Innholdsfortegnelse for 506 i The Week Junior

Scientists have been studying elephants’ signals. Which animal would you most like to understand and why? See how the scientists tested the elephants on page 12. School chef Nathan Scarlett teaches pupils how to make different dishes. Which dish from your school dinner menu would you like to learn to make? Read more about how Scarlett became a Chef Champion on page 11. Sailors on long voyages used to live on meat and a dry type of biscuit called hard tack. If you had to choose one food for a long voyage, what would it be? Tuck into some fascinating biscuit facts on page 14. The big debate Should photos be banned in art galleries? Page 10.…

On 18 August, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky met US president Donald Trump for a meeting to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. Since February 2022, Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale invasion by Russia. Where was the meeting held? The meeting took place at the White House in the US capital city, Washington DC. The White House is the official home of the US president. Trump and Zelensky were joined by the leaders of several European countries, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France’s president Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz. Mark Rutte, NATO’s top official, was also there. NATO is a military alliance between 32 countries who agree to defend each other. The last time Trump and Zelensky met, in February, they had an…

A school chef was recently named Chef Champion at the Jamie Oliver Good School Food Awards. The awards recognise those who cook healthy food and make mealtimes a positive experience for pupils. Nathan Scarlett works at Henry Cavendish Primary School in London, and he told The Week Junior that he received his award during an assembly. “It was such a surprise,” he said, “All the children were cheering.” One of the reasons Scarlett won is because he includes the pupils when he’s planning meals. There’s a meal ambassador from every class and they all help him write the menus. A particular favourite among the pupils is Taco Tuesdays. Scarlett also makes food fun by running cooking workshops. He’s taught pupils how to make dishes such as sausage rolls, hot cross…

A recent study has shown that elephants use a range of different gestures to tell others when they want something. It’s the first time the behaviour has been observed in animals other than primates (the group that includes apes, monkeys and humans). A gesture is a movement of the body that expresses an idea without using words. Examples of human gestures include pointing, nodding, shaking your head or shushing with your finger against your lips. In animals, scientists see gestures as a complex way of communicating. Elephants communicate in lots of ways. Previous research has found they flap their ears and make sounds to say hello to their friends. Their poo also contains chemical signals, which can show other elephants who they are and how they are feeling. Now, it…

Researchers have worked out how to detect Asian hornet nests by listening out for the unique buzzing sound that they make. These insects are an invasive species, which means they are not native to the UK and their presence can harm other wildlife that lives here. Asian hornets come from Southeast Asia and they were first recorded in the UK in 2016. They feed on lots of insects but are a particular threat to honey bees. One nest of Asian hornets can destroy an entire beehive in two to three days. The National Bee Unit says Asian hornets are becoming more common in the UK. There have been 73 recorded sightings so far this year, more than in the whole of 2024, which was a record-breaking year. Scientists from the…

Some types of farming are harmful to the planet, but that could change – thanks to human poo, a new study has found. A lot of crops need extra nourishment to grow, so farmers add substances called fertilisers to their soil to boost plants’ growth. These are important because they keep crops healthy and make sure that there is enough food for people and animals. Unfortunately they are expensive and come at an environmental cost. Every year, farmers around the world add a total of 205 million tonnes of fertiliser to their land. Fertilisers are usually a mix of three main chemicals: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (sometimes called potash). They are mostly made in factories by burning natural gas and mixing it with minerals dug out of the ground. It…

On 15 August, football fans enjoyed seeing the Premier League back in action. The 2025–26 season started with defending champions Liverpool beating Bournemouth 4-2. Six other teams also celebrated victories in their first games of the competition. The Premier League is the highest level of men’s football in England. One of Liverpool’s new players, Hugo Ekitiké, scored the team’s first goal. Mohamed Salah netted their fourth, his 187th Premier League goal for Liverpool since he joined them in 2017. Manchester City striker Erling Haaland helped his team to a 4-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored in each half and Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki also netted for City, who hope to win their ninth Premier League title this season. Sunderland are playing in the competition for the first time…

