Innholdsfortegnelse for 497 i The Week Junior

Scientists in China are trying to develop contact lenses that can help people see in the dark. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Find out how they are doing it on page 17. Police Superintendent Paul Allen has found his hat after losing it more than 20 years ago. What have you lost that you would most like to find? Read more strange stories on page 29. In June, honeysuckle flowers open and release their sweet scent. What smell always makes you think of summer? See where to find this beautiful plant on page 12. The big debate Should adaptations stick to the original book? Page 10.…

On 13 June, Israel launched air strikes on Iran. Iran responded by launching its own air attacks on Israel. When The Week Junior went to the printers, the two countries were still attacking one another. What happened? In the early hours of Friday 13 June, Israel carried out air attacks on Iran. Israel said it had attacked military targets across the country, including nuclear sites. Iran said that residential areas in Tehran, the country’s capital, had been hit and that civilians (non-military people) had been killed. Iran later launched an air attack that involved about 100 drones (remotely controlled weapons). Israel said it had managed to stop most of them by using its own missiles to shoot them down. Why did Israel attack Iran? Israel and Iran have been enemies…

The author Roald Dahl, who wrote Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, famously disliked most film adaptations of his books. Other authors have also been unhappy with film versions of their stories, including Rick Riordan, who didn’t like the 2010 and 2013 Percy Jackson films. However, others say these films are good in their own way and it doesn’t matter if they differ from the books. In fact, there are lots of popular films that aren’t very similar to the original books, such as How to Train Your Dragon, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Howl’s Moving Castle. The casting director of the new Wuthering Heights film recently said there’s “no need to be accurate” because it’s “just a book”. What do you think? Should adaptations stick to the…

In 19th century Britain, emerald green was a popular colour. It was used in lots of items, including clothing, wallpaper and book covers. However, that particular shade of bright green was often made using arsenic, a chemical that can be toxic (poisonous). Unlike many of the other items that contained arsenic, emerald green books have survived in collections around the world. The risk to the public is low, but frequently handling these books can lead to health issues. Little bits of the covers could even flake off and be breathed in. In recent years, libraries have removed some old books with bright green covers and put them away, out of public view, just to be on the safe side. There is a way to test the books, but up to…

Tatjana Maria The German tennis player beat Amanda Anisimova, from the US, to win the women’s title at the Queen’s tournament in London. Bath rugby On 14 June, the rugby union club won the Premiership title. Bath also won the Premiership Rugby Cup and the European Challenge Cup this season. Armand Duplantis At the Diamond League event in Sweden, the Swedish pole vaulter set a men’s world record for the 12th time. Duplantis cleared a height of 6.28 metres. England women’s under-19 football team England beat the Netherlands 2-1 in their first game at the U19 European Championship in Poland.…

On 10 April, a herd of antelopes, big cats, elephants and giraffes gathered on the banks of the Congo River in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in central Africa – but the animals were all life-sized puppets. From DRC, they have travelled through Africa and Europe, and are visiting the UK, before they travel north to the Arctic Circle. The route represents the animals’ flight from damage caused by climate change (changing weather patterns that can cause problems such as droughts and floods). The project – called The Herds – is using art to spark conversation around climate change and inspire people with a message of hope. In England, on 28 June in London’s Coram’s Fields, children are invited to see the animals up…

Mental health is the term used to describe your overall wellbeing – how you feel, think and behave. There are lots of brilliant books that can help you feel good about yourself, and the shortlist for this year’s The Week Junior Book Award for Wellbeing features some of the very best. They are packed with useful information, ideas and advice as well as unicorns, dinosaurs and fun facts to spark up your imagination and make you smile. This award is supported by Place2Be, a children’s mental health charity. Place2Be’s mission is for all young people to have the confidence they need to navigate life. Discover your next read on our shortlist at theweekjuniorbookawards.co.uk The Get Well Spell By Hannah Peckham. Illustrated by Hanna Tkachenko (Award Publications) Find out how to…

Officer reunited with his hat More than 20 years ago, PC (police constable) Paul Allen lost his police hat while on patrol in Leicester, England. He thought someone must have stolen it from his police car, and he had to buy his team cream cakes as a punishment for losing it. Now, the hat, which has “PC429” and “Allen” written inside, has been discovered by a litter picker just 14 miles away from where the officer originally lost it. It is still in surprisingly good condition and Allen – who is now a superintendent – is displaying it on the shelves in his office. He says one day he might hand it over to an archivist (an expert in looking after historic objects). Punished for standing up too soon The…

