Table of contents for 471 in The Week Junior

On 11 December, Saudi Arabia was chosen as the host country for the men’s 2034 World Cup by FIFA, the organisation that governs football around the world. Some countries and human rights groups are unhappy with the decision. Why are people unhappy? Saudi Arabia has an absolute monarchy, which means a king or queen has overall power. Saudi Arabia’s king is Salman bin Abdulaziz. His son Mohammed bin Salman has served as Saudi Arabia’s prime minister since 2022. The government has often been criticised by human rights groups for the way it treats some of its people. In Saudi Arabia, women have fewer rights than men, for example a male “legal guardian” must give permission for a woman to get married. People are heavily restricted over what they can say…

RARE BIRDS One of Britain’s rarest woodland birds has been discovered in Herefordshire, England. Hawfinches have beautiful markings but are not often seen in the county. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, which made the discovery, has expressed its “delight” at the find. A LITTLE ROBOT GAME Astro Bot has been named Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. The popular Playstation 5 game follows a little robot who has to collect pieces of his broken spaceship and rescue his crew. It won three other awards too – for Best Family Game, Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Game Direction. A SCRABBLE PLAYER A man from New Zealand who lives in Malaysia has become the Spanish World Scrabble Champion, despite not speaking the language. Nigel Richards has also won Scrabble tournaments in…

Vepaiamele recently spent her 16th birthday at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Netherlands. She is from Vanuatu, a country made up of several Pacific islands that’s affected by extreme weather caused by climate change. Vepaiamele was chosen by the Save the Children charity to share her experiences. She says she has seen lots of cyclones (severe storms), which damage buildings. This December, the ICJ heard evidence from 98 countries and will advise what each should do to tackle climate change. Vepaiamele says, “I think adults should listen to children. Climate change is endangering our future.”…

Twice a year, environmental charity The Rivers Trust asks people to survey a river after they have downloaded an app. You watch the river for 15 minutes and answer questions about the speed of the flow, the wildlife and whether the water is polluted. Don’t worry, the app explains how to find the answers. You can actually do the survey at any time; it helps build a picture of river health. Ask an adult to search online for “Big River Watch”.…

At the RSPB’s Lakenheath Fen nature reserve in Suffolk, England, “runways” have been created to help common cranes fly. Helpers cut away areas of tall reeds to help the birds take off and land, like an airport runway. ● LIFESPAN: Usually about 13 years but they can live as long as 40 years. ● HABITAT: Marshy, swampy wetlands. ● SIZE: Up to 1.2 metres tall, with a wingspan of up to 2.5 metres. ● DIET: Insects, roots, seeds, snails and worms. ● FUN FACT: Common cranes are the UK’s tallest birds.…

Mistletoe is a plant with white berries that is often associated with Christmas. Now, scientists from the University of Essex are investigating the sticky substance attached to mistletoe seeds. They think the glue-like substance, called viscin, could be used by doctors and medics as an environmentally friendly surgical glue to seal up wounds when people are injured. Throughout history, mistletoe has often been used as a strong glue. The scientists have teamed up with a UK mistletoe grower to harvest enough plants to study, and they have begun growing it in a controlled laboratory to carry out their investigations. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Have you noticed how things in nature slow down in winter? Animals hibernate, insects stop buzzing so much and leaves have dropped from the trees. There’s a lot we can learn from the natural world by learning to take things easy. Why go slow? One of the reasons that animals and plants slow down is to save energy. As humans are part of the natural world, it makes sense that this is good for people too. “We need to rest so we can be full of energy when it’s time to be active again,” explains Rakhee Jasani, who teaches mindfulness. “Taking it easy helps us to notice more of what’s happening around us, like how a plant grows or how the clouds move in the sky,” she says. “When we…

A new Sonic the Hedgehog film is coming to the big screen. A mysterious villain called Shadow has emerged and Sonic must reunite with his friends Tails and Knuckles to take him on. Like Sonic, Shadow is a hedgehog. However, he isn’t a hero. He’s a hedgehog with a dark side who was developed in a top-secret government lab, and after breaking his way out he wants revenge for his tragic past. To stop him, Sonic has to team up with his arch-enemy: Dr Robotnik. If they can work together, it’s possible that the mad scientist’s skills could help them defeat Shadow. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in cinemas from 21 December.…

