Table of contents for 509 in The Week Junior

The plot of the new film Grow is based around a girl who enters a competition to grow a gigantic pumpkin. Which vegetable would you grow? Priya-Rose Brookwell, the film’s young star, talks about how she got the part on page 22. Thousands of people took part in the Great North Run, and many ran in funny costumes to raise money. If you were to do a fun run what sort of costume would you wear? Find some inspiring ideas on page 7. Eva and Emily bred harvest mice in their homes to help support the species.  If you could help one species, which would it be and why? Read more about Eva and Emily’s project on page 12. The big debate Should the Bayeux Tapestry be moved? Page 10.…

On 9 September, Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahmed, officially launched the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile river in a ceremony attended by many African leaders. The dam has caused tension with Egypt and Sudan, who are worried about how it may restrict their water supply. What is the GERD? The GERD is the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa. A hydroelectric dam generates electricity using the flow of water. A dam is a barrier built across a river to hold water back in a reservoir. When the water is released from the reservoir, the flow of water through a spinning turbine generates electricity. The GERD is built on the Blue Nile, a river that feeds into the Nile, which is the longest river in the world (see…

A SPECIAL RUNNER On 7 September, 87-year-old Barbara Thackray completed her final 10-kilometre (6.2 miles) race in Greater Manchester. Since taking up running 10 years ago, she has raised £34,000 for charity. Thackray said that after retiring from racing she’ll continue to run for fun. RARE BARN OWLS In County Down, Northern Ireland, barn owls have successfully bred on a farm for the third year in a row. Barn owls are one of Northern Ireland’s rarest birds. However, through working with conservation charities and installing nest boxes, the Kelly family farm in Ballyalton now has barn owls all year long. STAR WARS FANS On 4 September, a lightsaber used by the character Darth Vader in two of the original Star Wars films sold for about £2.7 million. Brandon Alinger, from…

On 7 September around 60,000 runners took part in one of the biggest half marathons in the world – the Great North Run. The 13.1-mile course, which started in Newcastle, England, made its way through Gateshead and South Tyneside before finishing in South Shields. Most of the runners taking part were raising money for charities and some even dressed up in crazy costumes like characters from Scooby-Doo and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. More than 3,600 people ran on behalf of the charity British Heart Foundation, raising around £520,000. Several celebrities also took part, including double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, fitness expert Joe Wicks and Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies. Kenyan athlete Sheila Chepkirui came first in the women’s elite race, which took place before the main run, finishing…

At Marlborough Road Academy in Salford, England, a new pantry is opening on the school grounds on 16 September. This is a food shop for local people, who pay a small membership fee. This lets them buy food there – at cheaper prices than in most other places. It is part of Your Local Pantry’s UK network of pantries. The idea came from a group of children at the school. One of them, 11-year-old Ayman, told The Week Junior that the children’s goal was to help people who are struggling to afford food. “We wanted to help our community in difficult times,” she said. There have been challenges. The shop was set up last year but the day after it opened there was a fire. They opened a smaller pop-up…

Two girls released 250 harvest mice into a nature reserve in Devon, England, on 27 August. The 13-year-olds bred dozens of the tiny rodents at their own homes over two years, as part of a plan to boost the species’ population. Harvest mice are vulnerable to weather changes and food shortages, so their numbers naturally go up and down. Over the last century property developments and new ways of using land have taken over or changed many of their habitats. Modern farming methods, such as using chemicals to kill pests on crops and combine harvesters (large machines that cut down and gather crops), are also dangerous for the mice. Scientists believe that the number of harvest mice in Britain is declining. Best friends Eva Wishart and Emily Smith decided to…

In the UK, 87% of pupils have a school meal at least once a week. More than half have school meals every day. These meals have been around in the UK for more than 100 years but they have changed a lot in that time. Lunch is an important part of the school day – but school dinners haven’t always been as nice as they are now. When did school meals start? School meals were introduced in the UK by the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906. This allowed local authorities to give free school meals to children whose families didn’t have much money. A woman called Margaret McMillan campaigned for this change. She argued that if children had to go to school, they needed a proper meal to fuel…

