Table of contents for 401 in The Week Junior

A huge rescue operation is taking place after wildfires devastated the island of Maui in the Pacific Ocean. Maui is one of the islands that make up the US state of Hawaii, which lies 2,400 miles from the US mainland. What happened? The fires began on 8 August and spread quickly, although it is unclear exactly where they started. They reached the town of Lahaina that same day. At least 106 people have died and hundreds more are missing. Tens of thousands of people have left Maui, while others have been living in emergency accommodation on the island. Churches and community centres are being used as shelters. More than 2,700 of Lahaina’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Officials say it will cost more than £4 billion to rebuild the…

CREATING CARDBOARD ART As part of a summer festival in Newcastle upon Tyne, a 14-metre-tall structure was built entirely from cardboard boxes by a team of volunteers. The sculpture was designed by artist Olivier Grossetête, but it has now been taken down so the boxes can be recycled. ENDANGERED LAPWINGS Lapwings have made a surprise return to Lecale Fens in Northern Ireland, after not being seen there for several years. The birds’ habitat had been at risk but two breeding pairs of lapwings have now been spotted, thanks to efforts by Ulster Wildlife and a local farmer to improve the environment for the birds. DONATING AN ORGAN A wife has donated one of her kidneys to her seriously ill husband, after she was found to have an organ that he…

People on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, England, have been moved after Legionella bacteria (a tiny organism) was found in the boat’s water supply. Asylum seekers are people seeking protection from another country after fleeing their own because of war or violence. Legionella can cause a lung infection called Legionnaires’ disease. The 39 people, who are waiting to find out if they can stay in the UK, are living in a hotel until the barge is made safe.…

Eight-year-old Aneeshwar Kunchala has been a wildlife enthusiast ever since he saw a picture at school of how plastic pollution can damage oceans. Last year, he made it to the final of Britain’s Got Talent with performances of his inspirational poems about protecting wildlife. He says his goal is to create awareness about the beauty of the natural world. Aneeshwar has now teamed up with one of his heroes, Steve Backshall, a TV wildlife presenter and naturalist. For their brand new TV show for CBeebies and BBC iPlayer, Steve and Aneeshwar Go Wild, the pair met exotic animals at zoos and safari parks and learned about the surprising connections between animals in the wild. “We met lots of animals,” Aneeshwar told The Week Junior. “My favourite was the rhinos’ mud…

Hedgehogs in Devon A patch of land at a castle in Devon, England, is being used as a home for injured or disabled hedgehogs. After being nursed back to health by a charity called Prickles in a Pickle, the animals go to a special walled area at Powderham Castle, which is safe from cars and predators. Vaquitas An “extinction alert” has been issued for the vaquita, the smallest species of porpoise (a marine mammal). Many vaquitas have died after being accidentally caught in fishing nets, and there are now thought to be only around 10 left. They are found in the Gulf of California, Mexico.…

Every summer in the UK, people form long lines outside shops selling ice cream as they look for a tasty way to cool themselves down (or cheer themselves up in the rain). Nowadays, there’s more choice than ever, as the number of ice cream parlours in England, Scotland and Wales has risen by more than 200, to 1,015, in the last two years. Find out the story behind this delicious treat traditionally made with milk, cream and sugar. Who invented ice cream? No one is really sure. However, there are records of people making iced food in 200BC in China. In the 1st century AD, the Roman emperor Nero enjoyed ice flavoured with honey and nuts, although this was more like a sorbet – a frozen mixture of water, sugar…

The blue whale has long been considered the largest and heaviest animal ever to have lived – until now. Palaeontologists from the University of Pisa in Italy have been studying the bones of an ancient whale and they think it could have weighed two to three times more than a blue whale. Palaeontologists are scientists who study fossils (traces of an ancient plants and animals that are left in rocks). The ancient whale bones are 39 million years old. They were found 13 years ago in Peru, South America, and included part of a hip bone, 13 vertebrae (parts of the spine) and four ribs. From these, the scientists pieced together what Perucetus colossus – meaning “colossal Peruvian whale” – would have looked like. The team think the creature found…