Dream Productions Available now on Disney+ In this four-part TV show set between the two Inside Out movies, viewers are taken to the studio where 12-year-old Riley’s dreams are made. All of her emotions have a part to play and now Riley must work with a new daydream director, Xeni, who has lots of big ideas. Our Oceans Available now on Netflix This new nature documentary series goes on a journey through the world’s oceans to see the incredible animals below the surface. In each episode, narrated by former US president Barack Obama, viewers are shown a different ocean and find out the challenges that its inhabitants face. The Famous Five Available on CBBC and iPlayer from 23 December This is the second series of this CBBC version of Enid…

What do you have in common with Lydia Marmalade? Lydia isn’t very good at sitting still or doing exactly what she’s been told. She doesn’t mean to be cheeky, it just sometimes happens… which I can relate to. What do you like to do when it snows? Wrap up as warm as possible so I can be outside as long as possible. Start a snowball fight, build a snowman, then head home for hot chocolate. What did you enjoy the most about writing The Christmas Wish-tastrophe? I loved writing a silly adventure story that made me laugh and feel festive, and learning about how they celebrated Christmas in Georgian times. What are your favourite festive traditions? Ice skating, decorating the tree and watching a film in your PJs with leftover chocolate…

Fishing, growing fruit, collecting dinosaur bones… and talking to friendly animals. It’s all in a day’s play for people who love the Animal Crossing games – a series that has been popular for a long time. The first Animal Crossing game came out 23 years ago. It was created by two developers at Nintendo in Japan: Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. “We came up with a game where you hang out and do stuff with a bunch of people in a single field. Then, one by one, we started coming up with more ideas,” said Eguchi. The game’s creators are proud of its popularity with families, after adverts for the first game in 2001 focused on young people. “Once we released it, the mothers of these children were also playing…

A team of gardeners and florists at Cotehele, a National Trust property in Cornwall, England, have created a stunning display featuring around 30,000 flowers. The National Trust is a charity that looks after areas of countryside and historic buildings, and all the flowers used in Cotehele’s Christmas garland (a hanging decoration) are grown in the gardens there and then carefully dried. This year’s garland, which has been a Christmas tradition since 1956, is more than 18 metres long and weighs around 120 kilograms. Cotehele’s head gardener Dave Bouch said it was “an amazing display”.…

Can you read three or more books over the holidays? Why not challenge your friends and family and see who can read the most? This winter, you can get involved in an awesome free reading challenge from the team behind the Summer Reading Challenge. The Winter Mini Challenge started on 1 December and lasts until 20 February 2025. You can sign up, review the books you read, find books that other people recommend and earn rewards for the books you read at wintermini.org.uk…

Teacher’s name: Mr Quant School: Servite RC Primary School, London “Mr Quant is a very special teacher. His superpower is being super kind and thinking about others. He always has a back-up plan so no one feels left out. For example, on Odd Socks Day, he brought an extra pair of odd socks to school just in case someone forgot. And guess what? Someone did, and those socks saved the day! He always makes sure we’re all happy. Plus, he’s really good at teaching us all the tricky stuff!” The Year 5 class 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…

1 In 2030, the men’s football World Cup celebrates what anniversary? □ a) 50th □ b) 100th □ c) 150th 2 True or false? Chris McCausland is the first blind contestant and winner of the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. □ True □ False 3 Which country recently announced that it will ban greyhound racing? ________________________ 4 Which film made the most money at the cinema this year? □ a) Inside Out 2 □ b) Paddington in Peru □ c) Moana 2 5 True or false? Healthy human hair grows an average of 0.35 millimetres every week. □ True □ False 6 What type of bird is the UK’s tallest? ________________________ 7 What percentage of the UK is rainforest? □ a) 0% □ b) 1% □ c) 20% 8 True…