A fascinating new family exhibition has opened at Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, England. It’s called POO! and aims to answer people’s burning questions about number twos. When visitors step into the “Poo Lab”, they have the option to put on lab coats and goggles before they explore the exhibits and get handson. One of the activities involves making a model poo using brown Play-Doh, which can be displayed on a shelf in the exhibition. Of course, it wouldn’t be an exhibition about poo without some things to smell. Visitors can have a sniff of rhino dung and some very realistic recreated T. rex droppings. There’s also a freeze-dried modern human poo sample, on loan from the National Poo Museum on the Isle of Wight, England, and a game…

by Anna Woltz. Translated by Michele Hutchison (Rock the Boat) The Blitz is the name given to the bombing of Britain during the Second World War (1939–45). From 1940, German planes dropped bombs on London and other cities, destroying and damaging two million homes. Set in London during this time, this story follows 14-year-old Ella, who seeks shelter every night in the London Underground with her little brother, Robbie. They forge an unlikely friendship with Quinn, who has run away from home and plans to “do her bit” for the War effort. There’s also Quinn’s brother, Sebastian, and Jack, who Ella initially dislikes. This captivating novel vividly describes the details of a wartime city. Best suited to older readers, it’s a sometimes sad story of friendship and growing up. WIN!…

The bookshop for top reads Cliff Bookstore in Luocheng, China, is set into the rocky edge of a sinkhole several hundred metres deep. A sinkhole is a natural hole in the ground that forms as water dissolves rock over time. The shop’s wall of books is against a rock face that is 100 million years old in the Mianhua Sinkhole Scenic Area. The idea is that visitors can enjoy a good book while relaxing in nature. Book lovers can reach the shop along mountain paths. A Pokémon card worth a fortune A rare Pikachu “Illustrator” Pokémon card recently sold in the US for around £460,000, making it one of most valuable trading cards of all time. It was illustrated by Atsuko Nishida and although it didn’t reach the £3.9 million…

Name: Sophie “Me and my friends Safiya and Amara were finding it hard to hear about the crisis in Gaza on the news. We felt the children there were probably just like us; playing with their friends, arguing with their siblings and grumbling about homework… but then everything changed for them. We wanted to do something to help, and to show we care. So we decided to do a non-stop hula hooping extravaganza for an hour (with no breaks!). The three of us went door to door asking our neighbours to sponsor us, and altogether we raised £232.87 for the charity War Child. It was a fun challenge but it took determination and perseverance. Some of our neighbours came out to cheer us on while we did it, which helped!…

Vote for your favourite book cover The deadline to vote for The Week Junior Book Awards 2025’s Cover of the Year is fast approaching. Vote for the cover that you think is the most creative, eye-catching and appealing from a shortlist of five books. The cover that receives the most votes before the deadline of 4 September will be the winner. You can find out more about the five shortlisted book covers and vote as many times as you like by visiting theweekjuniorbookawards.co.uk/vote25 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 Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery…

Do you know what a gong farmer did? What about a night soil man? Actually, they had the same job – they were poo collectors. Before the invention of toilets that flushed, when people went to the loo their waste would collect in pits. Night soil men would come and dig out the pits when they were full and cart the poo out of the city. It would end up on farms in the surrounding countryside, where it would be spread on fields to help crops grow. Scientists have been looking to the past for solutions to modern problems – and it looks like the gong farmers might have been onto a good idea. On page 16 you can read about “biochar”, where human poo is being treated and turned…

TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONS On 9 August, Britain’s men’s tug of war team won a gold medal at The World Games in Chengdu, China. Tug of war involves two teams pulling on a rope against each other. The British team’s youngest puller, Jack Routley, said it was the “best sport ever”. BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES In the town of Nannup, western Australia, thousands of bright orange monarch butterflies have shown up. Their bright arrival is being celebrated, although they have been attracted there by an invasive plant that is not native to Australia and can be harmful. The butterflies like to lay their eggs on the plant. A PAIR OF GRAPEFRUIT TREES On 7 August, two grapefruit trees in southwest London were given special protection. Grapefruit trees are tropical plants, rarely seen…

Eurasian lynx A project aiming to reintroduce Eurasian lynx in the UK has found that 72% of people in Northumberland, England (where the scheme wants to place the cats), are in favour of the plan. Lynx went extinct in medieval Britain because of hunting and habitat loss. • LIFESPAN: Up to 17 years. • HABITAT: Forests and rocky areas across parts of Asia and Europe. • SIZE: 90–110 centimetres. • DIET: Mammals including deer or sometimes foxes. • FUN FACT: They have huge paws that help them to walk on snow.…

Australia men’s basketball team At the Asia Cup final in Saudi Arabia, Australia defeated China by 90 points to 89. Australia have now won the tournament three times in a row. London Spirit In the women’s Hundred cricket competition, London Spirit beat Birmingham Phoenix by 88 runs. Keely Hodgkinson The British athlete won the women’s 800 metres race at the Diamond League in Poland. It was her first competition since winning gold at the Olympics last August. Akie Iwai Iwai, from Japan, won her first Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour title at the Standard Portland Classic in the US.…