Once upon a time, sailors didn’t know where they were going. They could navigate by the Sun and stars but they couldn’t tell how far east or west they had gone. Stuck on a small ship in the empty ocean, no wonder their imagination played tricks and they came back with stories of fabulous creatures. Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge used that idea in his famous poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In it, an old sailor tells of a terrible journey when his ship stopped moving and in the heat, “slimy things did crawl with legs/Upon the slimy sea”. I studied the poem at school and that horrible image has stuck with me. You can find out more about how scientists, astronomers and a king set out to solve…

SINGING INSECTS Cicadas are living in the UK for the first time in about 30 years. Eleven adult cicadas were moved from France to a special habitat on the edge of the New Forest, England. The “musical insects” spend years of their lives underground and help improve the soil. SCORING GOALS FOR A GOOD CAUSE On 15 June, Soccer Aid raised more than £15 million for charity. The annual fundraiser invited former footballers and celebrities to play together to raise funds for children around the world. Rapper and TV star Big Zuu scored the winning goal to give the World XI a 5-4 victory over England. A BELOVED CAT On 11 June, a statue of a local cat was unveiled in front of a crowd of 150 people in Saltburn,…

International Women in Engineering Day is on 23 June. To mark it, The Week Junior spoke to Roma Agrawal, who is a structural engineer. This means she works on big structures like buildings and bridges. There are lots of types of engineering and they all use design and building skills. Agrawal studied physics at university and met engineers while there. She saw that they used a mix of maths, design and creativity to solve problems and make things. This appealed to her, so she went on to study engineering. One of Agrawal’s first projects was working on the Shard in London, which is now one of the tallest buildings in Europe. She focused on the foundations (the lowest parts – which bear the building’s weight) and the very top of…

“Brains have always been like this. Nature’s intention is for diversity, for different thinkers and problem solvers.” Chef Jamie Oliver aims to make education better for children who are neurodivergent, meaning their brains work a bit differently. Oliver is dyslexic and he explored this in his recent TV programme, Jamie’s Dyslexia Revolution.…

This fragrant climbing plant grows in all parts of the UK in woodland and hedgerows. Honeysuckle twists itself through the branches of other shrubs and trees, climbing clockwise as it goes. The plant’s stems start out red but turn green. The oval green leaves appear in pairs and honeysuckle’s tube-shaped flowers appear from June to August. These can be cream, pink or yellow. They can look a bit like tiny trumpets and peel back on themselves, revealing long stamens. These are the male reproductive parts of the plant and look like thin stalks with a blob of pollen on the end. Honeysuckle smells strongest at night to attract pollinating moths. The plant also attracts bumble bees and butterflies, including the white admiral, whose caterpillars only eat honeysuckle. Birds and dormice…

A report by the charity Cancer Research UK has studied the development of preventing, spotting and treating cancer over the last 50 years. The results are very positive. Cancer is a broad term for a collection of diseases that are caused by oddly behaving cells growing out of control. It affects one in two people at some time in their life. The report, Cancer in the UK, looks at how the disease has been diagnosed (identified) and treated, using data from 1973 to 2023. The report states that the proportion of people in Britain (not including Northern Ireland) diagnosed with cancer has increased by almost half (47%). Early diagnosis can lead to earlier and more effective treatment. Half of people who are diagnosed with cancer today will live for at…

Around 2.5% of children in the UK are thought to have a learning disability, but lots of people don’t know much about them. Learning Disability Week (16–22 June) is arranged by the charity Mencap to raise awareness of these disabilities and what life is like for people who have one. Different brains, different abilities Some people confuse learning disabilities with learning difficulties, but they are not the same thing at all. Mencap explains that learning difficulties include dyslexia (which mainly affects reading and writing skills), dyspraxia (which affects physical co-ordination) and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, which affects a person’s behaviour and concentration). People with a learning difficulty might learn at a different pace or in a different way, but it does not affect their ability to understand complex information.…

Who do you want to meet from the past? Mary Queen of Scots. Are you anything like Nate, the main character? Like Nate, I am adopted by parents who weren’t the same race as me. Unlike Nate, I am not a myrmecologist, someone who studies ants. What is your go-to karaoke song? Dancing Queen by the band ABBA. What was your favourite thing about writing this book? I loved having a ghost in it called Jirou. It means “chicken meat” in Mandarin Chinese and it just made me laugh out loud when I found out. Do you remember the first story you ever wrote? I don’t, but the first story I wrote as an adult was about my cat Mo. She had an enemy – a cat called Angel –…