It’s the run-up to Christmas and there has been plenty to see at the cinema, particularly for fans of musicals. Wicked, Moana 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King are all packed with feel-good songs. Wicked is based on a stage musical, which first opened at the theatre in 2003. Fans love the show’s songs, such as Popular and Defying Gravity. In fact, some people like the music so much they have started singing along in the cinema. Others in the audience have complained that it is ruining their experience – they want to enjoy the music in peace. Not everyone agrees. Dwayne Johnson, who is the voice of Maui in the Moana films, said he thinks people should sing in the cinema if they want to. What do you think?…

The Norway spruce is an evergreen tree (one that doesn’t drop its leaves in autumn) and is found across the UK, although it’s not native. The fast-growing tree was brought here from Scandinavia in the 16th century. The tree’s wood is used to make boxes and paper. People brew beer from its twigs and in the past used its resin (the juice some trees make to protect themselves) to waterproof boats and barrels. Now Norway spruces are popular as Christmas trees. They can reach 40 metres high and live for 1,000 years. The straight trunk grows lots of orange-brown branches covered with small, needle-like leaves. The tree has long, thin red-brown cones that hold its seeds but most of them have fallen off by December.…

Thank you to everyone who entered our Christmas cover competition. We received more than 1,500 entries and the job of judging them was incredibly tough. The judges were illustrator Tom Clohosy Cole, with The Week Junior’s editorial director Anna Bassi, editor Vanessa Harriss, art director Dave Kelsall and picture editor Mandy Rowson. Henry designed the winning cover, a very jolly Santa. Anna said, “Henry’s painting is a fantastic festive delight – it makes me smile every time I see it.” Tom said it just filled him with joy, adding that “The dabs of colour bring richness and warmth, which I love.” Mandy called it “an exceptionally skilful painting – Santa really pops on the page!” Vanessa commented, “My eyes just kept being drawn back to this one. It’s such a…

Would you like to play football at Christmas, in deep snow and with Santa Claus on the pitch? Hundreds of youth and adult players from a special club have the chance to do all these things at this time of the year. FC Santa Claus play in the region of Lapland, which is in northern Finland and is said to be the home of Father Christmas. “Christmas is a time of celebration for us. We are the biggest football club in Lapland and honoured to have our name,” says Jose Hiltunen, who helps run FC Santa Claus. The team plays in a red and white kit with a picture of Father Christmas on their club badge. There is even a competition for young players called the Santa Claus League. “It…

How Winston Came Home for Christmas by Alex T. Smith (Macmillan Children’s) Join loveable mouse hero Winston on another heartwarming Christmas adventure in this beautiful illustrated book. Told in “24-and-a-half chapters”, it mixes in lots of fun festive activities and craft ideas. It’s ideal for reading with your whole family in the run-up to the Christmas celebrations. A Poem for Every Day of Christmas edited by Allie Esiri (Macmillan Children’s) You can enjoy a different poem for every day of December with this lovely poetry anthology, perfect for sharing with your friends and family. Snuggle down, nibble a mince pie and enjoy festive poems and carols by famous poets including Brian Bilston, Wendy Cope, T.S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas. Murder at Wintertide by Fleur Hitchcock (Nosy Crow) George and his…

Name: Rebecca Cluedle, the Case of Rudolph’s Revenge by Hartigan Browne “Mysterious, intriguing, cunning. This book is about being able to solve mysteries and having the patience to figure it out. I really like the puzzles that are fun to solve.” YOUR TURN Please email your book review to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk. If it is printed in the magazine you will receive a Roving Reporter badge. Describe your chosen book in three words, tell us what you liked about it and why you would recommend it to others. Don’t forget to include your name and address.* *If you are the competition winner, we will only use the details you provide to contact you and arrange delivery of your competition prize. Further details about how we manage the data you provide can be…