Why are you interested in the Second World War? My dad is a lot older than the dads of all my friends: he lived through the war as a kid in Amsterdam. When I was young, my dad would tell all these war stories at the dinner table. What languages do you speak? Dutch, English and German. And enough French to buy une baguette or un livre. Favourite bit of the book? It might be the really intense scene where Jack and Ella decide to stay out in a park during an air raid. Who do you resemble most out of the book’s characters? I hope Quinn: she’s fearless and independent. But when I was 14, I was more like Ella. I felt insecure and unattractive, but I dreamt about…

People have been battling with their Pokémon since the first games came out in 1996 in Japan. However, the latest Pokémon game is about something else: puzzling. Pokémon Friends came out by surprise in July, announced and released on the same day for Android and Apple phones as well as for Nintendo’s Switch consoles. It’s not a game that’s designed to be played for hours at a time. Instead, it’s about solving a few puzzles every day. There are more than 1,200 puzzles available in the full game – and Pokémon characters appear in them all. You might be finding your way through an ice maze with Piplup, connecting electrical circuits with Pikachu, or tunnelling to find treasure with Drilbur, for example. The puzzles are easy at the start but…

A famous US news magazine called Time has recognised 10 “girls of the year”, and will feature them on a special digital cover. The project aims to challenge stereotypes and celebrate girls’ achievements around the world. Among them is 13-year-old Scottish schoolgirl Rebecca Young, who created a solar-powered electric blanket after seeing homeless people struggling with cold temperatures in the city of Glasgow. Her design captures sunlight during the day and stores its energy in a battery pack that provides warmth at night. The invention won a UKwide engineering competition, and an engineering firm has now made 30 of the blankets for Glasgow homeless charities, and plans to make 120 more. Homeless Project Scotland has said the blankets are already making a difference. “If you see a problem you think…

On 15 August, a service was held at the National Memorial Arboretum to mark 80 years since Victory over Japan (VJ) Day. The arboretum, in Staffordshire, England, is a place to remember people who have served the UK, including wars (see panel). What is VJ Day? VJ Day is the date on which Japan announced its surrender at the end of the Second World War (1939–1945). It was on 15 August 1945 and it brought an end to six years of conflict that involved more than 70 countries, including the UK. Between 70 million and 85 million people were killed during the war. Japan’s announcement came about a week after the US dropped atomic bombs (very powerful weapons) on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan signed the official…

The Frick Collection in New York was once the home of a rich American called Henry Clay Frick. Walking through its dazzling galleries is like stepping back in time, and visitors can get up close to famous works by artists including Rembrandt and Monet. Recently, the gallery decided to make an important change; it decided to ban photography in its galleries. This contrasts with New York’s Museum of Modern Art, where selfie-seekers hope to take the perfect shot of Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, or London’s National Gallery, which lifted its ban on mobile phones in 2014. Some art fans are glad there won’t be lots of people holding up cameras or taking selfies, but critics say the new rule isn’t fair. What do you think? Should taking photos be…

This dazzling bird is the UK’s most colourful but they are often hard to spot because they fly very quickly. August is a good time to try because young kingfishers have learned to fish and their parents push them away, forcing them to find their own territory. The birds are found across most of the UK, usually along rivers, streams and lakes, and they live in burrow-like nests close to water. Measuring 15–17 centimetres long, kingfishers have a bright blue back and an orange breast, with spots on their head and white patches around their neck. They have a black bill (beak), and females have an orangey-red patch at the base of their bills. Kingfishers sit in tree branches close to water, diving in or flying fast and low over…

This year, the biscuit company McVitie’s is celebrating 100 years of chocolate digestives. About 80 million packets are made every year and a 2020 survey found they were the UK’s favourite biscuit. Having a cup of tea and a biscuit – whether it’s a crumbly shortbread, a crisp wafer or a cream-filled sandwich – is a classic tradition in Britain. As you munch, though, have you ever wondered how they became so popular? Where did biscuits come from? Biscuits can be traced back around 2,000 years to the ancient Romans. They used to re-bake bread to make it crisp, which was a way to make it last longer. The name for biscuits comes from the French word bis-qui, which has its roots in the Latin phrase panis biscotus, meaning “bread…

