Table of contents for 470 in The Week Junior

On 8 December, rebel fighters opposed to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, took control of the country’s capital city, Damascus. What happened? The rebels launched an attack on government forces on 27 November. The rebels are from different groups but the first attacks were led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group, whose leader is a man called Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, captured the cities of Aleppo, Hama and Homs on their way to Damascus. On 8 December, Assad and his family fled to Russia – which is an ally (friend) of the Assad government. Syria has had a civil war (a war between groups in the same country) since 2011. More than 12 million people were forced to leave their homes and more than 500,000 people have died. Before the recent attacks,…

When Margret Chola from Zambia, Africa, got a visit from her granddaughter, a fashion stylist called Diana Kaumba, the pair decided to play a dressing-up game. Chola, who is in her 80s, put on some of her granddaughter’s clothes and struck poses around the farm where she lives. The pictures turned her into a star. The photos were part of what Kaumba called the “Granny Series”, and they quickly became popular on social media. Chola, who is now known as Legendary Glamma, said wearing the clothes made her feel “new and alive”. Kaumba has since been asked to style other people’s grandmothers.…

The image of a red-breasted robin has been popular on Christmas cards since Victorian times but these birds live here all year round across the UK. In winter, robins are more visible because food is scarcer, so they are often tempted out of woodland and into people’s gardens. The birds can lose up to 10% of their body weight in one freezing winter night, so bird feeders can really help them. Robins eat fruits, insects and seeds and often follow gardeners around to pick up any juicy worms they dig up from flowerbeds. Robins are about 14 centimetres long, with an orange-red breast stretching up to their face, a brown back and a white belly. The small birds defend their territories fiercely using their high-pitched song.…

From the moment songbirds hatch, they just know how to sing, it’s instinctual. However, what they sing and sound like depends on who they grow up with. The birds listen and learn from their parents and other adult birds, to learn their species’ special “songs”. This means if a songbird were to grow up alone, it would still be able to sing but it wouldn’t sound exactly like other birds of the same species. Have you got a question you’d really like to ask a zookeeper? Send your animal, bird or bug questions to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk and it might appear in a future issue.…

Scientists have long debated whether the planet Venus could ever have supported life. Now, a study of its atmosphere suggests it probably couldn’t. Venus is sometimes referred to as “Earth’s evil twin”. The two planets are similar in size and are made of the same materials but up close, Venus’s “evil” side is revealed. The planet is covered with thick clouds of acid and has an average surface temperature of nearly 500°C. Plenty of spacecraft have been sent to study the planet, including Venus Express (see panel) but it is still a mystery. Some scientists thought it might have had oceans on its surface. This is important because liquid water is generally accepted as essential to the development of life (or, at least, the kind of life we know about).…

Have you ever flipped over a board game when things don’t go your way, or stormed off the pitch when your team loses? Playing games with family and friends this Christmas is a good opportunity to learn how to lose well. What does it mean to lose? Whether it’s a sports match, board game or a bike race with your friends, no one wins every time. Things don’t always turn out the way you want and losing is a part of life – even Olympic champions lose sometimes. It’s easy to understand why winning feels great; it makes you happy and helps you believe in yourself. Losing can be annoying, disappointing and sad. However, learning to lose well can turn these feelings around and make losing an opportunity to boost…

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston. Illustrated by Peter Boston (Faber Children’s) This year marks the 70th anniversary of this classic children’s story, which follows Tolly as he goes to live with his great-grandmother in an old manor house. Arriving just before Christmas, Tolly makes some unexpected friends — the ghosts of three children. Ember Spark and the Frost Phoenix by Abi Elphinstone. Illustrated by Kristina Kister (Simon & Schuster Children’s) The second book in Abi Elphinstone’s new series returns us to heroine Ember Spark, who is working with a vet caring for magical creatures. When a baby frost phoenix guides her north to the icy Arctic circle, Ember finds that the migrating Neverwhales are in trouble. Can she find a way to help them? The Box…

