Table of contents for 515 in The Week Junior

The soundtrack to the film KPop Demon Hunters has been given an award for selling so many copies. What’s your favourite song from a film? Find out more about this mega success on page 23 Jude has written a book about what it’s like to have a stammer. If you wrote a book based on your life, what would you write about? Read about the experience that inspired Jude to tell his story on page 11. Dressing up at Halloween is a very old tradition. What is your favourite frightening costume to wear? Explore the story of this spooky celebration on page 14 The big debate Is it ok for cars to park on the pavement? Page 10.…

On 18 October, millions of people gathered in cities across the US for protests against President Donald Trump’s government. This was the third major wave of protests in the US since Trump was sworn in as president at the start of this year. What were people protesting about? The rallies were called “No Kings” because the protesters claim that Trump acts like he’s a king with total power (see panel). They say he poses a threat to democracy, which is a system where people choose the representatives to run the country for them by voting for them in elections. During his second term as president (he was also president from 2017 to 2021), Trump has punished some news outlets and journalists for coverage that his government calls “biased” (unfair). Many…

On Jura, an island off Scotland’s west coast, 17-year-old Tabby Fletcher is trying to tackle plastic pollution. Tabby told The Guardian newspaper that she kept finding animals on beaches dead or injured because of plastic waste, which was “horrible”. She started a petition (list of people who support an idea), asking the Scottish government to ban “all non-essential single-use plastics”. It received 26,000 signatures. The government decided not to take action but Tabby said she has had letters from people that give her hope. “It’s good to see people having the same thoughts and beliefs as I have,” she said.…

Fossa The UK’s only fossa pups have been born at Chester Zoo. There are just 2,500 of the cat-like creatures left in the wild, in Madagascar, and only three litters have been born in zoos across Europe this year. This makes these four new arrivals – two girls and two boys – very special. • LIFESPAN: 15 years. • HABITAT: Forests of Madagascar. • SIZE: 0.7 metres (head and body). • DIET: Meat, such as mice. • FUN FACT: Fossas prefer to be on their own but they communicate and track each other by marking things with their scent.…

Scientists have been undertaking a gruesome exploration of a dead king’s skull – and unearthed a grisly mystery. Did King Richard III suffer from gum disease? This is a condition that makes gums bleed and turn red, swollen and sore. It’s caused by a build-up of plaque (a sticky film of bacteria) on teeth and happens when they aren’t cleaned properly. It can lead to bone loss and teeth growing loose – and possibly even falling out. The skeleton of Richard III, who died in 1485, was found in 2012 beneath a car park in Leicester, England. His teeth were well-preserved, so researchers from the University of Bath were able to scrape off samples of plaque. The team identified nearly 400 types of bacteria – similar to those found on…

Badminton is an exciting indoor sport. It’s easy to learn for any type of player and involves a mix of speed and skill. Thanks to the Shuttle Stars scheme in England, if you’re aged under 12 you can sign up and enjoy fun sessions near you with a coach and other beginner players. Played between two single players or two teams of two, badminton takes place on a court 13 metres long and five metres wide (six metres wide in doubles). Players hit a shuttlecock from their side of the court, over a high net in the middle, to the other side. A shuttlecock is light, about nine centimetres long and has a rubber or cork base with material made into a cone shape. A player wins a point if…

A new online gallery of photographs has been A launched that shows Bradford, England, during the 1980s. The images were taken by photographer Victor Wedderburn, and most were taken in or around Lumb Lane, in Manningham. This is a part of Bradford where many residents at the time were part of the Windrush generation. The Windrush generation is the name for the thousands of people who came from the Caribbean and other places to help rebuild the UK following the Second World War (1939–1945). Wedderburn’s photographs show a busy community with lots of local businesses, including a café, a record shop and a hotel where Caribbean music was played late into the night. These hubs were much-needed places for the community to meet up and have fun. At the time,…

ParaNorman In cinemas now To celebrate the 13th anniversary of the spooky film about a boy who has to protect his town from zombies, the film is back in cinemas with improved colours and animation. Plus you’ll also get to see a new short film, ParaNorman: The Thrifting. Stage Stars Available now on BBC iPlayer This new CBBC series follows the real-life drama at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in England. Featuring behind-the-scenes action, singing, dancing and dazzling performances, viewers can get a glimpse of what it really takes to become a star of tomorrow.…