The “Windrush generation” refers to the people who moved from the Caribbean islands to live and work in the UK between 1948 and 1971. It is named after one of the ships they travelled on: HMT Empire Windrush. The ship’s arrival in Britain is celebrated on 22 June each year with Windrush Day. This year, the Fun Kids Windrush radio station is helping young people to learn about those people and their stories. “There’s an important story to be told about the Windrush generation and we wanted our listeners to investigate this as much as possible,” says Lloydie James Lloyd from Fun Kids. “We had people coming in and advising us, telling us what they’d learned from their grandparents and great-grandparents, and telling that story themselves – because it’s their…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words below? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. ANTS BLANKET CAKE CHEESE COLESLAW CRISPS DRUMSTICK FOIL FRUIT HAMPER JUICE OUTSIDE QUICHE SALAD SANDWICH SAUSAGE ROLL SCOTCH EGG SUNSHINE WASPS WATER 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. Shortcode Eight letters of the alphabet have been replaced by numbers. Crack the code to find the words. Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 3 letters LAP SEA 4 letters GALA LANE LIDO 5 letters OCEAN RELAY WATER 6 letters BATHER…

Teacher’s name: Mr Hopkirk School: Anderson’s Primary School, Forres, Scotland “I think Mr Hopkirk is amazing because he is funny and makes jokes when he teaches. He is new to our school but we felt comfortable right away. We play games that help us with vocabulary, spelling, maths and geography. We also watch the news to see what’s going on in the world. He does outdoor learning on Friday and even lets us pick where we explore. He is kind, friendly and always helps us when we need it. He is the best teacher ever!” Matilda 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…

“This friendly goose really enjoyed reading The Week Junior with us! My favourite read every week.”Lucas “I baked the cornflake cookies from issue 495 and they were delicious.”Jack “Inspired by the Portuguese tile that can be made from paper cut designs, I made my own pattern.”Sahithi “This week my friend Amelie (left) and I went to paint a pot as a late birthday present. We had loads of fun and made a great bowl!”Lilah 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,…

A photographer has worked with a group of young Palestinian refugees to shine a light on their lives since they fled to Egypt. A refugee is someone who has left their home country because of war or the threat of violence. Since October 2023, more than 100,000 Palestinians have fled to Egypt from Gaza, a strip of land bordering Israel and Egypt. This is because of a long-running conflict between Israel and Hamas (an armed group that governs Gaza), which became much worse in October 2023. The photography project was supported by Save the Children, a British charity that helps refugees in Egypt and provides places where Palestinian children can learn and play together. Photographer Misan Harriman led a workshop in Cairo, Egypt, for 10 Palestinian children from Gaza. They…

On 14 June, survivors, family members and residents gathered to mark eight years since 72 people died in a fire at Grenfell Tower – a block of flats in Kensington, London. This year was the last anniversary before the tower is taken down in a few months’ time. What happened at Grenfell? A fire broke out at Grenfell Tower in the early hours of 14 June 2017. It started in a flat on the fourth floor and spread through the tower block very quickly because the outside of the building was covered in a material called cladding. Buildings have cladding to protect them from the weather and make them look nicer. The type of cladding that was used on Grenfell Tower was highly flammable, so it caught fire very easily.…

Barcelona, Spain Protesters wield water pistols On 15 June, protesters angry about rising visitor numbers started squirting tourists with water pistols. Locals also sprayed graffiti messages across the city, such as “Tourists go home”. Barcelona’s population is 1.6 million, and last year 26 million people visited the city. Protests like this also took place across Spain, Italy and Portugal. Los Angeles, US Football club supports immigrants On 14 June, before a match, players for Angel City wore T-shirts that said “Immigrant City Football Club” and “Los Angeles is for everyone”. The shirts showed support for LA immigrants (people who have moved from another country) following action taken by a government agency to arrest people it says had entered the country illegally. Morant Point, Jamaica A crocodile rescue mission Lawrence Henriques,…

When Caleb Stewart was three years old, he became the world’s youngest motivational speaker, with a speech he gave to his church about believing in yourself. Now aged 11, Caleb is still delivering speeches, encouraging people to read and to have big dreams. “Speak loud and clear,” is his advice to young people who want to give a speech, and, “Be confident, be calm”. Caleb loves reading and helps other children read too. He is homeschooled and told Guinness World Records, “I have the opportunity to make learning as fun as I like.”…

According to new research, cutting rhinos’ horns off reduces the poaching of the animals by nearly 80%. Poaching is the illegal hunting of wild animals to capture or kill them. Rhinos are hunted for their horns (see panel) and scientists think there are now fewer than 28,000 rhinos left in the world. A team of researchers studied different rhino-protection methods used in the Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, between 2017 and 2023. They wanted to find out which methods worked well. Around 25% of all of Africa’s rhinos live in Greater Kruger. The rhino-protection methods included using detection cameras, tracking dogs, helicopters and rangers (trained animal protectors) to keep an eye out for poachers. More than 700 poachers were arrested. However, the researchers said that arresting the illegal hunters…

