Table of contents for Issue 275 in The Week Junior US

From July 8 to 10, the UK hosted France for an official three-day state visit that yielded major agreements between the nations, including pacts on defense and immigration. What happened? Emmanuel Macron, president of France, traveled to the UK, where he attended a banquet at Windsor Castle hosted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Macron then engaged in discussions with Keir Starmer, the UK’s prime minister (similar to a president). A main topic was the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. France and the UK, along with many other European nations, support Ukraine and are worried that Russia could gain too much power. Macron and Starmer also discussed increasing military support for each other’s countries. This is in response to the shifting role of the US in European affairs.…

CELEBRATING EMOJIS July 17 marks the 12th annual World Emoji Day, which takes place on the date that appears on the calendar emoji. “We 💖 love emojis. You 💙 love emojis. Let’s 🎉 celebrate them!” said the special event’s creators. A RECORD-BREAKING CHEESE It was a “dairy” good day for a cheesemaker in Spain. A restaurant paid $42,232 for a big chunk of cheese called Cabrales, making it the most expensive cheese ever sold at auction. Made with cow’s milk, it was aged for 10 months in a cave nearly 5,000 feet above sea level. AN ANIMAL RESCUE A tiny pronghorn fawn that was found hungry and dehydrated in New Mexico is now safe and healthy at the San Diego Zoo in California. Zookeepers there are equipped to care for…

At the MLB (Major League Baseball) Draft on July 13 and 14, the Washington Nationals had the first pick and chose Eli Willits, age 17, a high school player from Oklahoma. Willits is the thirdyoungest player in history to be drafted first overall and the youngest since Ken Griffey Jr. in 1987. The event took place at Coca-Cola Roxy, a concert venue in Cumberland, Georgia, and was broadcast live on ESPN and streamed on MLB.com. In the annual draft, teams choose players to join the MLB from high school or college. The order in which teams select players is generally based on their records from the previous season. Teams with the worst records usually get the first picks, and that order is determined by a lottery system. The Nationals, who…

Quinta Brunson, an award-winning actor and TV writer, has spent years highlighting public education with Abbott Elementary, a sitcom about a fictional school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, her hometown. Now Brunson has been honored with a symbolic key to the city and a mural at her former elementary school, the one that inspired her hit show. Brunson began making people laugh at age 3 by imitating TV characters for her siblings. She attended Temple University but left to pursue a comedy career. She gained a following with a comedic video series, which led to writing and producing roles at BuzzFeed and on sketch TV shows. Brunson’s breakthrough came in 2021 with Abbott Elementary, a mockumentarystyle sitcom (funny fictional documentary) in which she stars as second-grade teacher Janine Teagues. Her inspiration for…

If humpback whales see humans out on the water, they may send a special bubble in our direction. Scientists recently recorded evidence of humpback whales creating ring-shaped bubbles during friendly interactions with humans. This behavior may be a form of play or communication. Humpback whales are known for their long, complex songs, which seem to help them communicate with one another. The SETI Institute, an organization that searches for signs of alien life in the universe, has been studying the whales’ songs and behavior to gain insights into how other species might try to communicate with humans. Jodi Frediani, one of the leaders of a new study by the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis, explained that humpbacks often exhibit friendly behavior toward boats and human swimmers. When…

Determining when flowers first appeared on Earth has puzzled scientists for hundreds of years. Even Charles Darwin, the famous naturalist, called it “an abominable mystery.” To unlock the problem, scientists recently studied ancient grains of pollen (substance that causes plants to form seeds) from Portugal that are so small, they’re invisible to the human eye. They concluded that flowering plants appeared at least 123 million years ago—about 2 million years earlier than first thought. Learning about when flowers first appeared helps scientists understand more about how life on Earth developed and adapted to its surroundings. Flowering plants are part of a complex system. In order to reproduce, they attract insects to spread pollen. This creates homes and food for the insects, which in turn support many other creatures. Flowers are…

Dinosaurs and dragons are luring audiences to movie theaters this summer. Two of the biggest films so far have been the sci-fi adventure Jurassic World Rebirth and the live-action fantasy How to Train Your Dragon. Rebirth was released on July 2 and was the number one film at the US box office over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. After nearly two weeks, it has earned $232 million in the US and $529 million worldwide. Meanwhile, How to Train Your Dragon has earned $560 million worldwide since its release on June 13. Rebirth is the seventh Jurassic Park film, and it features an all-new setting and characters. Globally, it made $322 million in its first weekend, the second-biggest opening for the franchise behind Jurassic World (2015). Rebirth director Gareth Edwards…

