Table of contents for 389 in The Week Junior

The US has announced that it will work with other countries to supply Ukraine with fighter jets. This was revealed by US president Joe Biden during an important meeting called the G7 summit. What is the G7? G7 stands for “Group of Seven”, and is made up of seven wealthy and powerful countries. It was formed in 1975, and the members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. Every year, there is a G7 summit (meeting) for the leaders of these countries to discuss and make agreements on global issues. This year’s meeting was hosted in Hiroshima, Japan, from 19 to 21 May. What did Biden announce? Part of Biden’s plan includes allowing other countries to send F-16 fighter jets (which are a type of US…

When artist Sarah Knights was asked by Tatler magazine to create a portrait of King Charles for its coronation cover, she had one problem – without any personal connections to the King, she could only base it on photos of him. However, Knights, who is from the Caribbean island of Trinidad, didn’t let that put her off, and set about painting her own unique portrait. She asked her husband to pose for her as the King, and decided that she would paint him against a pink background. In the photo she used, the King faces to the left but in her portrait Knights turned him around. “I thought it was appropriate for him to face east – the rising of the Sun, the beginning of a new day, a new…

Falu This deep red colour originated from copper mines in Falun, Sweden. The leftover minerals produced by mining can be mixed with a liquid called linseed oil to create a warm red paint. It is often used to paint barns and houses in Estonia, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Vantablack This is a shade of paint developed by a company called Surrey Nanosystems to use in space exploration. It’s so dark that it can absorb 99.96% of a light source shining directly at it. Until 2015, it held the world record for the darkest man-made substance. Gamboge Gamboge can vary from a deep saffron to a mustard yellow colour. It’s a natural pigment that comes from trees in Southeast Asia. Although the tree pigment is orange-brown, it becomes yellow when it…

A professor has accidentally come across the bones of an ancient sea monster that were tucked away in a museum drawer. David Martill discovered part of a backbone at Abingdon County Hall Museum in Oxfordshire, England. The bone was one of four fossils (impressions of ancient plants or animals that have turned into rock and been preserved in the ground) that have now been identified as belonging to a pliosaur from 150 million years ago. These enormous marine reptiles swam in the seas that covered southern England at the time. The bones had been found at a nearby farm and put in storage. Student Megan Jacobs was visiting the museum with Professor Martill to photograph dinosaur bones. She said, “Dave opened the drawer and there was a huge backbone in…

VOTE NOW! Which of these beautifully designed book covers do you think is the best? Be sure to cast your vote at theweekjuniorbookawards.co.uk/voting before midnight on 8 August 2023. The winner will be announced on 2 October 2023.…

Have you ever noticed you feel good and happier after helping someone else? Volunteering isn’t just great for the people or cause you support, it can boost your wellbeing too. Volunteers’ Week takes place every year from 1 to 7 June and is a good opportunity to find out how helping others makes you feel better as well. What is volunteering? Volunteering means giving your time, energy or skills without expecting anything in return. Millions of people around the country volunteer every year, and there are lots of ways you can join them, including raising money for charity; helping in your local community garden or park; or even carrying a neighbour’s shopping home. The theme for this year’s Volunteers’ Week is Celebrate and Inspire, which highlights all the different people…

Who is your favourite character in the book? Gorgo. She is a Spartan princess who inherits an ability from her parents to turn into a wolf. Which city in the world is the most historically interesting for you? Rome. It boasts 3,000 years of history and a dazzling array of monuments left by emperors and popes. There is nowhere quite like it. Do you have any special writing rituals? I can’t sit down to write unless I have first made a cup of tea. Fact or fiction? I like true stories that are so amazing they are better than fiction.…

Holly King-Mand is a writer, presenter and campaigner for literacy (the ability to read and write). She loves giving children top tips for improving their written work. Parents can find out more about Holly’s live and interactive online classes at hollysclassroom.com You probably do longer pieces of writing quite often. Perhaps you enjoy creative writing, such as stories or poetry, or you write essays at school. Even letters count – to relatives to share your news, or to your local MP to protest about something. Whatever it is, it’s important to get it right. Your first draft might not be your very best work. That is completely normal and actually it’s a good thing. Reflecting on your work and redrafting it is what professional writers do to ensure they produce…