A team of researchers at South China Agricultural University have created glow-in-the-dark plants that can be recharged in sunlight. They can be made to glow with colours such as red, green and blue. Scientists have been researching glowing plants for many years. A recent study involved injecting particles of phosphor into plants. Phosphor particles absorb and store light, and then slowly give it out again over time. They’re already used to make glow-inthe-dark toys and paints. The team made a wall of 56 glowing plants, which could be charged using sunlight. The wall created enough light to see text, images and a person standing 10 centimetres away. The glow only lasted up to two hours but the plants can be recharged by exposing them to sunlight again. The scientists said…

Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz At the US Open tennis tournament, Sabalenka defeated Amanda Anisimova to take the women’s title. Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the men’s final. Scotland men’s football team Scotland beat Belarus and drew with Denmark in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Jacob Bethell The young batsman scored 110 runs to help the England men’s cricket team beat South Africa by a record 342 runs in their third one-day international. Rory McIlroy McIlroy won the Irish Open competition. The golfer from Northern Ireland beat Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren in a play-off.…

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Faber Children’s) This favourite animal tale, which is more than 100 years old, stars Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad of Toad Hall. It also features one of the most famous picnics in literature: Ratty’s “luncheon-basket”, packed with delicacies including cold chicken, cress sandwiches and ginger beer. Anne of Green Gables  by L.M. Montgomery. Illustrated by Ayesha L. Rubio (Puffin Books) When Anne Shirley is adopted by Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert and comes to live at their farm, Green Gables, she turns their lives upside down. This warm-hearted story includes delicious dishes and some culinary mishaps – from a cake disaster to an unfortunate mix-up with a bottle of raspberry cordial. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins) Hobbits love food – in fact they…

Name: Aoife The Minute Minders by Mary Murphy “Amazing, heartwarming, magical. All about tiny people who help humans. If you would like something magical then this is the book for you.” 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.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize.…

Scratch is one of the most popular free tools that children and young people use to learn coding skills. More than 135 million people have registered to use it so far. Soon, they’ll be getting some help with their programming projects from an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. AI is a computer system that can perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. Scratch recently announced that it is building a Creative Learning Assistant (CLA) that will offer tips and advice, whether you’re stuck trying to get something to work, or need inspiration for your next project. To show how the CLA works, Scratch used the example of a user wanting to match music with animations. The CLA can recommend dance party animations made by Scratchers and prompt the user to look…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BAG CARAMEL CARTON CINEMA CORN FLAVOUR HEATED KERNEL MICROWAVE OIL PLAIN POP SALTY SAVOURY SEASONING SHARE SNACK SWEET TOFFEE TUB Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of the numbers in the two circles directly beneath it. ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 33 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? 5 letters ITALY MALTA SPAIN WALES 6 letters FRANCE GREECE LATVIA NORWAY POLAND SWEDEN…

Christmas Jumper Day Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day is taking place on 11 December. The charity’s official head of wool, Shaun the Sheep, wants to find the perfect Christmas jumper design for the day. The winning design will be made into a real Christmas jumper – with profits from sales going to help children get essential food, healthcare and education. The charity has teamed up with British Wool for the competition, which is open to five to 11-year-olds. To find out more, ask an adult to visit shop.britishwool.org.uk/sts-jumper before the deadline on 30 September. 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…

1 How many countries does the Nile flow through? ☐ a) Five ☐ b) 10 ☐ c) 11 2 True or false? The charity Mary’s Meals feeds three million young people every school day. ☐ True ☐ False 3 In which country has an 18th century painting believed to have been stolen by the Nazis been found? 4 The Bayeux Tapestry shows which army invading England in 1066? ☐ a) The Romans ☐ b) The Normans ☐ c) The Vikings 5 True or false? The leader of the Ulster Youth Orchestra has been playing the violin since she was eight. ☐ True ☐ False 6 What is the name of Britain’s smallest rodent? 7 Which animal’s teeth are at risk from seas becoming more acidic? ☐ a) Crocodiles ☐ b)…

“Be the change you want to see” is a fantastic motto and this week we have several stories about young people who have done just that. On page 11, we meet Ayman, who had the idea with some friends to set up a special food shop on her school grounds in Salford, England. The friends, and the school, worked with a charity to create a pantry, where people can buy good food at cheaper prices than at supermarkets. Ayman says they did it to help their community. On page 12, we report on Eva and Emily, who took action to help harvest mice. The pair raised money and asked for expert help in boosting the harvest mice population. Finally, on page 32, you can read about one of our readers,…