College football games begin in August, but the season has already kicked off for gamers. EA Sports College Football 26 was recently released exclusively for PlayStation 5 and Xbox series X|S consoles. This year’s game has teams from 136 colleges and more than 10,000 real players. There are two star players on the cover of the game’s standard edition: Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State University—the reigning College Football Playoff National Champions—and Ryan Williams of the University of Alabama. To make the game more realistic than ever, updated features include more than 2,700 new plays and over 300 real college coaches. There are also authentic team runouts at the start of a game and lighting that changes depending on where the on-screen action is taking place. There is also a health…

Where did you get your inspiration for the novel? It was first sparked when I was younger and one of my teachers read the poem The Tyger by William Blake. Blake spelled Tyger with a “y” and I was fascinated by that. How long did it take you to write the story? Nine years passed between the first and final drafts. I wanted the book to be the best page-turning adventure I could imagine and be full of big questions and ideas. Is the US version different from the UK version? We swapped out a few words that don’t mean the same in America as they do in Britain, but that’s about it. I was also able to keep all the wonderful illustrations. How did you start writing? I used…

Instructions • 3 apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar• 2 tablespoons brown sugar• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon• ½ teaspoon lemon zest• 1 tablespoon cornstarch• 1 tablespoon salted butter• All-purpose flour• 2 (9-inch) rounds refrigerated pie dough• 1 egg• 2 tablespoons coarse sugar• Whipped cream or caramel sauce, for dipping Ingredients 1. Heat the oven to 400° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a heavy pot over medium heat, combine apples, granulated and brown sugars, cinnamon, and lemon zest with ¼ cup water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are softened, about 8 minutes. Remove apples from the heat. 2. In a small bowl, stir the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Pour the mixture into the apples and stir with a wooden…

Lemur celebrates long life Stumpy the ring-tailed lemur marked a major milestone last month. It was his 39th birthday, making him the oldest lemur living in captivity. Ring-tailed lemurs typically live 15 to 25 years in human care, and keepers at Five Sisters Zoo in Scotland say Stumpy, who is a great-great grandfather, is surprisingly fit for his age. On the big day, Stumpy enjoyed a special cake with two of his sons: Red, age 21, and Julian, age 20. A Guinness World Records official said, “Stumpy has truly earned his stripes!” An island retreat with a twist While most people go on vacation to escape from the toils of schoolwork, a visit to “Youth Island” is a time to buckle down. On this human-made island in Denmark, volunteers host…

Enter to win books! This is the sixth and final issue of our Summer of Reading campaign! We hope you enjoy our interview with Author Ambassador SF Said and a review of his new book, Tyger (p23). Our reading challenge continues! Once you’ve finished any three books, go to tinyurl.com/TWJUS- ReadingChallenge2025 with an adult to enter our sweepstakes. Five kids will win! All winners will be drawn at random. The deadline to enter is August 8. For our list of “The 50 Books Kids Love Most,” go to kids.theweekjunior.com/summerofreading. JOKE OF THE WEEK Where do fish like to shop for worms? Online IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com. We want to hear from you! To have your letters, photos, nominations, recommendations, or ideas considered for…

The US has marked the 100th anniversary of a high-profile court case in Tennessee that debated the role of religion in public schools. The observance is meaningful because some of the issues that were discussed are still debated today. What was the controversy? In 1925, the Tennessee legislature passed a law making it illegal to teach evolution in public schools. Evolution is the scientific term that explains how a species changes over time. It had been introduced as a theory in the late 1800s by famous scientist Charles Darwin, who showed that humans and primates shared a common ancestor, from which they evolved. The law was passed because some people, including many Christians, didn’t believe in evolution. They believed humans were created by God as described in the Bible. On…

Spanning more than 59,000 acres, the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma was established in the early 1900s. The landscape is primarily mixed grass prairie lands, while the Wichita Mountains are towering formations of granite. Early in the refuge’s history, bison were brought back to the area and Rocky Mountain elk were introduced. These species can still be seen grazing in the refuge today, along with a herd of Texas longhorn cattle. Oklahoma’s state reptile, the “mountain boomer” or common collared lizard, also lives in the area.…