1 Which of these countries is not a member of the G7? ⬜ a) Italy ⬜ b) Japan ⬜ c) Ukraine 2 True or false? The first space shuttle to dock with the International Space Station was called Voyager. ⬜ True ⬜ False 3 How many times has Kami Rita Sherpa climbed Mount Everest? 4 True or false? A banana is a type of berry. ⬜ True ⬜ False 5 Who did artist Sarah Knights draw for the cover of Tatler magazine? ⬜ a) Queen Elizabeth II ⬜ b) King Charles III ⬜ c) Prince William 6 What is a hammerhead shark’s favourite meal? 7 Which colour is used to dye the robes of Buddhist monks? ⬜ a) Gamboge ⬜ b) Falu ⬜ c) Vantablack 8 True or false? The…

DOING A MEGA MATHS QUIZ On 17 May, thousands of children around the UK took part in the first ever nationwide mass maths quiz for National Numeracy Day. The event included a dance to get them moving before they started. The organisers say that 50,000 children took part. BEACHES IN WALES Blue Flag Awards have been awarded to 25 beaches in Wales. The awards are given to beaches for the quality and cleanliness of their water. This is a globally recognised award and the beaches must be classified as “excellent” to receive the Blue Flag. The number of Welsh Blue Flag beaches is the same as last year. TRAINING GUIDE DOGS Guide dogs have taken part in special training at a puppy boot camp. It has been organised by a…

Local elections in Northern Ireland have made Sinn Féin the political party with the most councillors for the first time. Councillors represent their local areas and make decisions on services such as libraries, leisure facilities and waste. Sinn Féin wants Northern Ireland (which is part of the UK) to be united with the country of Ireland as a single nation. The party also has the most representatives in the Northern Ireland Assembly, where laws are made.…

Rome, Italy Protesters turn fountain black On 21 May, climate change protesters poured charcoal into the Trevi Fountain, a famous tourist attraction, turning the water black. The activists were criticising the government for spending money on fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and gas. Burning fossil fuels contributes to extreme weather and Italy has experienced very bad flooding this year. New York, US Picasso’s dog uncovered Art experts at the Guggenheim Museum have uncovered a dog, painted over by Pablo Picasso in a piece called Le Moulin de la Galette. They used a special type of X-ray that can detect paint chemicals using light. The dog is no longer visible but the team recreated what it might have looked like: a Cavalier King Charles spaniel wearing a bow. Mexico City,…

1937–2023 Terrence Hardiman made a super-scary headmaster. When he raised his dark glasses, his sharp green eyes would hypnotise his pupils into chanting lines like “the headmaster is a marvellous man”. His character once said, “It’s a pity there should be children at all”. Hardiman played the terrifying head in a CBBC series called The Demon Headmaster in the 1990s. It was one of his most famous roles. Although on screen he played a mean character, off screen Hardiman was very kind-hearted and would talk to the children on set and spend time with them so they wouldn’t be frightened by the show. Young people recognised him in the streets and made fun of him but, he told the BBC, he felt that was “very healthy. It stopped me being…

This tall plant grows beside roads, along hedgerows and on the edge of woodland all over the UK. Its flower umbels (umbrella-shaped clusters) bloom from May to June. Cow parsley is hollow stemmed. From the main stalk, smaller stalks fan out and are topped with lots of small white flowers. Its leaves look a bit like small ferns, with pairs opposite each other on each stem. Cow parsley is part of a plant family called umbellifers, which includes celery, carrot and parsley. Rabbits eat it, and the flowers attract insects and pollinators including bees, butterflies and hoverflies. Cow parsley looks very like hemlock, which is poisonous, and giant hogweed, which causes blisters. If in doubt, look but don’t touch.…