On 9 September, France’s prime minister François Bayrou resigned after French members of parliament (MPs) voted for him to stand down. At a confidence vote in the National Assembly (part of the French parliament), on 8 September, 364 MPs (also called deputies) voted that they had no confidence in the government, while only 194 gave Bayrou their support. Bayrou had called the vote to gain MPs’ support for his plan to introduce money-saving measures to reduce the country’s debt (money which is owed by the government). He had only been in the role of prime minister for nine months. Later on 9 September, French president Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as France’s new prime minister. Lecornu is the third prime minister Macron has appointed in a year. The French government…

On 5 September, Angela Rayner stepped down from her roles as Deputy Prime Minister, Housing Secretary and deputy leader of the Labour Party. What happened? Rayner published a statement on 3 September in which she admitted that she had not paid enough tax (money paid to the Government) on a flat she owned in Hove, England. When people buy a property, they sometimes have to pay a tax called stamp duty. Rayner said when she bought the flat, she made an error and didn’t pay the correct amount of stamp duty; she should have paid as much as £40,000 more. She told the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, who looks at whether rules have been broken. On 5 September the adviser’s report said that she had broken the ministerial code.…

In the Natural Dye and Wellbeing Garden at London’s National Theatre, you can see flowers including camomile, dahlias, hollyhocks and indigo. These blooms produce colourful dyes that will be used to colour fabric for the theatre’scostumes. The dyes offer a natural alternative to synthetic (human-made) dyes, which can harm the environment. The National Theatre’s textile artist Liz Honeybone told The Guardian newspaper, “You can achieve this beautiful look by using a natural dye.”…

During September, UK hedgerows burst into berries, offering a banquet of plump and juicy snacks for birds and other wildlife. Blackcap birds often nest in hedgerows and take advantage of this easy meal. The blackcap is a warbler, a group of small songbirds. These are mostly found in woodland, farmland, heaths and moors, as well as scrubland and anywhere else with hedges across the UK. They do venture into gardens but this is more likely in winter. Blackcaps used to visit the UK only in summer, flying in from Germany and parts of north-east Europe, but now lots of them stay all year round. Measuring up to 14 centimetres, the blackcap is grey all over but males have a black “cap” on their heads – hence the name – and…

A new kind of stethoscope that uses artificial intelligence (AI) can detect three different heart conditions in 15 seconds. Stethoscopes (see panel) are devices that medical experts use to listen to sounds in the body, such as a heartbeat. More than a million people in the UK today have a condition called heart failure, when their heart muscle is not pumping blood properly. One sign is shortness of breath but 70% of people only have the condition confirmed after they have been rushed to hospital. The new device, developed by a team at Imperial College London and the NHS, is the size of a playing card. Doctors put it on a patient’s chest and it records the electrical signals in the heart and listens to the sound of blood flowing…

Have you ever wished you could turn back time and do something differently? Maybe you’ve said something hurtful or failed a test. Everyone makes mistakes; the important thing is not to panic. Remember that messing up from time to time is part of being human. Mistakes are important When you mess something up, it’s easy to feel annoyed and frustrated with yourself. However, mistakes give your brain a chance to adjust what it’s doing and learn, so you get things right in future. In fact, they are such an important part of being human that your body often knows that you have made them before you do. Scientists say when you make a mistake, like falling off a bike, your brain creates electrical activity. This sends a signal to the…

The beloved bear from Peru will soon be winning audiences in real life as Paddington The Musical is opening at London’s Savoy Theatre on 1 November. Written by Jessica Swale, the musical features songs by Tom Fletcher, from the band McFly and author of The Christmasaurus. The cast includes Bonnie Langford (who starred in Doctor Who) as Mrs Bird and Delilah Bennett-Cardy (a star of The Magic Faraway Tree film, due out in 2026) as Judy Brown. The musical follows Paddington’s adventures with the Brown family as they face a scary villain who threatens their new life together. The story is inspired by the 2014 film and features new songs, dancing and, of course, marmalade sandwiches. Paddington has been entertaining people since 1958 – more than 35 million books have…

by Paterson Joseph. Illustrated by Rumbidzai Savanhu (Hachette) You might have seen writer and actor Paterson Joseph on stage, on television in series such as Doctor Who, or in films like Wonka. This is his first book for young people and tells the true stories of 10 brave and inspiring children. They grew up when slavery was still legal in most of the world. This was a system that allowed some people to own other people and force them to work for no money. Meet William Brown, who sneaked aboard a British Navy ship in disguise to explore the world. Celebrate the 10th birthday of Billy Sancho, who became the first black librarian. Each story is cleverly told through stories, first-person accounts, letters, diaries, play scripts, poems – even a…