Do you love taking photographs of plants, flowers, trees, and wildlife? Now is your chance to use your creativity, curiosity, and skills to enter The Week Junior’s Nature Photo Contest. The entry form for 8-to 10-year-olds is at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-2025PhotoContest-8-10 and 11-to 14-year-olds is at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-2025PhotoContest-11-14. Winning entries will be featured in a September 2025 issue of the magazine. See the official rules at theweekjunior.com/photocontestrules.…

Stress can cause health problems, but monitoring stress can help people avoid them. That can be difficult to do, however, because current methods don’t always work well. A new dental floss pick with built-in sensors solves this problem by measuring cortisol, a stress hormone, in saliva while the user flosses. The floss draws saliva into the handle, where a tab with sensors detects cortisol levels. Scientists said it could also be used to monitor and detect other health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.…

On July 13, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Final was played between Chelsea FC, a team from the UK, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), a team from France, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. PSG, who won the Champions League and two other big titles in the 2024–2025 season, came into the final as heavy favorites but were upset by Chelsea, who won the match, 3–0. FIFA is the global governing body for soccer. The tournament was similar to the World Cup but featured 32 top professional club teams from 20 countries. The competition began on June 14, and matches were played across the US. In the group stage, Chelsea and PSG each won two matches and lost one. In the knockout rounds, Chelsea defeated Portugal’s SL Benfica…

This summer, there are more than plants and flowers to see at the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio. As visitors explore the grounds, they will discover Lego sculptures of a fox, bunnies, a large snail, a giant hummingbird, and other garden-themed creations from the special exhibition Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects. Kenney is an awardwinning artist and former Lego Masters guest judge known for making sculptures and portraits with Lego bricks. Nature Connects is one of five traveling shows with his art. It has been exhibited in nearly 100 cities. Bonnie DeRubertis, associate director of exhibitions at the conservatory, told The Week Junior that the exhibition has “messages about the natural world, conservation, and creativity.” The sculptures, which arrived fully assembled, are held together with glue, and…

Family Reunion (Netflix) “This sitcom is about the McKellan family, who move from the big city of Seattle, Washington, to the small town of Columbus, Georgia, where their grandparents live. There are four McKellan kids: teen Jade and younger siblings Shaka, Ami, and Mazzi. The show explores different parts of their lives and sometimes includes flashbacks to their grandmother M’Dear’s childhood. I love this show because every episode is different and full of fun and humor.” Josie, 10, Oregon Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other kids? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

By SF Said, illustrated by Dave McKean (Penguin Workshop) This thrilling new novel, first published in the UK in 2022, takes place in an alternate version of London, England, where nearly all animals are extinct. Adam is a young boy whose family is Muslim and runs an alterations shop in a poor urban area. When Adam makes deliveries for his family’s store to the wealthier part of the city, he is often harassed by guards and thieves. While being chased one day, Adam escapes through a secret door that turns out to be a gateway to another realm. He encounters Tyger, a mystical beast that resembles a jungle cat. Tyger is wounded after escaping from a sinister nobleman. Tyger needs Adam to help her locate a gateway that will allow…

Knowing how to manage money is an important life skill. Maybe you have birthday gift cards, an allowance, or money you made this summer from walking dogs, washing the family car, or babysitting. Creating a budget will help you save up for things you want now and be smarter about finances in the future. Here’s how you can explore what it means to budget, save, and spend your money wisely. Open a bank account If you don’t have a savings account, you could talk to a parent about opening one at a bank. The bank is the safest place to keep your money, and you will earn interest on it. This means that the bank will pay you a small amount for keeping an account with them, and your money…

Packing light for a trip makes traveling easier. Your bag won’t be as heavy to carry, and you’ll be able to find whatever you need inside it much more quickly. By packing light, you’ll also be helping the environment. Hauling heavier luggage, whether by plane, train, or car, requires more fuel. Lighter luggage requires less fuel, which helps reduce the greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere. So think through what you really need. Pack no more than one outfit for each day, and choose clothes you can mix and match so you can wear things more than once. Shoes are heavy, so limit those. Take travel sizes of toiletries and paperback books instead of hardcover.…