Celtic FC women They beat promoted side Montrose 9-0 in the Scottish Women’s Premier League. Current champions Glasgow City beat Hibernian 3-0. Lilia Vu The US golfer finished six shots ahead of England’s Charley Hull to win the Women’s Open in Surrey, England. St Helens and Leigh Leopards In rugby league, St Helens won the women’s Challenge Cup and Leigh Leopards took the men’s trophy. Beth Shriever The British rider won the women’s BMX title at the Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.…

Favourite seaside spot? You can’t beat the British seaside and my favourite spots include Lyme Regis in Dorset (great for fossil hunting), Whitstable in Kent (some of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen) and Aldeburgh in Suffolk (excellent fish and chips). Ever had your own mystery at sea? When I was three, I went on an ocean voyage with my parents from Southampton to South Africa. There was a small, plastic paddling pool for the young children and one morning we were upset to arrive and find it all smashed up. Who did it and why? I don’t think the culprit was ever caught. If you could travel back in time, which year would you pick? 1936 so I could travel on the Queen Mary, which features in my book…

The best games can make you feel happy, sad, excited or puzzled. Venba does all of those things but it will also make you feel really hungry. Released for PCs, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch consoles, it’s a game about an Indian family from Tamil Nadu, in southern India, who have moved to Canada. During their journey, a cookery book belonging to the mum – whose name is Venba – has been damaged. This is where the game starts. It’s part story, as the family members talk about their new life, but it’s also a puzzle game, as they work together to remember the missing bits of the recipes in the cookbook and make tasty meals. The meals are all based on dishes from the southern part of India. That includes…

Name: Cerys “I, like thousands of other children, have long Covid which means that I can’t attend school or do the activities I used to love. I have always loved singing in my school choir and theatre group. When I got ill I thought this would all have to stop, but then I found out about the Long Covid Kids choir. It is online every Sunday and it enables children with long Covid to come together, make friends and do what we have always loved. It is the highlight of my week and the choir master, Merel, always makes me laugh!” 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…

Teacher’s name: Mrs Cross School: St Stephen’s Church Primary School, Bath “Mrs Cross has been teaching for 16 years and she retired this summer. Before term ended we worked on a production of Shrek the Musical and Mrs Cross made it a lot of fun. Mrs Cross is very smart, she loves English and always reads stories to us. She is kind and funny and we will miss her a lot.” Max 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…

The largest ever survey of young people around the world has published some of its results. The survey, What Young People Want, is being run by the World Health Organisation and several charities. The aim is to talk to one million people aged between 10 and 24 and ask them to finish this sentence: “To improve my well-being, I want…” So far, 800,000 people have given their answer. Education and job opportunities were the most important thing for those who took part. Lots of people said that having a job would give them independence. This was particularly important for girls in India who took part in the survey. Young people were trained to carry out the survey through face-to-face interviews and using WhatsApp. The highest number of responses come from…

The author and climate activist Mikaela Loach walked out of the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 12 August. She said she couldn’t take part because of the festival’s connection to fossil fuel companies. Fossil fuels include oil and gas, and burning them causes climate change. What happened? During a talk about her book on climate change, Loach stopped and said, “I can’t actually, in good faith, continue.” She walked out with members of the audience and they staged a protest outside the venue. This came after 50 authors had signed a letter to the festival’s organisers asking them to drop their sponsor, a company called Baillie Gifford. Earlier this month, the climate activist Greta Thunberg said she wouldn’t go to the festival for the same reason. What does Baillie Gifford…

Kormantse, Ghana Evidence of fort uncovered Historians think they have found the first fort used by the English to imprison enslaved Africans (people who were captured, sold and forced to work for no money). Researchers found what could be Fort Kormantine, built in 1631, underneath another fort that was built later. They also found pottery and tobacco pipes. Belem, Brazil Countries agree to save the Amazon At a meeting to discuss the future of the Amazon rainforest, eight South American countries promised to combat deforestation. This is when trees are cleared on a large scale, often for farming or industry. The countries couldn’t agree to stop all deforestation by 2030, though, which disappointed many conservation groups. Quito, Ecuador Election candidate chosen An Ecuadorian political party has chosen a presidential candidate…