At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, around 4,000 metres deep, lie the remains of the famous passenger ship Titanic. Now, for the first time, researchers have used 3D digital scans to create a detailed and complete picture of the shipwreck, The Titanic sank in April 1912 on its first journey from Southampton, England, to New York, US. The ship, which had been described as “unsinkable”, crashed into an iceberg and sank. The shipwreck wasn’t discovered until 1985. Since then it has been explored in detail by researchers. However, the ship is so big (nearly 270 metres long) that cameras have only ever captured images showing small parts of the wreck – never a complete picture. The Titanic shipwreck lies in two main pieces that are about 600 metres apart.…

Our Cover of the Year award, sponsored by Bookily, will be chosen by our readers. Have you heard the saying, “never judge a book by its cover”? Well, we’re asking you to do exactly that by looking at the 12 colourful covers on the opposite page and voting for the one you think is the most creative, appealing and eye-catching. How to vote • Head to our voting page at theweekjuniorbookawards.co.uk/voting • Take a closer look at each of the designs.• Once you’ve picked your favourite, simply select it from the dropdown menu and click VOTE NOW. • The winning cover will be revealed on 2 October 2023.…

On 21 May, Manchester City won the Premier League trophy. They beat Chelsea 1-0, with Julián Alvarez scoring City’s goal. The Premier League is the highest level of men’s football in England. Arsenal, who are in second place, had lost 1-0 at Nottingham Forest, meaning Manchester City would finish at the top of the table at the end of the season. Arsenal had led the competition for much of the season, which began in August 2022. Recently, Arsenal had some defeats and draws, giving Manchester City the chance to overtake them. City’s victory against Chelsea was their 12th in a row in the Premier League. Manchester City have now won the league for the three years in a row. They have been champions of England nine times in their history.…

Star Cat by James Turner and Yasmin Sheikh (David Fickling Books) Join Captain Spaceington and the hapless crew of the Star Cat as they blunder through space to confront some of the galaxy’s most notorious supervillains. There are plenty of hilarious adventures to enjoy in this spectacularly silly comic book. InvestiGators by John Patrick Green (Macmillan Children’s) Mango and Brash are alligator secret agents on a mission to fight crime. In this, their first adventure, they go undercover in a bakery. Armed with a moustache and a rolling pin, can they find out who has kidnapped top chef Gustavo? This colourful detective comic is packed with fast-paced fun and wacky, clever wordplay. Grimwood: Let the Fur Fly! by Nadia Shireen (Simon & Schuster Children’s) In the second book of this…

Name: Tess Mythical Beasts and Magical Creatures By Stephen Krensky “Informative, interesting, exciting. This is a wonderful but weird book about beasts you might never have heard about.” 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.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 4 letters Calf Clam Fish Orca 5 letters Krill Squid Whelk 6 letters Baleen Limpet Mammal Winkle 7 letters Abalone Bivalve Dolphin Mollusc 8 letters Barnacle Starfish Word search Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. ANCHOVY BACON BASIL CAPERS EGG GARLIC HAM HERBS MOZZARELLA MUSHROOM OLIVES ONION PARMESAN PEPPERONI PINEAPPLE PRAWNS SAUSAGE SPINACH TOMATO TUNA Puzzles page and quiz answers…

We are super-excited this week to announce the shortlists for our Book Awards! Over the next few weeks we will be reporting on all the categories and the judges who will have the almost impossible task of picking a winner in each group. We want your help too, with choosing the best book cover. Have a look on pages 16–17 to find out more. I realise I say this a lot, but we really love hearing from our readers. Not only do you send us in fantastic pictures, emails and letters about what you have been up to, you also send us brilliant ideas. This week’s All About (page 12) is a great example. It was inspired by a letter from 11-year-old Matthew from Sussex, England, who had seen our…

Meet young refugees To mark World Refugee Day, schools are invited to join the first Great Big Live Assembly – a free online event connecting school pupils with Syrian children who live in a refugee camp in Jordan. Already more than 150,000 children have signed up to take part. Organised by the charities Sanctuary Foundation, which supports refugees, and World Vision, which protects vulnerable children, the live assembly is a way for you to see a refugee camp and hear about the hopes and dreams of the people who live there. Starting at 9.05am on 20 June, join hosts Dr Krish Kandiah OBE and Danylo Minenko, a Ukrainian refugee. Speak to your teacher about joining and sign up at tinyurl.com/TWJ-LiveAssembly GET INVOLVED Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk…