These are exciting times for fans of the Skandar book series, set in a world of fierce unicorns. The fifth and final book, Skandar and the Spirit War, was published on 28 August. A few days before, author A.F. Steadman announced that a Skandar origin story – called The First Unicorn Rider and set around 1,000 years before the first book – will be out on 6 November. Here, Steadman shares her tips for writing a fantastic fantasy story. 1 Have confidence Steadman says if an idea doesn’t leave you alone and you keep thinking about it, then believe in it and write about it – even if it’s just a short story. If you’re really excited about something, “the chances are someone else is going to be excited about it…

From 19 to 28 September it’s the Great British Beach Clean, an event where volunteers help pick up and survey litter at hundreds of beaches across the UK. It is also a citizen science project. This means that ordinary people gather and share information that can help scientists work out how waste is affecting beaches. The Great British Beach Clean is organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) – a UK environmental ocean charity that works to protect the UK’s seas. It also puts together research about the state of the seas. Its aim is to persuade politicians to do more to protect marine environments. Last year more than 15,000 volunteers completed more than 1,200 litter surveys for MCS, and more than 764,000 items were removed from beaches. Here are…

Name: Henry “I thought I could use the summer holidays to make a difference for others in need. During August, I ran two miles every day and reached my target of 62 miles by 31 August. I raised money for the children I’ve read about in The Week Junior who are starving in Gaza. It is hard to think that more than 50,000 children like me are suffering or dying in 2025. This makes me very upset as I am so lucky to live a happy, healthy and safe life. I wanted to try and do something to help and will be donating the money I raised to the Unicef Gaza appeal for Children in Crisis. My goal was to hit £1,000 by the end of the month – in…

We’d love to see your snaps. Send them to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Don’t forget to tell us why you took them. “I looked for the exciting felt chip shop in London. It was brilliant fun to see all the food and bottles – even the cutlery was felt. It felt like a different planet. Here’s me with my grandma.” Penny “I took my favourite magazine with me to Disney World in Orlando, US.”Preesha “I’m relaxing and reading on a Welsh hillside. I climbed up Snowdon (it’s in the background). It was really exhausting, long and hot, but we ate loads of sweets and it was worth it.”Alexandra “It was great trying out my arts and crafts skills. My three older brothers and sister have enjoyed the magazine for years and…

David Lammy is the Labour MP for Tottenham, London, where he grew up. He has been an MP since 2000. He has worked in several departments for the Labour Government, including health and culture. Most recently, he was the Foreign Secretary and in charge of the UK’s relationships with other countries. Before entering politics he worked as a lawyer. Throughout his political career, he’s spoken out about issues surrounding racism, crime and discrimination. On 5 September, Starmer chose Lammy to be the new Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary.…

The Bayeux Tapestry is a very important artwork. It shows the story around the Norman invasion of England in 1066. It was made in the 11th century and is very delicate. On 9 July 2025, a deal was signed between France and the UK, to allow the Bayeux Tapestry to come from France. It would be displayed in Britain for the first time as a sign of friendship between the two countries. However, in 2018 a similar agreement fell through because tests found that the tapestry was too fragile to travel. In France, art experts have warned of the dangers and thousands of people have signed a petition to say it shouldn’t be moved. However, the British Museum says experts on both sides will make sure it travels safely. So,…

Russell Ling, who is one of the UK’s oldest farmers at 96 years old, says he has no plans to stop working. Ling started helping out on his family’s farm at the age of nine and was farming full-time by the age of 16. He starts each morning by boxing up eggs laid by his 250 hens. He then gets to work on his crops, haymaking, ploughing fields and rolling wheat, linseed and barley gathered from his farm in Suffolk, England. Ling says he enjoys his work and loves being outside, “Farming is a way of life. I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” he says.…