Our 2025 Summer of Reading program is coming to a close! We hope you’ve enjoyed the special content we’ve published over the past six issues and that you’ll be intrigued by this week’s featured book pick—Tyger by SF Said, one of our Author Ambassadors (p23). Thank you so much to him and our other ambassadors—Pablo Cartaya, Grace Lin, Meg Medina, and Rita Williams-Garcia—for being a part of this year’s program. The fun isn’t over yet! You can enter our Summer of Reading sweepstakes until August 8. All you need to do is read three books of your choice and follow the instructions in the red box below. And if there’s a favorite book you’ve enjoyed reading this summer, we’d love to know what it is! Have an adult send us…

“I’m currently reading A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation. I picked it up from my library, and I can’t wait to know what happens at the end!”Jude, 10, Illinois “I was so excited about this issue to pick out books for my library’s summer reading program—my goal is to read 50 books!”Ellie, 9, California “I was very excited to get the Nintendo Switch 2 on the day it got released!”Jayden, 8, Texas…

Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus who became known worldwide, celebrated her first birthday at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand, on July 10. Thousands of people traveled from around the world to enjoy four days of festivities. Moo Deng became a global sensation last year after zookeepers shared videos of the calf squealing, waddling, and being hosed down. Her name, which means “bouncy pork” in Thai, was chosen by more than 20,000 fans in an online vote. Today, Moo Deng has about 3 million followers on TikTok. Moo Deng currently weighs 205 pounds. When she is fully grown, she will weigh between 350 and 600 pounds and stand about 30 to 40 inches tall at the shoulder. Her fame has helped raise awareness about pygmy hippos, a rare and…

Mattel, the toy company, has revealed its first Barbie with type 1 diabetes. About 304,000 children in the US live with the condition, which causes the pancreas to make little to no insulin, an essential hormone. Wearing a blue outfit symbolizing diabetes awareness, the doll comes with an insulin pump and a glucose monitor, which help treat the disease, and a purse to carry supplies. Mattel said its goal is to foster “a greater sense of inclusion and empathy.”…

It can be a great experience, but some say it’s better to leave wild animals alone. Many people travel in the summer, and one popular vacation activity is swimming with marine animals in the wild. You can sign up to get close to dolphins, sea lions, stingrays, and whale sharks. For people who love and admire wildlife, this is a rare chance to see amazing animals in their natural habitat. But some wildlife experts argue that it’s not fair to the animals because—even though they are free to go away—human interaction disturbs their day-to-day life and could have unintended effects on a species’ behavior and even population. What do you think? Is it OK to go swimming with wildlife? Yes—it benefits animals and people When people swim alongside creatures in…

Pet cats can tell the difference between the scent of their owner and the scent of a stranger, according to a study from the Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan. To conduct their research, the team used swabs that had been rubbed in the armpit, behind the ear, and between the toes of cat owners and strangers. The swabs were presented to 30 cats in three sets of plastic tubes. The first set had swabs containing the scent of their owner, the second had swabs with the odor of a person the cats didn’t know, and the third set of tubes were empty. The cats in the experiment spent much longer sniffing the odors of unknown people compared to those of their owner or the empty tube. This suggests that…

The Apollo 11 mission made history and inspired people all over the world when it landed the first person on the Moon on July 20, 1969. The race begins On July 29, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Act that created NASA was signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower (above, second from left, with NASA leaders). The agency opened on October 1. At the time, the US and the Soviet Union (former nation made up of Russia and other countries) were rivals in a competitive “space race.” On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced an ambitious goal for the US: landing a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. Early missions Before the Apollo program, there was the Mercury program, followed by the Gemini…

Jupiter is the oldest and biggest planet in our solar system. If Earth were the size of a grape, Jupiter would be about as big as a basketball. Now a study has revealed that when the Sun and planets formed from a cloud of gas and dust called the solar nebula, Jupiter was twice as big as it is now. The study found that about 4.5 billion years ago, Jupiter had a radius (distance from the center to the outside edge) more than twice its current size. That means 2,000 Earths could have fit inside it, compared with 1,321 today. To determine this, the team studied how two of Jupiter’s moons, Amalthea and Thebe, orbit the planet. The tiny moons still follow paths similar to the ones they had when…

After nearly two weeks, the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England, concluded on July 13. Wimbledon, which is played on grass courts, is one of the four most important tournaments in tennis, known as the Grand Slams. In the women’s singles final on July 12, Iga Swiatek of Poland, who was seeded (ranked) eighth, defeated Amanda Anisimova of the US, the 13th seed. Before the final, Swiatek had lost only one set in the tournament. She continued her dominant play against Anisimova, and it took her less than an hour to beat her, 6–0, 6–0, and earn her first Wimbledon title. Swiatek is the first Polish player to win the championship in the Open Era, which began in 1968. She has…

