Table of contents for 501 in The Week Junior

A strike by video game actors has come to an end in the US. What is the best video game ever made – and why is it your top choice? Read about how the strike was resolved and what the actors achieved on page 5. Theme parks bring films, books or history to life in rides and attractions. Which world from a film, TV programme or book would you like to visit? Take a look at some of the world’s most famous theme parks on page 14. Bright blue cornflowers are blooming across the UK at the moment. What is your favourite summer flower? Find out where to see cornflowers growing on page 12. The big debate Are fruit sandwiches a good idea? Page 10…

President Donald Trump has announced that the US will send new military equipment to Ukraine for the first time since he became president in January. What happened? On 14 July, Trump held a meeting at the White House (the president’s official home) with Mark Rutte, the top official from NATO. NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a group made up of 32 countries, including the US, that support each other on security and defence issues. Trump announced that the US would provide Ukraine (which is not a NATO member) with “billions of dollars’ worth of military equipment”, although he didn’t provide much detail about which weapons would be included. He said the money for these weapons would be provided by other NATO countries, and that the equipment sent to…

The small boats plan was agreed during French president Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK. State visits to the UK are when foreign leaders are invited to visit the King. The royal family usually greets the leader with a ceremonial welcome and holds a state banquet – a formal dinner with around 150 guests. The leader also meets the UK Prime Minister and Government officials. Macron’s state visit was the first by a European leader since Brexit in 2020, when the UK withdrew from the European Union (EU), a group of 27 European countries that work and trade together.…

Last month, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla piloted the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). This made him the second person from India to travel to space and the first since 1984. Two of his crewmates – Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, from Poland, and Tibor Kapu, from Hungary – were also their countries’ first astronauts in more than 40 years. Shortly after lifting off, Shukla spoke to his nation. “This is not the start of my journey to the ISS, this is the beginning of India’s human spaceflight,” he said. “I welcome all my fellow Indians to be a part of this journey and feel proud and excited.”…

At a theme park you can expect rides and attractions with a theme. They might be inspired by a film or a book, or have a historic or geographical angle, such as the jungle or Vikings. Whether it’s a thrilling rollercoaster, a spooky haunted house or a fairy-tale village, theme parks are designed to be fun for all ages. One of the world’s most famous theme parks is Disneyland in California, US. It was the first Disney park to open, 70 years ago on 17 July 1955, and today there are Disney parks in six locations around the world. How did the parks start? Traditionally, people would gather for big religious celebrations or for markets where they could buy and sell things. These were good places to make money, and…

Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek Jannik Sinner won the men’s singles and Iga Swiatek took the women’s singles title at the Wimbledon tennis championships. British fans’ hopes were rewarded when Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool became the first all-British pair to win the men’s doubles at Wimbledon since 1936. Davina Perrin Perrin scored 70 from 48 balls to help the Bears cricket team reach the Women’s T20 Blast Finals Day. Chelsea Football Club Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup final by beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in New Jersey, US. Cole Palmer scored Chelsea’s first two goals and set up Joao Pedro for the third goal.…

Megamind Rules! The series follows the former supervillain Megamind, who ended up saving Metro City in the film Megamind and its sequel. He’s now adapting to life as the hero but is having to learn on the job. Available on ITVX. Maleficent This film is inspired by the 1959 movie Sleeping Beauty. It explores the story of Maleficent, the fairy godmother who puts a curse on Princess Aurora. Available to watch on Disney+. The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Mandy and Billy win a game of limbo against the Grim Reaper, forcing him to become their best friend. He joins them on bizarre adventures and often helps them out of difficulties. Available on Amazon Prime.…

Dora and the Search for Sol Dorado Available now on Paramount+ In this new film Dora finds an enchanted gold bracelet. It leads her on a quest into the Amazon rainforest, along with her friends Boots and Diego, to Sol Dorado to make a magical wish. They must find some lost treasure before villainous forces take control of its power. Justin Willman: Magic Lover Available now on Netflix In this hour-long magic and comedy special TV show, the popular American magician Justin Willman wows the audience with lots of amazing illusions and mischievous mind games. The mixture of comedy and magic with lots of audience participation won’t just blow your mind, it will make you laugh as well. Go Get Arty Available now on CBBC and BBC iPlayer Join the…

