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On 23 June, an army called the Wagner Group began to march in the direction of Moscow, the capital of Russia. Up until that point, the Wagner Group had been fighting on Russia’s side in the war against Ukraine. The army was 124 miles from Moscow before the march was called off. The actions of the Wagner Group were seen as a threat to the power of Russian president, Vladimir Putin. What is the Wagner Group? The Wagner Group is made up of mercenaries. Mercenaries are soldiers who are paid to serve in a fighting force that is not their country’s official army. After the invasion of Ukraine, the Wagner Group was allowed to sign up prisoners from Russian jails to fight in return for their freedom. Around 80% of…

More than 200,000 people went to Worthy Farm in Somerset, England, for Glastonbury Festival. The five-day event is the biggest music and arts festival in the UK and has some of the world’s most famous musicians and bands performing. It takes place in 3.6 square kilometres of fields, where visitors camp in tents. Highlights this year included a performance by English singer and pianist Sir Elton John on the festival’s famous Pyramid Stage. Sir Elton said Glastonbury might be his last show in the UK. He became themost watched act in the festival’s history, with 7.6 million people tuning in on TV and an estimated 120,000 people gathering to see him at the Pyramid Stage. Glastonbury is known for its togetherness and friendly spirit, and one of the most heartwarming…

Dr Ronx, the doctor known for presenting TV shows such as Operation Ouch! loves fun facts. Their favourite thing about the human body is something called neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to change its connections and behaviour in response to new information, which means people can always improve their knowledge. Ronx ’s passion for interesting medical facts helped them to write their latest book in the Little Experts series, Amazing Bodies. The book is brimming with facts about how the body works. Writing a book was a completely new experience for Ronx, and they found it quite difficult at times. “I didn’t realise that you have to get yourself in the zone,” they told The Week Junior, “And then when you’re in the zone, you’ve got to find inspiration.”…

Australia’s kangaroos are famous for hopping around. However, a recent study has found that kangaroos didn’t always jump. They had other ways of getting about, including walking on two legs. For their study, researchers from the UK and Sweden studied evidence from fossils (traces preserved in rock) of macropodoids. This is the mammal family that includes kangaroos and wallabies. The scientists wanted to study these animals’ shin and heel bones to learn how their way of moving had changed over 25 million years. Professor Christine Janis from the University of Bristol, who worked on the study, said that as recently as 50,000 years ago there were lots of differences between the types of kangaroos living in Australia. Early macropodoids were very small and some of them could definitely hop. However,…

On 5 July, the UK will mark the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS is the main provider of healthcare in England, Wales and Scotland, and is one of the world’s largest employers. The services that it provides are mostly free of charge. Northern Ireland has a similar organisation, called Health and Social Care (HSC). How does it work? The NHS is available to those living in the UK and, in some cases, to people visiting from abroad. It provides care “from the cradle to the grave”, which means medical care from your birth all the way through your life. That includes getting check-ups with your local doctor, as well as operations or treatments for serious illnesses. The treatments provided are mostly paid for by taxes.…

Summer is the ideal time to be outside having fun in the fresh air and sunshine. It’s also very important to protect yourself from the Sun’s powerful rays. How the sun affects you Sunlight boosts your vitamin D levels, which keeps your bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Being outside on a sunny day can also make you feel good. However, from late spring to early autumn the Sun’s rays are stronger and can damage skin and make you feel unwell. Everyone needs to take care in the sun but the paler your skin the more protection you need. Dr Samantha Anthony, an NHS skin doctor, says, “In strong sunshine the body can heat up quickly, and this can mean you sweat and lose a lot of water. This can make…

Ed Sheeran has been named the most popular music artist in the UK for the sixth time in eight years. Studies show his songs were played across streaming services, TV channels, the radio and public places more than those of any other band or musician in 2022. Sheeran, who comes from Suffolk, England, is known for songs such as Shape of You, Lego House and Sing. He released his fifth album, called Equals, in 2021, and his sixth, called Subtract, last month. Dua Lipa came second in the list and David Guetta was third. A second list showed that the most played individual song in 2022 was As It Was by Harry Styles. Surprisingly, Sheeran’s most popular tune – Overpass Graffiti – only made eighth in this list. The rankings…

by Lizzie Huxley-Jones (Knights Of) Twelve-year-old Vivi has grown up in Wales, listening to old tales of magic and monsters. Now her family are moving to London for a fresh start, but Vivi knows it won’t be easy. She is autistic, which means that change can feel especially difficult. The moving day becomes trickier than expected when a farewell visit to her local lake turns into an extraordinary adventure. Soon, Vivi is battling a mythical monster, discovering a legendary sword and meeting Gelert, a ghostly talking dog. Could it be that she has a special destiny? How can she negotiate moving house and starting a new school, as well as making sense of the magical powers she now has? As if that wasn’t enough, Vivi and her friends must set…