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. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Twisted street art on display Alex Chinneck is an artist who specialises in creating surrealist street art (surrealist means “beyond reality”, and this art form is all about playing with reality). He has created all sorts of mind-bending sculptures including a “looping” life-size canal boat that went on show near Sheffield, England, this year to celebrate the city’s canal history. Chinneck’s latest creations can be seen at the Assembly site in Bristol, England. Chinneck said it was his goal to create “moments of magic” on Bristol’s streets for people to enjoy. Chief scorpion wrangler wanted Last month, a “chief scorpion wrangler” job was advertised by the Blue Town Heritage Centre on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, England. The voluntary role involves keeping a watchful eye on roughly 15,000 yellow-tailed…

SuperKind and The Week Junior This winter, we’re challenging you to make a difference. We have joined forces with fundraising platform SuperKind to create Fundraising for a Better World, where you can get inspired by other young change-makers and start your own fundraising campaign. Everyone will get a digital Certificate of Fundraising as well as the chance to win an amazing limited-edition SuperKind metal change-maker’s badge. The top fundraiser will be featured in the magazine and interviewed in our podcast, The Week Junior Show. Find out more at theweekjunior.co.uk/superkind…

Teacher’s name: Miss Warnes School: Ringsfield C of E Primary School, Ringsfield, Suffolk “Miss Warnes is always there to greet us with a smile every morning. She helps us with our work and does lots of fun games. I love the warm-ups we do to get us moving and ready to learn, my favourite one is the trolls! We all love it when she brings in her trombone or plays the ukelele at assembly. Miss Warnes makes learning maths fun. Thank you Miss Warnes.”Rima 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…

1 Notre-Dame cathedral is located in which capital city? □ a) Rome □ b) Paris □ c) Madrid 2 True or false? During Storm Darragh, the wind reached speeds of 96 miles per hour in Devon, England. □ True □ False 3 Which animals are being celebrated in a new exhibition in Hong Kong? 4 How many miles of wrapping paper are used in the UK each year? □ a) 50 miles □ b) 227 miles □ c) 227,000 miles 5 True or false? Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg have won the International Children’s Peace Prize. □ True □ False 6 What is the heaviest beetle in the UK? 7 What is the name of the fantasy world where The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books are set?…

Bashar al-Assad became the president of Syria in July 2000. His father, Hafez al-Assad, was president before him and died in June 2000. Hafez al-Assad had been in power since 1971. Throughout his time in power, opponents accused Bashar al-Assad of being a dictator (having complete control of the country). They said he used the military and security services to arrest people without any reason, in order to frighten people and his political opponents. Day-to-day life for many Syrians was terrible under Assad. Today, more than half of Syria’s population do not have a regular supply of affordable, healthy food.…

CHRISTMAS CHEER Anna and Gary Gray from West Lothian, Scotland, have turned their home into a festive light show. The display features 24,000 lights and around 150 props such as candy canes and angels. Any donations will go to the charity Alzheimer Scotland. A MEGAMINX WHIZZ A 17-year-old has broken the UK record for solving the Megaminx, which is a 12-sided puzzle similar to a Rubik’s Cube. Aidan Granger solved the fiendishly tricky puzzle in just 25.18 seconds. His achievement means he is now the fourth fastest Megaminx solver of all time globally. WELSH GAMERS The popular computer game Minecraft is being used by Welsh-speaking pupils to explore some of the country’s most famous historic sites. Made with the help of the Welsh government, the game is now available in…

Christmas can be an expensive time of year. Not only do people buy each other presents, there are also decorations, food and drinks to pay for. The charity Oxfam is encouraging people to consider giving a second-hand present to a loved one this Christmas. It says it saves you money and is better for the planet. By buying second-hand presents you are creating less waste by reusing something that would otherwise create more pollution if it had to be made new and transported a long distance. However, some people think it’s more thoughtful to buy loved ones new things for Christmas and that it’s ungrateful to give away presents you’ve received from other people. What do you think? Is it ok to give your friends or family pre-loved presents? Yes…

When the author J.R.R. Tolkien tucked his children into bed at night, he would tell them bedtime stories about a fantasy world called Middle-Earth. Read on to find out about the author and how he invented a fantastical world that has enthralled fans for more than 80 years. Who was J.R.R. Tolkien? John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (known as Ronald to his family) was born on 3 January 1892. He was very interested in languages all his life, and as a teenager he learned several, including Latin, Greek and Finnish. Tolkien was also fascinated by Anglo-Saxon (an old form of English) literature and studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University. After he graduated, he joined the army to fight in the First World War (1914–1918). On his return, he worked…