What you need • 400g dark chocolate digestive biscuits• 400g milk chocolate• 400g dark chocolate• 500g white chocolate• 100g unsalted butter• 60g mini marshmallows• 225g jar Maraschino cherries, drained and chopped• 80g pecan nuts, roughly chopped• 80g pistachios, roughly chopped, plus extra for the top• Sandwich bag• Rolling pin• Three bowls• 23cm square tin, greased and lined with baking paper• A skewer• A knife These delicious treats don’t require any baking but deliver a satisfying biscuit crunch with a rich and creamy chocolate taste. Inspired by a famous German cake called Black Forest gateau, this recipe contains festive red cherries, along with nuts and marshmallows. These tiffin slices are also very pretty to look at and make a thoughtful Christmas present. All you do is pop them in a box…

Hello everyone and a very happy Christmas! We’ve had a busy few weeks judging our cover competition and preparing our next issues, the super-duper bumper issue. The bumper is a round-up of the year’s most interesting and positive news, films, games and sports, plus it’s packed to the brim with puzzles and activities to keep you going over the holidays. This week’s biggest news at The Week Junior, though, is the winner of our Christmas cover competition. Let me tell you, choosing that was a tough job! We had more than 1,500 brilliant entries and for several weeks all the team helped with opening envelopes and admiring your incredible artwork. The job of deciding was hard but a supply of mince pies kept us going. Some were painted, some were…

Sam Edmunds recently decided to raise money for a very good cause by having his head shaved. The 14-year-old from London spent three years growing it, so there was lots to cut off. When he last had a haircut, in 2021, Sam raised £3,200 for a local food bank (where people in need can get food and help). He tells The Week Junior, “I always had the idea of doing it again.” This time, Sam is supporting the Alzheimer’s Society charity. Alzheimer’s is a form of dementia, a condition that can affect memory, thinking and behaviour. It usually affects older people and gets worse over time. It is important to Sam because his friend died of Alzheimer’s in 2023, and some friends lost their aunt too. In February 2024, former…

People often like to stay inside and be cosy during the festive season but the Christmas holidays are a great chance to get outside and enjoy getting close to nature. The Wildlife Trusts, a group of charities dedicated to helping nature, is running its 12 Days Wild challenge. From Christmas Day to 5 January, people are encouraged to do one wild thing a day. These can be activities that will help wildlife, or something that will help you connect with nature. Activities could include going on a winter walk and looking out for different types of wildlife. If it’s snowy or muddy, keep your eyes peeled for footprints left by animals. If the weather is just too cold or wet to head outside, there are suggested indoor activities, such as…

Do you have a smartphone? How well do you think you’d cope if someone took it from you for three weeks? That was the challenge that 26 pupils at a school in Colchester, England, recently faced as part of an experiment to find out how living without a phone would affect them. The volunteers were all Year 8 pupils at the Stanway School in Essex. They agreed to lock their phones in a glass box for three weeks. Researchers from the University of York closely monitored them to see if their behaviour changed over this time. The experiment was filmed for a documentary TV show and the adult presenters joined the pupils by also giving up their phones. Although similar experiments have been carried out before, Professor Lisa Henderson from…

Oaklands Wolves They enjoyed a big 108-41 win over Cardiff Met Archers in the women’s Super League Basketball competition. Celtic Football Club Celtic won the Scottish League Cup after a penalty shoot-out victory over their Glasgow rivals Rangers. The final score was 3-3 before going to penalty kicks. US swimming team At the World Aquatics Swimming Championships in Hungary, the US topped the medals table with 18 golds, 13 silvers and eight bronzes. Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price The British boxers both defended their world welterweight titles. Jonas defeated Ivana Habazin and Price beat Bexcy Mateus.…

In Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, the award-winning short film that came out in 1993, audiences met a new character, Feathers McGraw. He looked like a normal penguin but was actually a criminal mastermind. His plan to steal a diamond from a museum was foiled by Wallace and Gromit, and he was put behind bars. Now, the evil penguin is back in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – and he’s out for revenge. In the new film, Wallace has become a bit too reliant on his inventions. His latest creation is a robot gnome called Norbot, who is designed to help with gardening projects and “gnome improvement”. It doesn’t take long for Norbot to develop a mind of his own and turn evil – although it seems the…