George Alagiah was a familiar face on British television for the 20 years that he presented the BBC News at Six. His friend and workmate Sophie Raworth remembers that he always thought of other people. “He never wanted the story to be about him,” she said. Another reporter called him gentle, kind and brave. Despite his long career as a newsreader, he was truly passionate about his earlier work as a foreign correspondent. A foreign correspondent is someone who goes to other countries to report what is going on. Alagiah won many awards for his work in countries around the world – often when wars were happening. Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka (a country in South Asia) but left aged six when his family moved to Ghana, in Africa.…

Summer is a great time to spot bladder wrack, one of the UK’s most common types of seaweed. Search rocky seashores, between the point where the tide is highest and where it’s lowest. Bladder wrack is brown and has flat ribbon-like fronds that split into branches. These have air-filled bubbles, or bladders, along them, often in pairs on either side of a central rib. They help the seaweed float upright in the water and absorb nourishment from the water. Bladder wrack is home to lots of tiny sea creatures. The Big Seaweed Search is a project to monitor the effects of environmental change on sea life. It’s asking people to record what seaweed they find. To take part, ask an adult to go to bigseaweedsearch.org…

Asian hornets are an invasive species, meaning they are not native to the UK. The insects eat honey bees and are capable of killing 300 in a day. Teams of people are working to track down and remove the hornets’ nests in the UK. ● LIFESPAN: Workers (which collect food) live between 30 and 55 days. Queens (which lay eggs) can live for a year. ● HABITAT: Originally China, northern India and parts of southeast Asia. They build nests in tree cavities (holes). ● SIZE: Workers are about 25 millimetres long. ● DIET: Other insects, including honeybees. ● NOT-SO-FUN FACT: It’s thought the Asian hornet came to Europe in a container of pottery from China.…

Do you like shaking things up? Holiday time and weekends are a great opportunity to take a break from your usual routine and find new ways to have fun. What does taking a break mean? Sticking to a routine can be helpful, especially when you need to be organised for something like school or sports practice. However, mixing things up a bit is good for you too. Taking a break doesn’t have to involve travelling to another country or having a holiday by the sea. It could mean visiting friends, exploring new places or even just spending a rainy day indoors building a den or reading – anything that takes you away from your usual routine. The Week Junior reader Lowri, aged 13, says it means “doing things you don’t…

Monster in the Woods by Dave Shelton (David Fickling Books) There’s a monster in the woods and Frith is determined to do something about it. With her dad, her brother and a dog called Cabbage, she travels to the city to convince the king that something must be done. They have plenty of adventures – and Frith will soon learn that perhaps the monster in the woods is not quite what it seems. Alex Neptune: Monster Avenger by David Owen (Usborne) In the latest book in this adventure series, the sea creatures near Haven Bay are acting strangely. Alex realises that a deadly illness has infected them and he and his team must stop it. They face everything from electric eels to an army of angry crabs. Koku Akanbi and…

Name: Szajiny Chocolate Box Girls: Marshmallow Skye by Cathy Cassidy “Relatable, interesting, engaging. I found this book in my school library and I love it.” YOUR TURN Email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it’s printed in the magazine you’ll receive a Roving Reporter badge. Describe the book in three words, what you liked about it and why you’d 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 futureplc.com/privacy-policy…

Holly King-Mand is a writer, presenter and campaigner for literacy (the ability to read and write). She has inspired thousands of children across the world with her online classes, which parents can find at hollysclassroom.com. Holly loves to write stories. Here, she explains how to write one about a summer-themed adventure. Adventure stories can take us to faraway places and are full of exciting twists and turns, unlikely surprises and wonderful friendships – like the perfect summer. Try mixing the conventions (usual features) of adventure stories with a summer setting. Create your hero Every good adventure story needs a hero. They don’t need to start off a hero but the journey they go on might help them to discover their superpower or strength within. As it’s a summer story, consider…