As the cold weather continues over the next few months, Team GB’s winter athletes will be competing on snow and ice. Events such as bobsleigh, curling, skating, skeleton and snowboarding will be contested in freezing locations around Europe, the US, Canada and China. Matt Weston is one of the world’s best in the high-speed sport of skeleton. In this event, athletes run at the top of a steep ice track to build up speed before jumping on a sled and sliding down the track as fast as possible. Weston was the men’s skeleton World Cup champion last season and he hopes to repeat that in 2024–25. Great Britain has another top talent in the women’s skeleton. Freya Tarbit won gold at a World Cup event for the first time last…

In The Lion King, the Pride Lands is a kingdom that is home to lots of different animals, including elephants, giraffes and meerkats. The kingdom is led by King Mufasa, a wise and strong lion respected by lots of the animals; and his son, Simba, goes on to become a great leader himself. The legend of Mufasa’s life as a cub is told in Disney’s new prequel film, Mufasa: The Lion King. A prequel is a story set before the events in the original. It seems the future king wasn’t born into royalty; instead, he was an orphan lost in the Pride Lands. He is rescued by a young prince called Taka, and the pair become as close as brothers. Together, they head off to tackle an evil enemy. Lin-Manuel…

Katie Kirby is the bestselling author of the Lottie Brooks books. These follow the adventures of tweenager Lottie as she navigates all the tricky challenges of growing up, such as figuring out friendships, first crushes, family dramas and starting secondary school. Kirby describes Lottie as “awkward, silly and loveable” and tells The Week Junior that the biggest theme of the books is “just to be true to yourself, don’t try to be anyone you aren’t and make good friends who like you for yourself”. The books are written in diary form and Lottie’s entries are brought to life by Kirby’s brilliant stick drawings, doodles and speech bubbles. Kirby started writing with chapters but then tried out a diary style and found it worked perfectly for capturing Lottie’s observations, little life…

Hello my name’s Olaf Falafel. I’m a children’s author, illustrator, dad and a stand-up comedian. I also have an online Art Club, and each episode is filled with useful drawing tips, information about different artists and jokes like this one: Why was the snowman in the fruit and veg section of the supermarket? He was picking his nose! I was lucky enough to be asked to draw the official map for the Penguin Parade, a trail of penguin sculptures that is brightening up the Fleet Street Quarter of London until 5 January. It reminded me of one of my favourite posters, which is by the artist Charles Paine and was displayed on the London Underground. Paine was a big poster maker around 100 years ago and he made several eye-catching…

Creativity is a theme in this week’s issue. On page 5 we report on the winner of this year’s Turner Prize. The prize is named after a British artist, J.M.W. Turner, who painted in the 19th century. This year’s winner, Jasleen Kaur, reflects different cultures in her work. On page 12, we feature J.R.R. Tolkien, creator of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. He too drew on different cultures and languages to create the world of Middle-Earth. He loved Anglo-Saxon epics. These are long poems or stories, telling of quests and adventures, written in Old English, an ancestor of the Modern English we use today. Tolkien was fascinated by languages – including ones we no longer speak, like Latin and Gothic. Gothic is an old language from…

Email your news, views and pictures to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Please include your full name and address so that we can send you a Roving Reporter badge if your contribution makes it onto the page. We will only use the details you provide to arrange delivery of badges, and we will not share them with anyone else. By submitting your reports and pictures, you give consent to The Week Junior to print them in magazine and digital editions, and mention on our podcast. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, accuracy and suitability. Ensure you have your parent/guardian’s permission before sending anything to us.…

In issue 468, we said Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France. We should have said the last queen before the French Revolution. The last queen of France was Maria Amalia but she was never crowned. 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 take part. Give us your views on the Big Debate in this issue or tell us which was your favourite story and why. Send us a voice note by asking a parent to go to tinyurl.com/TWJ-show, scroll down and click on the red button.…