What do you enjoy about writing fantasy stories? I loved creating the world from scratch, deciding what Cloud Witches are, creating Ollipest Island and figuring out its origin story. You’re also an illustrator – which do you prefer, writing or drawing? Oh! That’s a hard question. I decided I wanted to be an artist when I was four, writing came later. I love both. I miss illustrating when I’m writing and vice versa. What is the friendship like between the characters? Dilly and Callum learn to trust each other very quickly. Just as well, since the island is full of secrets. Why flying umbrellas? The idea for the museum and its umbrellas arrived as a dream. I think memories of a sign I once saw for a Museum of Umbrella…

England and Wales have both been in action at the Euro 2025 women’s football tournament in Switzerland. The tournament is the latest sign of how the game’s popularity is growing in the UK and around the world. Women’s football is also part of several popular video games now. Women’s teams were first added to the FIFA game series in 2015 with FIFA 16. The series has since been renamed EA Sports FC, and since 2023 women have been part of its “Ultimate Team” mode, where players build their dream teams from famous players past and present. This year’s game has included releasing two “Path to Glory” Euro 2025-themed squads featuring the world’s top female players including Fridolina Rolfo and Pernille Harder, as well as English and Welsh stars. Matchday Champions…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. COACH DEFENCE FLAG FOUL GAME GATE GROUND KICK OFF LEAGUE MATCH PENALTY PITCH SEMI-FINAL TEAM TICKET TRAINING TROPHY UMPIRE WARM-UP WHISTLE 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? 4 letters DOOR PLAY 5 letters CHOIR CLASS PIANO PRIZE STAGE 6 letters HELPER NOTICE PRAYER SPEECH 7 letters CURTAIN MORNING WHISPER 8 letters ASSEMBLY CEREMONY ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 33 Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle…

With such a packed magazine every week, we have to plan far in advance. We can’t predict the news, obviously, but we come up with ideas for features months ahead of time – even years. In fact, in 2066, I think we should do All About the Norman Conquest, because it will be 1,000 years since the Battle of Hastings. I’ll put it down for issue 2,645. Closer to now, we prepared our feature on crafting butterflies (page 27) to mark the Big Butterfly Count, which starts on 18 July. Sometimes we move things to fit in something that’s happening now. A hot topic recently has been the craze for strawberry and cream sandwiches. We’ve made it this week’s debate (page 10). Thinking of odd mixtures, I once saw a…

The Russian president Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The invasion has been condemned by many countries, including the UK. Currently, Russia controls about 20% of Ukraine. Estimates suggest that about 400,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured since February 2022, and more than one million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured. The United Nations says that at least 13,500 civilians have died in Ukraine and more than 34,000 have been injured. More than 10 million Ukrainians have been forced to leave their homes.…

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL For the first time ever in women’s football, a sum of around £1 million looks set to be paid by a club for a striker. Arsenal have announced they will buy the 20-year-old Canadian striker, Olivia Smith from her current club and WSL (Women’s Super League) rivals, Liverpool. PINE MARTENS In Dartmoor, England, pine martens have bred in the wild there for the first time in more than 100 years. Last year, 15 of the cat-sized creatures were released. Now the first kits have been seen on video. Tracey Hamston from the Two Moors pine marten project said it “signals a positive step in nature’s recovery”. WEATHER WATCHERS On 14 July, Armagh Observatory in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland, marked 230 years of continuous weather observation. Since…

On 8 July, the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) voted in favour of a new “tourist tax”. The tax means people staying in hotels could be charged an extra £1.30 per night, and an extra 75p for people staying in hostels and campsites. The money would be used to look after tourist destinations such as beaches, footpaths and visitor centres. The new tax won’t come into effect until 2027, and local councils will decide whether to introduce the charges in their areas.…

The humble sandwich, originally made up of just meat and bread, now resembles everything from the Australian spaghetti jaffle, which contains spaghetti in tomato sauce, to the French croque monsieur, coated with melted cheese. The bread can be sliced and thin, thick like Italian focaccia, or a crusty baguette. Spreads include butter, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup and many more. A sandwich is essential in any good picnic, as well as a tasty late-night snack or afternoon treat. Since the Earl of Sandwich came up with this invention during a card game in 1762, the sandwich has become one of the most flexible and adaptable forms of food, but is a fruit sandwich a bite too far? What do you think? Are fruit sandwiches a good idea? Yes – they are a…