Scientists have warned that shark teeth may get weaker over time as humans cause the seas to get more acidic. Human activities, like burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas), release a gas called carbon dioxide. The oceans absorb this gas which gradually makes them become more acidic. All solutions in water are either acidic, alkaline or neutral, and scientists use a pH scale to rate them. Pure water is neutral (neither acidic nor alkaline) and has a pH of seven. The ocean’s pH today is still alkaline but scientists think that acid levels could rise significantly by 2300. Researchers at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Germany safely collected and tested teeth from blacktip reef sharks in water with different acidity levels. After eight weeks of testing, the team found…

Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed winning starts in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League (WSL) season. The WSL is the highest level of women’s club football in England and there are 12 teams taking part. The WSL kicked off on 5 September with current champions Chelsea beating Manchester City 2-1. Aggie Beever-Jones, who helped England win Euro 2025 this summer, scored Chelsea’s first goal. Japan international Maika Hamano added a second for Chelsea, who have won the WSL six seasons in a row. The following day Arsenal took on London City Lionesses. The Lionesses were playing in their first WSL match and took the lead when Kosovare Asllani scored a penalty. Arsenal hit back with goals from Olivia Smith, Chloe Kelly, Stina Blackstenius and Frida Maanum, making…

Priya-Rose Brookwell was about three years old when she first said to her mum that she wanted to act. She tells The Week Junior that her mum thought it was “just a phase”. A couple of years later, Priya-Rose was still asking, so her mum found her some auditions. She was picked for a few roles and things developed from there. Her mum also helped Priya-Rose join an agency, which is an organisation that helps actors find roles. Now, Priya-Rose, who is 10 years old, is the star of Grow, a family film that will premiere on Sky Cinema on 10 October. In Grow, she plays Charlie, a child who is good at “connecting with plants” who decides to enter a very popular pumpkin-growing competition in her local town. It’s…

Lilo and Stitch Available now on Disney+ When a runaway alien called Stitch crash-lands on Earth, he’s found by Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl. The two become friends and Stitch helps Lilo mend her broken family. This 2025 movie is a live-action version of the 2002 original animated film. Winx Club Available now on CBBC/BBC iPlayer The beloved fairy series returns with a modern makeover. The new series follows Bloom, an ordinary girl who discovers her magical powers and joins five fairy friends at Alfea school. Together they battle dark forces threatening the Magic Dimension.…

Theatre or cinema? I’m not a great film buff and I have loads of mates in the theatre so it would have to be theatre. Live, dangerous and exciting. What is your favourite story in the book? I don’t really have one favourite but I would have to say Mary Prince Daniels was very enjoyable to write. I could imagine getting immersed in it as a young reader. What was one thing you learned while writing it? The John Edmonstone chapter encouraged me to do a lot of research into the flora and fauna (plants and wildlife) of Guyana in South America. What made an actor get into writing? Writing came at the same time for me. Actors get to research so many different worlds through our work and it…

“A stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is sparky.” It is Roald Dahl Day on 13 September, which marks the author’s birthday. Dahl published Danny the Champion of the World in 1975. It tells the story of Danny, a nine-year-old boy who lives in a caravan with his dad, the world’s best storyteller. One night, Danny discovers that his dad is stealing pheasants from Mr Hazell, a rich bully, and Danny and his dad are pushed into an adventure.…

Band of mushrooms are a hit In Manchester, England, a group called Bionic and the Wires has got some mushrooms and plants “playing” drums and other instruments. Using their skills in engineering and music, Jon Ross and Andy Kidd connected sensors to fungi, and some plants, to detect their tiny electrical pulses. They then fitted robotic arms to the sensors which strike instruments, turning the pulses into music. A video of the mushroom “band” has gone viral on social media. Ross and Kidd said they hope it gives listeners an “emotional experience”. Owl becomes feathered film star A spectacled owl in Yorkshire, England, has landed a starring role in a Mexican film. Named Elton, after the pop star Sir Elton John, the bird was filmed flying over the rolling Yorkshire…

Teacher’s name: Charlie School: Maria Montessori School, Hampstead, London, England “When we walk into the classroom, Charlie always makes us smile and giggle. He makes everyone feel included and welcomed into the community. He gives us confidence to experiment by challenging ourselves and pushing our limits. Not sure that we have any!” Monika and Eva 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…