Coach’s Name: Jonathan Underwood Organization: Wood’s Warriors Basketball Academy “Coach Underwood is truly dedicated and remarkable, always setting high expectations because he genuinely believes in our potential to achieve greatness. He enters us in tournaments against more advanced players, ensuring we push our limits and grow. His unwavering encouragement keeps us positive, even when facing tough opponents. Most practices end with engaging scrimmages, making them enjoyable and rewarding.” Catherine, 12, Texas To nominate a Coach of the Week, send your coach’s name, photo, sport, and team to hello@theweekjunior.com. Include your name, age, state, and a few reasons why your coach is great.…

Animal Super Powers This science-focused exhibition highlights what makes many animal species special. It includes sculptures of goats (right), pandas, and polar bears. It will be shown in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2026. Brick Planet The artist’s newest show made its world premiere in Las Vegas, Nevada, in May. It centers on the world’s different ecosystems and includes a lion from the African savanna (right) and Arctic penguins. Brick Planet heads to Denver, Colorado, this fall. Nature Pop! More than 40 vibrant sculptures, such as a rainbowstriped eagle (right) and an enormous blue and green dragonfly, are featured in this exhibition. It is on display in Charleston, South Carolina, until August 15.…

Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires (Disney+) The Zombies musicals follow human cheerleader Addison and her zombie boyfriend, football player Zed. In this new film, they work as counselors, meet new characters Nova, a Daywalker, and Victor, a vampire (together above), and try to stop their dangerous feud. Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical (Apple TV+) In this special, Charlie Brown wants to make the most of his last summer at camp while Sally adjusts to her first. Snoopy and Woodstock also find items from past summer concerts, inspiring the gang to organize an important fundraiser. All the Sharks (Netflix) Four teams of shark experts race to find and photograph as many species as they can in this new competition series. The teams earn points for what they see, and rarer…

Tyger fearlessly tackles themes of prejudice and greed while also weaving in ideas of hope and the possibility of a better world. Here are questions to get a conversation going with friends and family who have also read the book. Who is your favorite character in the story? Even though Adam was born in London, why do you think some characters describe him as a foreigner? Why do you think Tyger took the form of a tiger in a world where tigers don’t exist? How do Adam and Zadie’s talents in art and writing help them in their struggles? What is the significance of the many doors and gateways in the story? How does this story remind you of The Hunger Games, a dystopian novel you may have read?…

Crisscross Each of these words associated with a Renaissance fair fits into this grid. Can you find where each one goes to complete the grid? 4 letters BARD GARB GOWN TENT 5 letters BOOTH CROWN JOUST KNAVE TUNIC 6 letters HUZZAH ROYALS SWORDS 7 letters ARCHERY LEATHER 8 letters COSTUMES MERCHANT MINSTREL 9 letters CHAIN MAIL TURKEY LEG ALL THE SAME Each answer contains the letters S-U-M. Those letters have been placed for you. Can you figure out the words? (NEED A HINT? Check the bottom of the page.) All the same hint: In number 5, the letter after SUM is T. Spot the difference These two pictures of a luna moth appear to be the same, but take a closer look. There are actually five differences. Can you see…

“Since we were young, we have been passionate about caring for the beach. We decided to write a book called What’s Wrong with Rainbow Sand? The “rainbow sand” in the title refers to the colorful microplastics we see on the beach that are harmful to the environment. We wrote the book to help educate other kids about the issue of microplastics as part of our Girl Scout Silver Award project. We also hosted a microplastic collage event at one of our local libraries. We’re thrilled to help spread the word about reducing plastic!” Have you done something interesting or raised money for a cause you care about? Whatever you’re up to, we want to hear about it at hello@theweekjunior.com.…

Teacher’s Name: Ms. Rohlin School: Essex Elementary School “Ms. Rohlin is so kind. She leads us in math mysteries, where we have to figure out all five clues in order to solve a bigger mystery. Ms. Rohlin encourages us to stop, look, and listen to help us engage with our classmates. She also pushes us to do the things we love, even if they are hard, and she always encourages us to keep going. This is why I think she is one of the best teachers.”Finley, 8, Vermont Nominate your teacher for Teacher of the Week! Send your reason for the nomination, a photo of your teacher, and your school’s name and address to hello@theweekjunior.com.…