When she was 14, Nila Ibrahimi from Afghanistan became a refugee (someone who has to leave their home because of war or the threat of violence). This November, aged 17, she won the International Children’s Peace Prize – a yearly prize given to children who stand up for other children’s rights. Ibrahimi now lives in Canada because the Taliban, a military and political group with extreme views, rule Afghanistan. The Taliban took over the country between 1996 and 2001. The US, the UK and other countries helped remove them from power but those forces left Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban took control again. Ibrahimi’s family fled for safety because they are Hazaras, a group of people who have been treated badly by the Taliban. A year before she left,…

Lots of people take multivitamin tablets every day for their health, but scientists think they could also help coral stay healthy. A team of researchers have found that some ingredients in multivitamins can boost growing coral, which could help it survive the effects of climate change. Coral reefs are made up of lots of individual corals called polyps. These are tiny sea creatures that develop a hard skeleton of limestone rock on the outside of their bodies. They are then permanently fixed in one place. Coral polyps can be found in lots of different parts of the ocean but they only form reefs (the big structures) in warm, shallow waters. The biggest coal reef in the world is the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia. Reefs protect coastlines…

For the first time since 1821, great silver water beetles have been found in Dorset, England. A university student called Wren Franklin was studying animal and plant life in ponds when he came across two. He said, “As soon as I found them, I knew I’d come across something special.” LIFESPAN: Up to three years. HABITAT: Lakes, ponds and ditches in Europe, Asia and North Africa. SIZE: Up to five centimetres long. DIET: Mostly plant material, but the larvae (young) feed on snails. FUN FACT: Great silver water beetles are the heaviest beetle in the UK but they can fly.…

Researchers have found a new way to treat asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attacks. It’s the first time in more than 50 years that a new treatment has been developed. Asthma and COPD are lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties. These include coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. The conditions are caused by damaged or inflamed (swollen) lungs and airways. When the airways get inflamed it causes an asthma attack or a COPD flare-up. Some of these attacks or flare-ups are caused by high levels of a particular type of white blood cell, called eosinophils. White blood cells help the body fight infections, but if there are too many eosinophils they can trigger swelling in the lungs. Researchers looked at a new medicine called benralizumab, which targets the…

Cole Palmer Palmer scored two penalties to help Chelsea beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-3 in the Premier League. Alessia Russo In the Women’s Super League (WSL), Russo scored twice as Arsenal defeated Aston Villa 4-0. It was the fourth WSL game in a row in which she had scored. Leon Rupp and Jasmine Howe At the British Rowing Indoor Championships, Rupp won the Year 7 boys’ race and Howe won the girls’ race. Phoebe Anderson and Will Barnicoat The British athletes won the women’s and men’s under-23 events at the European Cross Country Championships.…

Tell us your favourite thing about Fia. I love that Fia trusts her gut feelings. She listens to that inner voice, even when it goes against what other people think and believe. Where is the best place to spend time in nature? The woods! It’s where I go to find stories. What is your favourite thing about the winter? The way the woods smell on a frosty day and how quiet everything is when it snows. I also love how the evening light is blue when there’s snow on the ground. Do you have any pets? I have two rescue German shepherds: Axel, a big puppy, and Shadow, who is 54kg and huge, and inspired Wolf (a character in the book). I also have a black cat called Smudge. What…

“An impossibility is just a possibility you don’t understand yet.” As Christmas approaches, what better way to get into the festive spirit than learning about the story of Santa Claus? In Matt Haig’s A Boy Called Christmas, published in 2015, we learn about Nikolas, an 11-year-old boy from Finland. Joel, his father, is hired to prove the existence of elves, and Nikolas is left to live with an evil aunt. When Joel doesn’t return, Nikolas has to set off on a quest to the North Pole to find him.…

Name: Tim “During October half-term I went to an Anglo-Saxon reconstructed village in West Stow with my mum, dad, my nan and my dog Stella. In the village I made an Anglo-Saxon coin and watched a man craft a metal engraving which was found on a helmet at Sutton Hoo. I also got to wear a helmet and touched a sword. I learned that in the 700s and 800s, the south of Britain was split into seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms including Kent, where I live. I can’t wait to return to West Stow when I next visit my nan.” 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…