Teacher’s name: Miss Price School: Gilwern Primary School, Abergavenny, Wales “We chose her as Teacher of the Week because she is so kind, funny and creative. We all Love Miss Price because we do so many different and joyful things with her. She loves her job, and every year she says, ‘You are the best Year 6 class I’ve ever taught!’” Ella and the rest of Year 6 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…

The rival sides in Sudan’s civil war (a conflict between people living in the same country) have agreed to a seven-day ceasefire (an agreement to stop fighting for a certain period). The aim of the ceasefire is to allow aid organisations to help people not involved in the fighting and restore hospitals and services like electricity and running water. It is too dangerous to do this when there is fighting. The US and Saudi Arabia arranged the ceasefire, and announced that it would start on 22 May and last for a week. Several attempts to stop the fighting have failed. However, the US and Saudi Arabia will watch the ceasefire closely to try to make sure that fighting really does stop as planned. If it is successful, the ceasefire could…

Water companies in England have apologised for repeated sewage spills into rivers and the sea in 2022. Why is sewage in the water? Sewage systems often use pipes that carry dirty water from bathrooms, kitchens and toilets along with rain water. This waste is usually carried to sewage-treatment works, where substances that can harm the environment and wildlife are taken out. However, after heavy rain the system can get very full. This means that sewage could flood back up the pipes and into people’s homes. To prevent this, water companies are allowed to pump raw (untreated) sewage into rivers and the sea. In 2022, raw sewage was pumped into England’s rivers and streams an average of 825 times a day. The Government and campaign groups have said this is far…

Imagine being able to eat raspberries and not having to worry about getting seeds stuck in your teeth. In the US, a company is developing seedless blackberries using GE. In Japan you can buy tomatoes that contain a natural chemical that can help people feel calm. In England, the Government hopes the new law will allow farmers to produce better crops for eating and make farming more sustainable (better for the environment). The law will eventually allow GE to be used on animals that people eat, like cows and pigs. Supporters say it could help farmers produce more food and make vegetables tastier and better for you. Others think it’s unnatural and might cause problems for humans and the natural world. What do you think? Should we eat gene-edited food?…

Scalloped hammerhead sharks hold their breath to keep their bodies warm while they’re diving into cold water, a study has found. Researchers from the University of Hawaii, US, knew that scalloped hammerhead sharks do deep dives at night. They had found deep water squid in the stomachs of some sharks, so they assumed they dived to hunt. Hammerheads are cold-blooded (their temperature is controlled by their environment rather than their bodies). Getting very cold affects how well brains and muscles can work. With temperatures in the deep ocean as low as 5°C, the scientists were puzzled by how the sharks could do these deep dives and come back unharmed. To find out more, scientist Mark Royer and his team captured three of the sharks. They attached instruments to their fins…

What’s your favourite colour? Almost everyone at some point in their life is asked that question – and there are plenty of shades to choose from. However, around three million people in the UK see colour very differently. That’s because they are affected by something known as colour blindness. How do we see colour? In the 1660s, the scientist Sir Isaac Newton worked out that objects do not contain the colours that we see. Instead, they reflect the colour that we see and absorb the other colours. For example, a red apple does not contain the colour red. Instead, the apple reflects light back to us that we see as red and it absorbs all the other colours. Special cells called receptors in the eye take in the light and…

Each of The Week Junior’s Book of the Year award winners will be chosen by a panel of judges made up of experts, authors and a few famous faces. They are all big fans of children’s books – and that’s just as well, because they need to read a lot of them before they meet to discuss which books should take home our trophies. The Week Junior Book Awards are brought to you by The Bookseller and The Week Junior, headline sponsor Bookily and partners LoveReading4Kids and World Book Day.…

Katarina Johnson-Thompson The British athlete came first in two races at the Loughborough International event. She won the 100 metres hurdles and was part of the 4 x 400 metres relay team. Brooks Koepka Koepka, from the US, won the US PGA Championship. It’s one of the four “Majors”, which are the biggest titles in men’s golf. Chantelle Cameron The British boxer defeated Katie Taylor, who is from Ireland, to keep hold of her light welterweight champion title. Glasgow City In the Scottish Women’s Premier League football competition, Glasgow City won the league with a dramatic 1-0 win over Rangers.…