Did you know that candy floss was invented by a dentist? In the National Geographic Kids book A Fact for Every Day of the Year you’ll learn this and 364 other weird and wonderful things. The Guinness World Records book needs no introduction, but this year’s edition comes with bonus digital content. Have you heard of George Bridgetower or Walter Tull? Don’t worry if not, you’re not alone, says Alison Hammond – it’s the whole point of her book, Black in Time. Hammond shows readers some of the black heroes who have helped shape our world. For a different kind of history epic, travel back in time to 1389 with Stella Caldwell. Her book challenges readers to Escape The Medieval Castle by solving lots of puzzles and riddles. You might…

Number fit All of these numbers fit in the grid. Can you work out where they go? We’ve placed one to start you off. 3 numbers 147 284 380 462 4 numbers 1252 3433 4220 9483 5 numbers 57320 73227 80514 90618 6 numbers 257061 264342 332050 507507 7 numbers 4353144 7553862 8 numbers 38401838 46171356 46551301 64415675 9 numbers 120410717 205225043 603464882 Sudoku Place the numbers from 1 to 6 exactly once in each row, column and 2x3 bold-lined box, to complete the grid. Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. ASTEROID COPERNICUS EARTH GANYMEDE JUPITER MARS MERCURY MOON NEPTUNE ORBIT PLANET PLUTO SATELLITE SATURN SPACE STAR SUNSPOT TITAN TRITON VENUS Spot the…

Sea-Changers The oceans are facing lots of issues, including climate change, too much fishing and pollution. Sea-Changers helps people all around the UK to tackle these issues. It raises money to support things like beach cleans, projects to educate people and research to understand and monitor what is happening to creatures like seals, sharks and dolphins. It also funds projects to prevent more plastics going into the ocean – like putting water bottle refill points on beaches so people don’t have to buy and throw away plastic bottles. Discover more at sea-changers.org.uk…

Teacher’s name: Mrs McColgan School: John Hellins Primary School, Northamptonshire “Mrs McColgan is the best teacher because she is extremely kind and helpful. When she tells stories she brings the story to life by using funny noises. If you’re not feeling well she helps you to feel better.”Martha 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 What is the name of the yearly festival that honours the great Chinese poet Qu Yuan? ☐ a) The Dragon Boat Festival ☐ b) The Lantern Festival ☐ c) The Qingming Festival 2 Jeremy Hunt is the governor of the Bank of England. ☐ True ☐ False 3 Which city in Saudi Arabia do Muslim people visit each year for the Hajj pilgrimage? _______________ 4 In which country has the whale hunting season been suspended until the end of August? ☐ a) Norway ☐ b) Japan ☐ c) Iceland 5 What is the name of the latest book in Dr Ronx’s Little Experts series? _______________ 6 True or false? Kangaroos are unable to walk or jump backwards. ☐ True ☐ False 7 In which year was the NHS founded?…

COOLING DOWN A penguin chick took its first dip during the heatwave at Sewerby Hall and Gardens in Yorkshire, England. Born in April, the new arrival is the grandchild of one of the world’s longest-living Humboldt penguins, Rosie, who lived at the zoo until the age of 32. STEPPING UP When both of Belgium’s 100 metres hurdles athletes were injured at the European Athletics Team Championships, Jolien Boumkwo – whose usual event is the shot put – decided to enter the race. If she hadn’t, Belgium would have been disqualified. Boumkwo finished last but gained an extra two points for her country. NAMING A SCULPTURE Birmingham-born rock star Ozzy Osbourne says he is “blown away” after the public voted to name the mechanical bull from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games after…

A new programme in the West Midlands, England, is aiming to teach young people important skills that they can use to help the environment in their future careers. Run by Shropshire Wildlife Trust and UpRising, a Birmingham-based charity, the free programme will help open up more opportunities for 18 to 25-year-olds from local communities. Amira Ismail from UpRising said, “Our young leaders will be at the forefront of driving change in the future.”…

A teenager from London has become one of the youngest ever people to play at Glastonbury music festival. Eli Crossley, who is 16, performed with his band, Askew. He has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a condition that makes his muscles weaker over time, and has been using a wheelchair since last year. However, he hasn’t let that get in his way. His big break came when he performed with Askew in a talent show at school. One of the dads in the audience worked in the music industry, and he helped organise a slot at Glastonbury. More than 200,000 people attended this year’s festival.…