In 2025 the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, is celebrating its 350th birthday. An observatory is a building designed for studying the night sky. The Royal Observatory, which is now a museum, is the home of British astronomy (the scientific study of space) and the Prime Meridian, an imaginary line that divides Earth into the eastern and western hemispheres. This year, the museum is hosting events to celebrate its 350 years, including a chance to see what the night sky looked like in 1675. Why was the Royal Observatory built? The observatory was built to make sailing safer. In the 17th century, sailors couldn’t work out their exact location accurately. They looked at the Sun and the stars to work out their latitude (how far north or south they were),…

Schoolchildren from all over England and Wales recently experienced what it is like to be a top-level footballer. On 11 June, 40 schools took part in the Premier League Primary Stars Football Tournament. The following day, 20 schools competed in the Premier League Primary Stars Girls’ Football Tournament. Both were held at Molineux Stadium, the home of Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Around 2,000 school teams competed to qualify for the tournaments. Each school at the finals represented a Premier League team, a team from the English Football League or a National League team. They wore the kit of their chosen team and the matches had officials who work in professional football. In the Premier League Primary Stars Football Tournament, Wolfson Hillel Primary School (Tottenham Hotspur) won the Under-11s mixed…

Pinch Perkins and the Midsummer Curse by Cathy FitzGerald (Farshore) Pinch Perkins’s mum is struck by a curse and Pinch must find a cure. She is racing against the clock on Midsummer’s Eve and her quest leads her to the boss of the Thames Mudlarks and a devious fairy king and queen. Meanwhile, she must avoid two fearsome villains. Rock Bottom: A Midsummer Nightmare by Ross Montgomery. Illustrated by Mark Beech (Barrington Stoke) You may already know William Shakespeare’s story A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Ross Montgomery gives the tale a new spin. Nick hopes to play the lead in his school production but he’s cast as the character Bottom, and mischief-maker Robyn plays some tricks to help him out. Greenwitch by Susan Cooper (Puffin) Part of Susan Cooper’s Dark Is…

Name: Ishan Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan “Mythical, intriguing and believable. This book is my go-to for anyone who is bored of your average story book.” 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.*…

Summer is a great time to try trapping and studying insects and other minibeasts because the warmer weather makes them more active. You can catch insects without harming them in a pitfall trap. This is just a container buried in the ground. Creatures fall into it and stay trapped but unharmed until you set them free (unless they can fly). It is best to leave the trap overnight because lots of insects are active after dark. If you set it up during the day, make sure to check it every few hours. This activity is also best in dry weather because if it rains and your trap fills with water, any creatures inside could drown. A pitfall trap is easy to make. All you need is a clean container such…

Name: Irina “My name is Irina and my brother is Leo. I’m 11 and he is nine. When we initially heard the idea of moving to Majorca from central London, I really didn’t want to. I had never lived outside of London and it seemed quite daunting. However, once we set foot on this beautiful island, we fell head over heels in love with it. Recently, we have been involved in various sports like horse riding and tennis. I ride a sweet pony named Bimbo in a stables tucked inside the Tramuntana mountains. My brother Leo, on the other hand, plays tennis for hours every day after school. Our school is very international and we love the teachers. It’s stimulating learning in such a new environment. In school we are…

Summer Reading Challenge When the summer holidays finally arrive there will be more time than ever to explore the endless world of books. Why not join the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge now and keep track of what you read? From 21 June to 30 September, you can set a reading goal on the challenge website and log any books you read. When you reach your goal, you get a limited edition online badge and certificate. You could also get in touch with your local library to take part in person. For more information and to get involved, ask an adult to visit summerreadingchallenge.org.uk WIN A BADGE! Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving…

1 Where was the statue of a cat recently unveiled? ☐ a) Catterick ☐ b) Catford ☐ c) Saltburn 2 True or false? Spanish is the most popular GCSE foreign language subject. ☐ True ☐ False 3 What species of crocodile lives in Jamaica? 4 Which author said they didn’t like the film versions of their books? ☐ a) J.K. Rowling ☐ b) Emily Brontë ☐ c) Rick Riordan 5 True or false? The Shard is the tallest building in the world. ☐ True ☐ False 6 How many rhinos are there left across the world? 7 Which king ordered the first Royal Observatory to be built? ☐ a) King Charles I ☐ b) King Charles II ☐ c) King Charles III 8 What’s the name of the poisonous substance…