Our cover star this week is proof of the power of one person to imagine a better world. When Aneeshwar Kunchala (page 9) saw a picture of the effects of plastic pollution on the seas, he wanted to make a difference. Now he is working with Steve Backshall presenting a TV show! The power of the imagination is a bit of theme this week: on Books (page 23) you can find out how it is a kind of superpower for authors. Our Wellbeing feature (page 19) is all about thinking up exciting new activities to shake up your routine. On page 20 we’ve got a report about Wonderlab, a new gallery where you can play and fire up your STEM skills, and on page 25 there are some top tips…

Share your shelf of favourite reads We want to include photos of what’s on your bookshelf on our new books page in the magazine. Send us a picture of some of the books on your shelf showing the titles on the spines clearly, along with any of your favourite objects. Tell us why you have chosen those books (and objects), and why you would recommend them to someone else. Then, ask a parent or guardian to email your shelfie to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk GET INVOLVED 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…

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 teachers should control access to toilets… “NO – pupils should be able to go to the toilet when they need to go to the toilet.” “People should try to go at break times but they shouldn’t remove complete access.” “It’s disruptive and means you miss out.” “No, wetting yourself is humiliating.” Tell us what you think of this week’s issue and we’ll print some of the best comments here.…

Well-known characters appearing in cinemas in the next year include Willy Wonka, Riley and her emotions from Inside Out and Garfield the cat. Reusing old characters is less risky for film studios because they can be more certain that people will turn up to watch their favourite heroes and villains in new stories. Barbie proved this by making more than £780 million in ticket sales in just 17 days, but perhaps characters are being recycled too much. This year, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back in cinemas and Disney released films starring Peter Pan and Ariel the mermaid. It also released Elemental, starring new faces Ember and Wade. Ticket sales were slow at first, but audiences liked it. What do you think: should more films star new characters? Yes…

Creatures in the wild have developed all sorts of techniques to sneak up on their prey. One sly species, the trumpetfish, has discovered the ultimate disguise: hiding behind bigger fish until the time is right to strike. Trumpetfish are predators that live in coral reefs in warm regions of the ocean. They are narrow and look a bit like eels, and can grow up to 80 centimetres long. They feed on small fish and crustaceans, such as shrimps. They have been known to swim upright in order to blend in with coral as they hunt for food. They have also been seen swimming alongside much larger fish, such as the colourful parrotfish – a species that doesn’t eat other fish. After watching this behaviour, a team of researchers decided to…

Foxes living in urban areas, such as towns and cities, are braver than those that live in the countryside, a new study has found. Researchers have long suggested that wildlife faced with the challenges of living in cities becomes bolder and smarter. Scientists from the University of Hull, England, spent two years testing foxes across 104 locations in England and Scotland. The researchers left “puzzle feeders” out for the foxes. The animals needed to solve a puzzle to get at the food inside, which included chicken, dog biscuits and honey. The puzzles could all be solved using normal fox behaviour, including licking, nudging and pulling. The researchers found that city foxes were more willing to touch the puzzles than their countryside cousins. However, when it came to actually solving the…

This is a clever form of camouflage that is known as countershading. It helps species, including penguins, blend into their surroundings and avoid predators. For example, if a hungry shark or orca was looking down, a penguin’s black back would blend into the dark depths of the ocean. If they were looking up, a penguin’s white belly would blend into the light of the sky above. Enjoy unlimited visits to ZSL London and Whipsnade Zoos, plus a host of other benefits with ZSL Membership. Find out more at zsl.org/membership/zsl-membership…

You will need: ● 600ml double cream ● 1 tsp vanilla extract ● 397g can of condensed milk 1 Place the cream in a large bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. When the whisk is lifted, the cream should form “peaks” that flop over immediately. 2 Mix the vanilla extract with the condensed milk. 3 Fold the condensed milk (folding is a special way of gently mixing ingredients, ask an adult to help you) and vanilla extract into the cream. 4 Move the mixture to a container, cover it with cling film and freeze it until it is solid and ready to eat. 5 Add chopped up pieces of fruit, nuts or sprinkles to make it your own creation.…