Do you think you are easily spooked – if so, by what sort of things? Reasonably easily, yes. I’m not keen on underground passages or furry creatures brushing past me in the dark. What is your drink of choice when you’re writing? Tea, by the bucketload. What kind of reader would be a fan of Dracula & Daughters? Anyone who likes a highstakes adventure with spooky elements and family dynamics thrown in. How would you describe Mina, Buffy and Bella in one word each? Mina – determined; Buffy – empathic; Bella – assertive. What is the one thing you enjoy most about being an author? Only one? That I get to do the job I dreamed about doing when I was at school.…

Few games are based on an idea as simple as the Katamari Damacy games. Their creator, Japanese developer Keita Takahashi, once explained it in five words: “It’s fun to roll something! ”He was right. In 2004 Takahashi released the first Katamari Damacy game, inspired by the ball-rolling games that children play in the real world. Except in this case, the roller was a prince and the ball was so sticky it could pick up any object in its path. The game was a hit and more followed. The latest, Once Upon a Katamari, is out this month for PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, as well as PCs. The action-puzzle games are all based on the same idea. You start with a small ball that can pick up tiny items like paper…

Wordsearch Can you find all the words listed here? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BANDAGE BLOOD BROOMSTICK CAULDRON COBWEB CREEPY FANGS FULL MOON HAUNT MASK MONSTER MUMMY NIGHT PARTY PHANTOM SCREAM SHIVER SPIDER WITCH ZOMBIE Shortcode Eight letters of the alphabet have been replaced by numbers. Crack the code to find the words. Word fill in All these supernatural things fit in the grid. Can you work out where each one goes? 3 letters ELF ROC 4 letters OGRE YETI 5 letters DWARF GHOST GIANT WITCH 6 letters SPRITE WIZARD 7 letters CYCLOPS PHOENIX SPECTRE WARLOCK 8 letters BOGEYMAN WEREWOLF Number tower Place a number in every circle to complete the tower. The value in each circle is the sum of the…

Are you getting set for Halloween? You might notice that we certainly are! This issue we’ve got lots of spook-related stories, including looking at the traditions of this strange day (page 14). Do you like a shiversome read? You’ll find lots of stories that fit the bill in our books section (page 24). There’s even an interview with author Danny Robins, who is fascinated by ghosts. Do you believe in them? His book might help you decide. On page 27 you’ll find a recipe for delicious mummy-shaped spice biscuits to nibble as you settle down to this week’s creepy puzzles (page 30) or listen to our podcast, The Week Junior Show. You’ll even find a grisly story about a king’s skull on page 17. Look out for our monster stamps…

A RUNNING CHALLENGE On 17 October, Nigel Beecroft finished a fundraising challenge to run along all of the 8,000 streets in Birmingham, England. Beecroft kept a diary of his runs and made notes about people he met. It took nearly two years and covered around 2,500 miles. THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE To celebrate 80 years since the publication of the first Thomas the Tank Engine book, a blue plaque was put on a house in Gloucestershire, England. It was where Thomas’s creator, Reverend Wilbert Awdry, once lived. Awdry’s daughter Veronica Chambers unveiled the plaque and said it was “wonderful”. FUTURE GUIDE DOGS The charity Guide Dogs UK has welcomed a large litter of puppies. Born in August, the 13 puppies are known as “the baker’s dozen”, a term that refers…

Plans have been announced for the introduction of V levels, a new qualification for 16-year-olds in England. V levels are vocational (linked to a specific job or trade) and will replace BTECs. Examples of V level courses include craft and design, sport and exercise science, and health and care services. The Government’s Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said V levels would simplify a confusing system. They are expected to be introduced from 2027.…