Early Man BBC iPlayer Besides creating Wallace and Gromit, Nick Park directed another film called Early Man. It’s set in prehistoric times and follows the story of Dug, a caveman who lives a very peaceful life with his Stone Age tribe. However, a new age is dawning and Dug’s home is threatened by invaders who want to mine for metal. With his trusty sidekick Hognob (a pet boar), Dug must find a way to win back their home from the greedy Lord Nooth and the Bronze Age City. They challenge Nooth’s favourite football team, Real Bronzio, to a match, and together the tribe of cavemen and cavewomen must learn how to play the sport. As well as directing the film, Nick Park also provided the voice for Hognob.…

by Cariad Lloyd. Illustrated by Ma Pe (Hodder Children’s) Cariad Lloyd is an award-winning podcaster, writer and comedian who has appeared on many comedy shows on TV and radio. Here, she’s been inspired by the novels of Jane Austen, a famous 19th century writer. Lloyd has created a funny magical adventure set in 1812. Orphan Lydia Marmalade is heading out to meet her new family, the Partridges, and begin a new life at grand Peppomberley Manor. When she arrives at her new home, things aren’t quite what she expected. On St Nicholas Day, she accidentally summons a chaotic winter sprite called Bel, who has a broken wand and unleashes Christmas mayhem. With lots of lively illustrations by cartoonist Ma Pe, this is a warm, sparklingly funny festive story, full of…

The year is 4024. Santa Claus rules the world and EVERY day is Christmas day. This is the setting for Sibéal Pounder’s fantastically festive adventure, Sprouts, where holographic elves grant wishes; everyone travels by flying sleigh; and candy canes come in every flavour imaginable. Pounder tells The Week Junior, “I love the idea that Christmas gets earlier every year. And I thought, what if by the year 4024 it got so out of control that it had become every day?” In the story, we meet Gryla Garland, a young witch who lives on the Mince Pie Isles where they only get to celebrate Christmas once a year. Gryla wants more than anything to be part of the festive world but witches have all been banished by Santa for fear that…

Crossword Read the clues carefully and write the answers into the grid. Across 1 Clock noise (4) 3 Counting frame (6) 8 Sets alight deliberately (7) 9 Allowed (3) 10 Laboratory magnifying device (10) 13 Poisonous fungi (10) 17 Thick piece of wood (3) 18 Hair around the organ of sight (7) 19 Italian sausage (6) 20 Number on a calendar (4) Down 1 Ballerina’s skirt (4) 2 British royal pet (5) 4 Double-decker (3) 5 Stringed instrument (5) 6 Couch, sofa (6) 7 Summer wear (6) 11 Scooping tool (6) 12 Hunts (6) 14 Heavenly creature (5) 15 Alpaca-like animal (5) 16 Foot protector (4) 1 Ballerina’s skirt (4) 2 British royal pet (5) 4 Double-decker (3) 5 Stringed instrument (5) 6 Couch, sofa (6) 7 Summer wear (6)…

Poem by Lucas. Art by Lucas’s sister Lizzie 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 on this page? Whatever you have to show or tell us, get in touch at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Snowflake “Created in a misty cloud Adjoined by friends and family Whisked away from the crowd Drifting down very informally. Unwillingly leaving the busy group Falling onto the world below Embracing the cold with a whoop Wobbling like a frosty jello. Then, what a sight might meet my eyes Frosty meadows covered in snow Falling from the sheet-white skies A blanket of frost on the world below. Brushing past the powdered trees Settling on…

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.…

Let us know what you think! Write a note when you vote in the debate poll or send us a voice note. Last week we asked if it’s ok to give people pre-loved presents… “Yes, some people cannot afford new presents.” “No, it’s not as special as buying a new one.” “Yes, it’s good for the environment and can save you money.” Correction In our story about Tamil footballer Vimal Yoganathan, we said Tamils originally come from India. We should have said they come from Sri Lanka too. Many thanks to reader Thamarai for pointing that out.…