On 11 August, the 2023–24 Premier League season started with Erling Haaland making the headlines again. The striker from Norway scored two goals as champions Manchester City beat Burnley 3-0. City have won the Premier League for the last three years. In 2022–23, Haaland was the top scorer with an impressive 36 goals during his first season in the competition. The Premier League is the highest level of men’s football in England and Wales. Newcastle were another team to get a big win during the opening weekend. They beat Aston Villa 5-1 at St James’s Park, Newcastle’s home stadium. New players Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes were among their goalscorers. Luton, who are playing in the Premier League for the first time, lost 4-1 at Brighton. Arsenal, Fulham, Crystal Palace…

This summer you can challenge yourself to be an engineer at the National Railway Museum in York, England, which has just opened its newest and largest gallery, called Wonderlab: The Bramall Gallery. The interactive gallery has been designed for visitors aged between seven and 14 years old. It features 18 fun challenges that are aimed at developing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills. The challenges are playful and hands-on and they include learning to think like a railway engineer by planning routes, building bridges and constructing marble runs. Another experience is Feel the Force, where you can go inside a giant wind tunnel to learn about aerodynamics (how things move through the air). Sandscapes uses augmented reality (AI) to turn a sandpit into fantastic, changing landscapes. The colourful Play…

by A.M. Howell (Usborne) Alice is thrilled to be travelling across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary – an ocean liner, with shops, restaurants, animals and celebrities on board. While her sailor father is concentrating on trying to win the prestigious Blue Ribbon Race, Alice and her friend Sonny quickly discover that there’s something weird happening on board the ship. With the help of bellboy Charlie and passenger Miriam, they investigate a sinister sabotage plot, uncovering clues including anonymous notes and lost silk gloves. With fog threatening their journey, enemies on all sides and secrets coming to light, can the four friends solve this puzzling mystery at sea? This historical adventure will take you back in time to the 1930s. Partly inspired by the author’s childhood memories of sailing in…

Every book starts life in the author’s imagination. Perhaps a picture or a word or a theme will spark the writer’s creativity and carry them away to another world. Writers are always on the lookout for ideas. Liz Pichon, author of The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, told The Guardian newspaper that she keeps her ears and eyes open. “I listen to conversations on trains,” she said. She also taps into her past. “I try and remember things that happened to me when I was a child,” she said. Phil Earle, author of Until the Road Ends, told The Week Junior, “Sometimes you go looking for ideas, sometimes they just fall into your lap.” With his latest book, “a simple Google taught me about Rip, the world’s first sniffer dog.…

Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 4 Letters Dark Exit Seat 5 Letters Torch Treat 6 Letters Sweets Ticket 7 Letters Credits Release Trailer 8 Letters Director Premiere 9 Letters Programme Projector Spotlight Wordsearch Can you find all of the flowers listed here? The words are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. AZALEA BUDDLEIA DAHLIA DAISY FREESIA FUCHSIA GLOXINIA HYACINTH IRIS LAVENDER LILY LOBELIA PANSY PEONY PETUNIA PRIMULA ROSE SALVIA VERBENA VIOLET 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. Spot the difference These two pictures appear to…

East Yorkshire Foodbank Last year, East Yorkshire Foodbank distributed food to make 98,000 meals. Local people donate food, which the food bank picks up from supermarket collection points, then volunteers check dates and pack nutritionally balanced food parcels. Donations make up about half of what the food bank gives out each month. Local sports clubs, community groups and businesses help to raise money for the organisation too. Find out more at eastyorkshire.foodbank.org.uk…

1 How many main islands make up the US state of Hawaii? □ a) Four □ b) Six □ c) Eight 2 True or false? The Very Hungry Caterpillar is most likely to be a child’s first book. □ True □ False 3 Which country hosted this year’s Pokémon World Championships? 4 How many volcanoes have been found off the coast of Sicily, Italy? □ a) One □ b) Two □ c) Three 5 True or false? Aneeshwar Kunchala is presenting a new TV show with Steve Backshall. □ True □ False 6 What is the smallest species of baleen whale? 7 The first ice cream in the UK was reportedly served at which king’s feast? □ a) Charles I □ b) Charles II □ c) James II 8 What…