Humans pumping water out of the ground and moving it around has changed how the Earth rotates. Between 1993 and 2010, around 2,100 gigatonnes of water were pumped from the ground, mostly to be drunk or to water crops. A gigatonne is one billion tonnes – that’s the weight of 100,000 Eiffel Towers. This water ended up in the sea, and it seems to have given the planet a wobble. Earth spins around an axis (an invisible line through its middle from the north to the south pole). Imagine spinning a ball on your finger. When it is balanced it twirls evenly on its axis but if you add more weight to one part of the ball it will become unbalanced and start to wobble. The study shows that moving…

Summer is the perfect time to get outside and try new sports and activities. That’s exactly what hundreds of young people did recently at the Cardiff Bay waterfront area in south Wales. They were part of a two-day event called the Urban Games, which featured sports including 3x3 basketball, wheelchair basketball, BMX, bouldering (climbing), wheelchair motocross, scootering, skateboarding and street dancing. Special ramps, courts and courses were set up near the waterfront, and some of the events, including bouldering and street dancing, took place inside. There were free taster sessions where people could try out something different. Lots of young people picked up new skills and even got tips and advice from professionals who compete in these thrilling sports. Noni Gordon, who is 13, and her sister Lona, aged 10,…

A dazzling new Disney Pixar film, Elemental, is making its way to the cinema this summer. It’s set in Element City, home to the four elements: air, earth, fire and water. Bernie and Cinder, two fire people, move to the city with the hope of starting a new life. Their daughter, a fiery young woman named Ember, is determined to help run the family shop. However, when she meets Wade, who is a go-with-the-flow guy made of water, Ember’s beliefs about the world they live in are challenged. Could it ever be possible for fire and water to mix? The film, which took seven years to make, was inspired by the experiences of director Peter Sohn’s family when they moved to New York, in the US, from Korea. He said,…

Nimona Available now on Netflix In this animated film, a knight is wrongly accused of a terrible crime. To prove his innocence he teams up with a mischievous teenager called Nimona – a shape shifter with the power to turn herself into animals. Suitable for older readers. Springwatch Available now on BBC iPlayer The main filming location for the 2023 series was RSPB Arne, a nature reserve in Dorset, England, but viewers can also enjoy wildlife from across North Wales, including the island of Anglesey. Expect to see birds, flowers, insects, landscapes and reptiles.…

What’s your favourite Welsh word? Easy, it’s “bendigedig” which means fantastic. Describe the main character Vivi in one word. Brave. Do you have any hobbies? Yes, I love to play video games, bake cookies and I like to read manga, a style of Japanese comic books, and graphic novels. Are you writing anything else at the moment? I’m working on the second Vivi Conway book right now. It’s out in May 2024. Birthdays or Christmas? I love Christmas and I write Christmas books for grownups but I prefer my Birthday because it’s all about me.…

Crash Bandicoot is one of the world’s most popular console characters, starring in games that have sold more than 40 million copies since first appearing in 1996. His latest is Crash Team Rumble, released for PlayStation and Xbox consoles this month. It’s an online multiplayer game where teams of four battle one another across different arenas (levels). Your aim is to collect more wumpa fruit – a food that appears in many of the Crash Bandicoot games – than the other team, and bring it back to your “drop-off zone”, which you also have to defend against attacks. The game has a choice of characters: Crash himself, along with some familiar friends and foes from previous games (including Crash’s sister Coco Bandicoot and his arch-nemesis Dr Neo Cortex), plus a…

A company that makes a purple toothpaste to whiten teeth is now selling its products in the UK. Hismile says the purple colour balances out any yellow stains to make teeth look whiter. The quirky company offers lots of unusual products, including colourful toothpastes in lots of different flavours – from coconut whip to mango sorbet. Hismile began in Australia in 2014 and has expanded to New Zealand, the US and, most recently, the UK.…

Name: Rhys “Adam Diver, a former army captain, achieved a world record in being the first swimmer to cross from Whitehaven to the Isle of Man. I asked Diver some questions about his challenge. Why did you do the big swim? One day my son Dexter and I were swimming in the sea. We spotted the Isle of Man, and Dexter said do you think we could swim there? That was the first time I thought about swimming over. How long did it take to prepare? I’ve been practising every day for three years. What challenges did you have to overcome? I attempted the swim last year and didn’t make it as the weather was really bad. We had to plan the second swim to be on standby at any…