This bright blue flower was once seen growing with corn and other crops like wheat and oats, all over the UK. People thought of it as a weed and farmers almost wiped it out by using chemical sprays to protect their crops from it. You are now more likely to find cornflowers in gardens and meadows, where they have been deliberately sown as a mix with other wildflower seeds. It also grows on scrubland, farmland and roadside verges. Cornflowers grow up to 90 centimetres high and have long, pointy leaves. The flowers are made up of lots of small flowers; the outer ones are star-shaped and the inner ones are purple. In France, cornflowers are worn as a symbol of remembrance for war victims, just as the red poppy is…

The Government has announced that in September, it will test its system for sending alerts to mobile phones in the event of an emergency. On 7 September, anyone with a smartphone on a 4G or 5G network should receive a 10-second siren sound and a message at 3pm. The alert will reach about 87 million mobile phones, which will ring out even if they are on silent mode. The system is designed to warn people of dangers such as extreme weather events. Other countries, including the US and Japan, already use mobile phone alerts. The UK has used the system a few times over the past two years, mainly to warn people of severe storm conditions. It was also used to warn residents in Plymouth, England, to stay away from…

The summer holidays are nearly here and for lots of pupils it’s often a time of change – whether starting secondary school, moving up a school year or changing schools. It’s an exciting time full of new friends, lessons and experiences but it can feel sad to say goodbye to classmates, teachers, teaching assistants and school staff. Big changes One of the biggest worries people have when moving schools is about missing the people and place they’ve known for so long. “It’s totally normal to feel a bit sad or nervous about saying goodbye,” says psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer, an expert in how people think, feel and behave. “Big changes can feel scary at first, especially when you don’t know exactly what’s coming next. But it’s also a chance to…

The K-pop group BTS have delighted fans by announcing their comeback. K-pop, which stands for Korean Pop, is pop music from South Korea. The band, known for songs like Dynamite and Butter, announced they were taking a break to focus on their solo careers in 2022. Since then, members of the band have completed a period of military service, which is compulsory for men aged between 18 and 28 in South Korea. BTS revealed they would be releasing a new album in spring 2026. They said, “Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas.” The band also announced a tour for next year to go alongside the album, saying, “We’ll be visiting fans all around the world, so we hope you’re as excited…

Cruise Ship Kid: Thief at Sea! by Emma Swan. Illustrated by Katie Saunders (Usborne Publishing) The first book in a new series introduces us to Silver, a detective who lives on a cruise ship. Written as a diary with doodles and activities, it’s inspired by the author’s own experiences of growing up on a cruise ship. This is a fun mystery that’s about friendship too. Sandy Fin: Operation Splash Landing by Martin Stewart. Illustrated by Santy Gutierrez (Bloomsbury Children’s) Alexander “Sandy” Fin lives in the Museum of Seaside Stories alongside famous explorer Emile du Pont and their collection of treasures. Sandy learns the art of ocean exploration from Emile but the museum’s future is in danger, and it’s up to Sandy to save it. You’ll enjoy this quirky seaside story…

Name: Medhaswi The Village by the Sea by Paula Fox “Exciting, heartfelt and true. This book is a wonderful story about keeping faith and not giving up. I loved The Village by the Sea!” 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.*…

This week’s craft is inspired by the 2025 Big Butterfly Count, which runs from 18 July to 10 August. It’s a nationwide nature survey for the charity Butterfly Conservation. Anyone, anywhere in the UK, can join in; you just note all the types of butterfly you see during a 15-minute period and send in the results. The charity uses the information to check on the health of the environment. To find out more, ask an adult to go totinyurl.com/TWJ-count There are 59 butterfly species you can spot in the UK, or you can create your own, following the steps below. To display your butterfly, tape a thin garden stick to the back of it, then push the end into a plant pot. You could also hang them with thread taped…

Name: AJ “My friend Donnie has been through the toughest of journeys. He was diagnosed with leukaemia in January 2023 and has undergone countless tests, procedures and treatments since then. He has suffered nasty side effects, spent long stays in hospital and has missed out on a lot of the fun of being a kid. But Donnie has not complained, never sulked and never moaned. He has been so brave and has remained positive throughout. He has behaved in a way that many adults would struggle to do! I’m delighted to say that Donnie is doing very well now and, as he waits for a final procedure, we completed the Race for Life 5k Pretty Muddy Kids run in Basildon, Essex. It was Donnie’s way of giving back and saying…

