. Like bees, birds and butterflies, bats pollinate plants. In fact, some farm crops and fruit plants rely on bat pollination. Bats without Borders runs conservation projects in schools in southern Africa to change young people’s opinions about the animals so they’ll want to do more to protect them. Wallace says there are about 140 species of bats in southern Africa, but, unlike in the UK, they have very little protection. Bats are very good at controlling…

A scientist who was once known as “Dr Doom” for her negative thoughts about climate change has had a change of heart. Coral reef biologist Dr Nancy Knowlton (see panel) spoke at a science festival called Starmus and revealed 10 reasons to be hopeful about environmental progress around the world. One of these “bright spots” is the increase in legally protected areas around the world, Knowlton said, which are now at a record high. More than 17% of land and inland waters and over 8% of the ocean and coastal areas around the world are now protected. On La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, a third of the land is protected. This helps nature and reduces artificial lights, keeping the skies dark so scientists can better observe the stars.…

Over the past 30 years, the number of barriers that have been installed to stop humans from moving between countries has increased. A recent study has found that these barriers, which include walls, also have an impact on wildlife. The study looked at a 115-mile-long wall that Poland set up along its border with Belarus in 2022. The wall sliced through a forest and separated populations of bison, elk (a type of large deer), lynx and wolves. The researchers found that the wall stopped larger animals from moving freely through the forest. They also wouldn’t approach the wall because they were scared of it. The researchers placed 36 cameras along the wall for more than a year and only saw lynx twice. The area near the wall was also littered…

The urine from thousands of runners who took part in the London Marathon on 27 April will be turned into fertiliser, a substance that helps plants grow. To make the fertiliser, a company called NPK Recovery will use wee collected from nine women’s toilets. The toilets, made by Peequal (see panel), were put up at the start of the race, where lots of runners were making last-minute trips to the loo. Susan Farrell, who took part in the race, said, “It’s brilliant to think that the nervous wees of thousands of women are helping a good cause.” NPK Recovery will add bacteria (tiny living organisms) to the urine to break it down into substances, including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These can be absorbed by crops to help them grow. The…

Katie Ledecky The US swimmer set a world record in the women’s 800 metres freestyle race at the Tyr Pro Series event. She finished in eight minutes and 4.12 seconds. Chelsea Women Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 to win the Women’s Super League (WSL), the top level of women’s club football in England. Zhao Xintong At the World Snooker Championship, Xintong beat Mark Williams 18-12 in the final to win the title for the first time. Jack Draper The British tennis player came second at the Madrid Open. Draper is now ranked fifth in the men’s world tennis rankings, which is the highest he has been.…

Keith Scholey has had a long career working on wildlife documentaries, including the David Attenborough series Wildlife on One and The Private Life of Plants. Scholey says he’s had a “fantastic time” but, as a child, he didn’t have any plans to make television programmes. However, he did have an interest in wildlife from an early age. He grew up in Kenya and his parents loved going out on safari. It meant he got to see animals such as elephants in the wild and up close. “I knew my life was wildlife,” he tells The Week Junior. He studied zoology (the scientific study of animals) at the University of Bristol. By chance, he met a producer who was making the Attenborough series The Living Planet. As Scholey was a zoology…

Quick! Describe this book in three words. Thieves! Thrills! Friendship! Do you think you’re more like Clem or Gilbert? I have Clem’s determination, fast-talking and sense of direction but, just like Gilbert, I am also clumsy, silly and will chat to anyone. Favourite spot in London? Halfway along Waterloo Bridge. You get a specular view of London’s mismatched buildings: skyscrapers, gothic turrets and St Paul’s Cathedral. Tell us a quirky fact you found out while writing the book. March 1951 was the first time Dennis the Menace appeared in The Beano. Will we get another Clem Fatale adventure soon? Yes, Clem and Gilbert will return. If you’re sharp-eyed you may see the hint to book two in the newspaper at the end of the first book.…

Nintendo has sold more than 150 million Switch consoles since it launched in 2017. Now it is getting a follow-up, the Switch 2, which is on sale from 5 June. The new device was announced in January. Then “Switch 2 Experience” events were held in cities around the world, where gamers could get their hands on the console and play with it. The Switch 2 has a bigger, sharper screen, and like the first version, it can be connected to a TV using its dock – a stand that also charges the console. The new console has a much higher frame rate, which means action on screen will appear much smoother. The star game at the Switch 2 Experience was Mario Kart World, which has bigger, more detailed tracks to…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. APRICOT BANANA BLUEBERRY CHERRY GUAVA HONEYDEW KIWI KUMQUAT LEMON LIME LYCHEE MANGO ORANGE PEACH PEAR PINEAPPLE PLUM RASPBERRY RHUBARB TANGERINE Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of the numbers in the two circles directly beneath it. ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 33 Split words Piece together the groups of letters to find four words related to funfairs. 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 494 934 623 4 numbers 1736 5724 8514 8634 5 numbers…

Young Weather Photographer of the Year This weather photography competition by the Royal Meteorological Society is back for its 10th year, supported by our sister magazine Science+Nature. The competition aims to help people all over the world learn about weather and climate change. To take part, just submit your amazing weather photos – it could be storms, sunshine, snow or anything interesting happening in the sky. This year’s winning photo will be shown in the November issue of Science+Nature. The winner will also get a year’s subscription to the magazine and £750 in prize money. Anyone under 18 can take part, and the closing date for entries is 19 June. Ask an adult to find out more at tinyurl.com/TWJ-weather25 WIN A BADGE! Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…