We love hearing from you! It’s easy – just write a comment when you vote in our online Big Debate poll, or even record a voice note for The Week Junior Show. Last week, we asked you if AI is bad for new music. You said… “AI isn’t bad for music because if you enjoy listening to it, it doesn’t matter.” “It is not nice for singers and it puts them out of work.” “Does it really matter? All I care about is if it sounds good!” “Humans put feelings into songs that AI can’t create.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

On 25 June, nearly 200 puzzle fans took part in this year’s British Jigsaw Championships in Suffolk, England. The 10th annual competition was part of a six-day jigsaw festival. Competitors travelled from all over the UK to see who could be the fastest person to complete a 1,000-piece jigsaw. Sarah Mills, who has been the reigning champion for the last eight years, won the competition again after completing the puzzle in one hour and 52 minutes.…

Vapes help people stop smoking but they can be just as addictive. What you need to know • E-cigarettes, or vapes, are devices that heat a liquid and turn it into a mist (vapour), which is then breathed in. The liquid usually contains nicotine (the addictive substance found in cigarettes) and flavourings like strawberry or mint.• The devices help people to stop smoking. Unlike traditional cigarettes, vapes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, which are harmful and causes diseases.• The UK Government says it is considering stricter laws to discourage vaping, particularly in young people. The Australian government has said it plans to ban vaping unless people are prescribed it by a doctor to quit smoking. E-cigarettes were invented by Hon Lik, a pharmacist (someone who prepares and gives…

The face of a teenage girl who died 1,300 years ago has been recreated by a forensic artist. This is someone who uses scientific methods to study skulls and creates an artistic impression of what a person would have looked like when they were alive. The girl’s skeleton was found in Cambridgeshire in 2012 and dates back to the 7th century AD. This means she was Anglo-Saxon (a group of people who came from northern Europe and ruled parts of England for hundreds of years). The artist, Hew Morrison, used measurements of the girl’s skull to work out her face shape. He could see that her left eye was placed slightly lower than her right eye but he had to guess the colour of her eyes and hair. Dr Sam…

Tammy Beaumont She scored 208 runs against Australia during the Ashes test match. It’s the first time an England women’s cricketer has scored 200 runs in a test match. Zharnel Hughes The British sprinter won the 100 metres race at an event in New York, US. His time of 9.83 seconds set a new British record. Bethany Shriever The British Olympic champion cyclist won gold at the UCI BMX Racing World Cup in the Netherlands. Gloucester-Hartpury They beat Exeter Chiefs 34-19 to win rugby union’s Premier 15s competition for the first time. The Premier 15s is the leading women’s rugby union competition in England.…

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Hachette Children’s) Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is a smallish Viking with a longish name. His Hairy Hooligan tribe think he’s useless but, with the help of a dragon, can Hiccup prove he’s a hero? Celebrate 20 years of a favourite story with this anniversary edition, packed with bonus extras. The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith (Puffin Books) When Farmer Hogget brings Babe home, the little orphaned piglet is adopted by a kind-hearted sheepdog called Fly. Babe knows he can never be a sheepdog like Fly but could he learn how to be a sheep-pig? Famously made into the film Babe, this much-loved animal story turns 40 this year. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (Puffin Books) It’s Midwinter’s Eve, the day before…

Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If your review is printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Tell us what you liked about the book and why you’d recommend it to others, and don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be found at www.futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Holly King-Mand is a writer, presenter and campaigner for literacy (the ability to read). She loves sharing tips to help children improve their written work. Parents can find out about Holly’s live and interactive online classes and her summer course in flash fiction at hollysclassroom.com Teachers often tell you, “Write more!”, “Add detail!” and “Extend your sentences!” but when it comes to flash fiction, you must ignore all this advice and do the opposite. Flash fiction is a name for short stories that are kept within a specific word or character limit, usually up to 1,500 words. Types of flash fiction include a dribble (50 words), a drabble (100 words) and a trabble (300 words). Writing flash fiction takes skill. It’s about finding clever ways to keep as much detail…

Going through the magazine to get it ready for press, this issue seems to be particularly packed with wonders. The Photos of the Week, on page 16, are breathtaking views of birds in the natural world, and the report that the moving of water from one place to another has affected the Earth's spin (page 15) is mind-boggling. Did kangaroos really once not hop (page 10)? How can anyone complete a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle (page 5) in less than two hours? I would allow myself two days. The most astonishing feature this week for me, though, was the story on page 14 about the Anglo-Saxon girl whose face has been recreated by scientists. Of course, many people have Anglo-Saxon ancestors but even so, to see such a familiar-looking face somehow…

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 the magazine and digital editions. 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.…