Vote for your favourite cover Our Cover of the Year award is back for The Week Junior Book Awards 2025, and it’s all up to you, our readers. Vote for the cover that you think is the most creative, eye-catching and appealing from a shortlist of five books. The winner will be the cover that receives the most votes before the deadline of 11.59pm on 4 September. You can vote as many times as you like. Have a look at the shortlisted covers and cast your vote at 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…

“I went to Guystonbury with my Guides group last weekend – it was my first festival experience. I particularly enjoyed camping with my friends.”Evie “I made a magazine rack for my copies of The Week Junior from a cereal box. It’s really useful.”Peyton “Annoying my brother Ibrahim while he reads The Week Junior. He sat down to catch up with world affairs and I decided to give him a flavour of soft bubbles in his face!”Yusuf “I loved reading the Studio Ghibli article. We’re huge fans in my house. My family calls me Kiki, and my dog’s name is Jiji. And guess what? My mum’s name is Chihiro too!” Keanu We’re proud to be plastic-free The Week Junior is delivered without a wrapper. This decision was made in response to…

On 10 July, French President Emmanuel Macron and the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, agreed to try out a new scheme to reduce illegal immigration to the UK by people travelling in small boats, and help asylum seekers. Illegal immigration is when people move to a country without permission. Asylum seekers are people who have asked another country for protection. What is the plan? The leaders announced a “one in, one out” deal. Selected numbers of people who cross the English Channel in small, inflatable boats from France to the UK will be sent back to France. For each person returned to France, the UK will accept an asylum seeker with ties to the UK (such as having family members in the UK already) through a safe, legal route. Asylum…

Daisy Beattie describes herself as “a second-generation puppeteer”, because her mum was one and she started by helping her out in shows. Now a puppeteer and puppet-maker, Beattie studied theatre and set design at university, then did courses in wooden puppet carving and dress-making. She describes her job as “problem solving”, like working out what materials work best. Her problem solving often involves maths, like figuring out what angle a puppet’s arm should bend to. “We’re working with measurements and often scaling things up,” she explains. Her puppet ideas start out as little clay models, then she makes a jumbo-sized version to use on the stage. For her latest show, the puppets had to be waterproof. The Enormous Crocodile, a musical based on the book by Roald Dahl, is on…

The ocean is home to masses of small floating organisms called zooplankton. They’re between one millimetre and several centimetres in size, and they spend most of their lives asleep, deep in the ocean. New research has shone a light on how these small creatures are important for helping to protect the planet against global warming. The research, led by scientists from China, the UK and Canada, focused on the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean). The Southern Ocean is around one-sixteenth of Earth’s total ocean area. The team studied types of zooplankton called copepods, krill and salps. These all eat tiny plant-like organisms called phytoplankton, which live near the sea’s surface and absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases trap the Sun’s heat in the atmosphere, causing…

The kakapo population is set to receive a boost next year during the birds’ breeding season, which only happens every two to four years. The kakapo is the only species of flightless parrot, and it only lives in New Zealand. There are fewer than 250 birds, and they mostly live on islands free of non-native predators like rats and cats, which were brought in by people. However, efforts to boost populations are made harder because the birds don’t breed every year. Instead, their breeding season happens at the same time that the rimu tree produces large amounts of fruit and seeds – known as a mast event. Mast events are triggered by the previous summer’s temperatures and one is expected in 2026. Kakapos eat rimu berries, which contain the nourishment…

The organisers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament apologised following a fault with a new electronic line-calling system used in a match between Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal. Electronic line-calling (ELC) technology works through cameras set up around the court that track the ball’s movements. A computer uses the images to work out the ball’s location and path. Wimbledon uses a system called Hawk-Eye, which is said to be accurate to the nearest 2.2 millimetres. Last year, the tournament’s organisers announced that ELC would replace the line judges: the men and women who stood at the back of the courts watching carefully and shouting “out”, when a ball landed outside the line. Wimbledon still employs around 80 people as “match assistants” to step in if the technology stops working. During the…