BIG PICTURE NATURAL WORLD COMPETITION…

Whether you’re starting a new school, moving to a different area or just want to meet more people, any time is a good time for making new friends. What makes a good friend? If you’re doing something fun or facing a challenge, who would you want with you? Having people who support you and make you smile is important. Dr Eileen Kennedy-Moore – also known as Dr Friendtastic – is a psychologist (someone who studies the way we think, feel and behave). She says good friendships feel good most of the time and bring out the best in you. As well as having fun, you can trust each other with your private thoughts and feelings. Good friends accept you for who you are, however bad your jokes may be, and…

Hidden Treasure by Jessie Burton (Bloomsbury Children’s) On the banks of the River Thames, two children each chance upon half of a priceless treasure. When the pieces are reunited, it holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they’ve lost. But should it be put back together? This beautiful adventure story sparkles with mystery and magic. Tales of London Town by Joan Aiken (Manderley Press) Author Joan Aiken is best known for her classic adventure The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, but she wrote lots of other stories for both adults and children. This is a selection of her short stories set in imaginary parts of London, full of strange and wonderful characters. It also has a new introduction by author Kiran Millwood Hargrave. Shadow…

Name: Scarlett Scarlet and Ivy: The Dance In The Dark by Sophie Cleverly “Exciting, warm and mysterious. This inspired me to make treasure hunts for my brother. For anyone who likes puzzles and mystery.” 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.*…

Are you heading to the seaside on your summer holiday? Whether you make it to the beach or not, you can craft your own beach scene by following the steps below. We’ve got shells, shiny fish and a seagull but you can add whatever makes you think of the seaside. Maybe it’s an ice cream, a striped umbrella or a starfish. Foil or foil containers with wrinkles are great for making fish and shells. You can make shells from small paper cake cases in any colour. See what materials around the house you can use to make your scene (but ask permission from an adult first). What you need • Thick card • Scissors • Glue • Wooden lolly sticks or stirring sticks • Paints • Brushes • Sandpaper •…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. AGOUTI BAMBOO RAT BEAVER CAPYBARA CAVY CHIPMUNK COYPU DEGU DORMOUSE GERBIL GOPHER GUINEA PIG HAMSTER LEMMING MARMOT MOLE RAT MUSKRAT PORCUPINE SQUIRREL WATER RAT Split words Piece together the pairs or groups of letters to find tree-related words. Sudoku Place the numbers from 1 to 6 exactly once in each row, column and 2x3 bold-lined box, to complete the grid. 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 188 301 470 485 537 4 numbers 1335 2617 4748 6868 5 numbers 23655 31453 41422 6 numbers 268384 587561 771084 7…

Teacher’s name: Miss Mayo School: Haslingfield Endowed Primary School, Haslingfield, Cambridge “Miss Mayo has had a fantastic first year as a newly qualified teacher, we’ve been so lucky to have her. She makes every lesson fun, especially drama and English, and she put on the best Treasure Island-themed class assembly the school has ever seen. She is always very supportive of everyone. Thank you Miss Mayo for being the best teacher ever!” Georgina, Maera, Molly and Harriet 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 you call a bear with no teeth? A…

“On the weekend I went to Tuff Nutterz with my friends Yaya and Minnie in my local park. It’s a giant inflatable course that you can do. I got quite tired but it was sooo fun.” Lola “We made the mango lassi from issue 502. We made it with our mum, followed all the steps and added some sprinkles on the top to make it extra special.”Eduard and Vladyslav “In July I set myself a challenge to run 21km in 21 days with my daddy to raise money for Shelter Cymru. It was fun but a bit tiring. I raised £551. The money will be used to support the work Shelter Cymru do across Wales. I feel very proud of myself!”Megan “I thought I should do something with my collection…

1 Thirteen-year-old schoolgirl Rebecca Young created a solar-powered what? ☐ a) Skateboard ☐ b) Blanket ☐ c) Calculator 2 True or false? The World Pipe Band Championships took place in Inverness, Scotland. ☐ True ☐ False 3 Which country recently made history with its first international football match? 4 At which museum have people been banned from taking photos? ☐ a) The National Gallery ☐ b) The Louvre ☐ c) The Frick Collection 5 True or false? There is an exhibition all about school dinners at the Food Museum in Suffolk, England. ☐ True ☐ False 6 How old was the youngest competitor in the World Surf League competition in Tahiti? 7 What are young kingfishers doing at this time of year? ☐ a) Shedding feathers ☐ b) Going without…