For fans of superheroes, an exciting new film is swinging into cinemas on 2 June. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the second animated film in a series about adventures in the multiverse (different universes). The series follows Miles Morales, a teenager from Brooklyn, in the US, who has gained mysterious powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider. However, Miles isn’t the only Spider-Man. There are countless Spider-People across the multiverse and they must all work together to protect their own universes. When the heroes clash, Miles has to try to protect the people he loves. Disney fans can take a trip under the sea with the brand new film, The Little Mermaid. This is a live-action remake of the original animated film from 1989, which means it includes real…

by Tom Holland. Illustrated by Jason Cockcroft (Walker Books) This book is the gripping story of Gorgo, Princess of Sparta. When the cities of Athens and Sparta come under threat from the Persian Empire, Gorgo must draw on all her strength – including ancient wolf powers and the blood of Zeus that runs in her veins – to lead her nation in a great war. This is the first children’s book by historian Tom Holland and it tells a captivating tale of battles, beasts, gods and heroes, inspired by the real history of the Persian Wars. This truly epic adventure includes elements of ancient Greek myth and legend, and it is full of magic, mystery, danger, excitement and wonder. Striking illustrations by Jason Cockcroft bring its ancient landscapes and heroic…

Wouldn’t tidying your bedroom be easier if you could just roll up all the mess into a big ball and pop it in the corner? Unfortunately, that isn’t possible in real life but in video games it’s another story. We Love Katamari Reroll+ Royal Reverie has a slightly complicated name but the game itself is very simple. You play a prince whose job involves rolling everything he can see into a big ball – called a katamari. You start small with items like pencils, sweets, toys and cutlery, pushing your ball into them to make them stick together. As the ball grows, you can roll up even bigger items, and eventually you’ll be rolling up street signs, cars and even buildings, as if you were in the world’s strangest disaster…

Breaking records under the sea A researcher who has earned the nickname “Dr Deep Sea” has broken the record for the longest time spent living and working underwater. Professor Joseph Dituri has been living in a small room that lies nine metres underwater in Florida, US, for more than 74 days. The record is part of an experiment to find out how living underwater affects the human body. Dituri celebrated his new record by eating eggs and salmon, exercising and then having a nap. A caravan that’s fit for a king The motor home of the future looks something like a lighthouse crossed with a caravan. A design company in Berlin has used a computer program to come up with what it thinks will be the future of the house on…

Name: Dottie “The Coronation party at Isleworth Bowls club was spectacular. I loved the raffles and the bouncy castles. My mum is a Labour Party councillor for Brentford East ward in the London borough of Hounslow and councillor Sue Sampson of Isleworth ward helped to organise this party for the community to celebrate this historic event. I loved it when the King and Queen showed up, it was very funny. They presented all the children with commemorative badges and medals for participating in making crowns. It really did bring the community together.” What have you been up to lately? Which books have you enjoyed reading? What have you made? Have you written a poem or drawn a picture that you’d like to see published on this page? Whatever you have…

“I celebrated finishing my SATs with a trip to Longleat, I loved meeting the parakeets.”Jacob “Phoebe and Ziggy say no to the Big Debate on cats being kept inside at night. They love sleeping inside during the day but nighttime is when they play outside.”Izzy, Benji and Oli “Look at this strawberry! I speculate the farmers could have been playing some gaming music to their strawberries. This one looks like a gaming controller.”Anson…

We love hearing from you! It’s easy – just write a comment when you vote in our online Big Debate poll, or even record a voice note for The Week Junior Show. Should grey squirrels be on menus? You said… “I think no because squirrels deserve to stay alive and we should eat less meat.” “They should because it’s no different from beef and chicken.” “Eating grey squirrels is just as bad as eating rabbits. They are cute and should not be touched.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here. If you’ve enjoyed this issue, why not listen to our podcast, The Week Junior Show? Go to tinyurl.com/TWJ-show or scan the QR code above. We’d also like you to…