Netball, rounders, football and gymnastics are sports you may have played at school. A scheme called Little Sticks hopes to get schoolchildren playing golf and enjoying the activity as part of their PE lessons. Little Sticks has been set up by Majesticks Golf Club, which is a team of professional players who compete around the world in the LIV Golf League. British golfers Ian Poulter and Sam Horsfield play for Majesticks and they recently joined an exciting event in Staffordshire, England, where young people tested their skills in a range of golf challenges. Little Sticks wants to show how it can be enjoyed by anyone. “It’s fun, stress-free, easy to get involved with and is a simple form of golf,” Poulter told The Week Junior. “We are not trying to…

The Bad Guys, a group of animal antiheroes, are back for their second film adventure. An antihero is a lead character who doesn’t have the typical heroic qualities, like being really good and brave. The gang, which is led by Mr Wolf, began the first movie as villains before changing their ways and saving the day. In The Bad Guys 2, they’re trying to adapt to life as law-abiding citizens. They’re not finding it easy, though, and when a new trio of villains turn up, their commitment to being good guys is put to the test. “The message is that change is hard,” director Pierre Perifel tells The Week Junior. “But going back to your comfort zone is not necessarily the right idea and the right path.” The films are…

by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick (Faber Children’s) Did you know that more than 10,000 umbrellas are lost on the London Underground every year? In this story, lost umbrellas are displayed in a museum on the island of Ollipest. Dilly comes to the island to live with her stern Aunt Florence. Ollipest is no ordinary island – it’s a magical place where houses can grant wishes, alleyways are secret portals and parrots turn into people. One of the museum’s lost umbrellas gives Dilly the ability to fly, and she realises she is descended from a line of powerful Cloud Witches. When the museum attracts a stranger with an “anti-magic” scheme, Dilly must unlock her powers to help keep the island safe, with the help of her new friend Callum. This entertaining fantasy tale…

The expression, “a picture is worth a thousand words” means a single illustration can tell you a lot about a story. In all the books on our graphic novel shortlist, the story unfolds as much in the illustrations as through the words on the page. Graphic novels have become very popular with readers in the past few years. These books show how all sorts of subjects can work in graphic novel form, including family life during the war or a wacky tale of a boy who turns into a unicorn. There’s something for everyone and the stories are funny, strange and thoughtful. Blitz: One Family’s War By Martin Impey (Harbour Moon Publishing) The story of a brother and sister living in London during the Second World War, showing how their…

Giant fish removed from lake Two large catfish, which could have grown up to 2.7 metres long, were recently captured in a lake at Dinton Pastures Country Park in Berkshire, England. The wels catfish – which don’t usually live in the UK – had been put in the lake illegally at some point, and were spotted by anglers (people who go fishing with a rod and a line). The local council arranged to have them removed, saying these “top predators” posed a danger to geese and swans, as well as other fish. Beach sculptures come alive A collection of giant strandbeests, which means “beach animals” in Dutch, is on display at the Prinsenhof Museum in Delft, the Netherlands until September. Artist and inventor Theo Jansen grew up near the sea,…

Teacher’s name: Mrs McKeown School: Carntall Primary School, Clogher, Northern Ireland “Mrs McKeown is kind, lots of fun in lessons, helps us when we are doing our work and knows how to keep order in class. We love the learning themes she prepares for us throughout the year. She brings in lots of interesting things for our “world around us” themes – she even brought in two real gas masks for us to look at.” Lavinia and Joseph 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 “Why did the pig cross the road? It wanted to…

1 Which Women’s Super League football club has agreed to buy player Olivia Smith from Liverpool? ☐ a) Chelsea ☐ b) Manchester United ☐ c) Arsenal 2 True or false? The Tree of the Year competition is organised by the Woodland Trust. ☐ True ☐ False 3 What does haute couture mean? 4 What type of filling is inside Marks & Spencer’s new best-selling sandwich? ☐ a) Orange and chocolate ☐ b) Kiwi and peanut butter ☐ c) Strawberries and cream cheese 5 True or false? The Enormous Crocodile is a book by Enid Blyton. ☐ True ☐ False 6 What type of animal is a kakapo? 7 In which country can you find the world’s oldest still-operating amusement park? ☐ a) Denmark ☐ b) France ☐ c) Germany ANSWERS…