The number of cars on UK roads is growing. According to Government figures, at the end of March 2025 there were 41.9 million licensed vehicles (cars, lorries, motorbikes and buses able to drive on the road) in the UK. This has gone up 1% from the previous year. Finding places for people to park their vehicles is often difficult. Problems include old, narrow roads with no parking bays; the increasing size of cars such as SUVs (cars that are generally bigger and taller than a standard car); and families often having more than one vehicle. These have made finding somewhere to park a car tricky, so some people have resorted to parking with part of their car on the pavement. What do you think? Is it ever ok to park…

This spooky-looking fungus has lots of names, including “witches’ butter” and “yellow trembler”. Yellow brain fungus is a type of jelly fungus that is found on dead wood. It can be seen across the UK all year round, but you’re most likely to spot it on the fallen branches of deciduous trees (ones that drop their leaves in the autumn) and gorse. Yellow brain fungus feeds not on the wood itself but on other fungi, such as the rosy crust fungus. It appears as a frilly-looking orange or yellow blob and can be slimy when wet, hardening as it dries out. Old legends used to say that if it appeared on the gate or door of a house, it meant that a witch had cast a spell on whoever lived…

Gloucestershire hay buyers The Red Horse Foundation charity in Gloucestershire, England, has raised concerns over a severe shortage of hay in the area. Hay is dried grass, and animals such as cows and horses are fed on it in winter. Farmers say the dry weather this spring and summer stopped the grass from growing, resulting in less hay than usual. Some animal groups and owners are having to pay more and buy hay from further away for their animals.…

People’s noses get colder when they’re feeling stressed, according to a new study. Researchers from the University of Sussex, in England, looked at the temperature of people’s faces to see if it changed when they were nervous or under pressure. Professor Gillian Forrester, who studies brains and behaviour at the University of Sussex, led the study. She recorded 29 people with a thermal imaging camera (see panel) to see what happened when they were stressed. First, the volunteers listened to white noise (quiet background sound that sounds a bit like a waterfall) for five minutes to make them calm. Then they had to perform two tasks in front of a silent group of strangers. They had to give an unplanned presentation and they had to do maths in their head…

Evelin Evelin scored the first goal at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. Her team, Brazil, beat Morocco 3-0. Noah Caluori The 19-year-old scored five tries as rugby union team Saracens beat Sale Sharks 65-14. Caluori is an England youth international. Great Britain para-cycling team At the Para-cycling Track World Championships in Brazil, Great Britain won nine gold medals, eight silvers and six bronzes. Manchester United In the Premier League, Manchester United beat rivals Liverpool 2-1. Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire scored their goals.…

Lockett & Wilde: The Ghosts of London by Lucy Strange. Illustrated by Pam Smy (Walker Books) Supernatural sleuth Matilda Lockett and her ghostly partner Edgar Wilde are in Victorian London’s haunted theatreland. After investigating strange happenings at a curiosity shop, they are soon drawn into the unsolved case of a notorious gold thief. Gloam by Jack Mackay. Illustrated by Ben Joel Price (Rock the Boat) When Gwen and her family move to their grandmother’s house on Gloam Island, she encounters the peculiar Esme Laverne. Their new babysitter might seem sweet but Gwen isn’t fooled. Fighting off terrifying creatures and horrifying nightmares, can Gwen protect her family from the monster lurking in their home? Fright Club: Let’s Boo This! by Sibéal Pounder. Illustrated by George Ermos (Puffin Books) Joe is astonished…

Name: Annabelle Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend “Exciting, mysterious, thrilling. It keeps me wanting to turn the page – even when Mummy or Daddy tell me to go to sleep!” 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.…

These tasty, slightly creepy-looking gingerbread mummies are perfect to share with trick-or-treating friends, or to nibble while you watch a scary film on Halloween night. However, to the ancient Egyptians, mummies weren’t scary. Mummification was just their way of preserving dead people to ensure that their souls would live on in the afterlife. They even mummified animals, including their pets, so if you have animal-shaped biscuit cutters, you could use them too. This recipe takes about 45 minutes to make and will make around 30 mummies, although it depends on the size of your shape cutter. If you can’t find Smarties for the eyes, you can use any small, round sweets. You will need Makes around 30 • 350g plain flour and a bit extra• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda• 2tsp…

Name: Rose “On 27 September, England’s Red Roses won the Women’s Rugby World Cup at the Allianz Stadium in front of a record-breaking crowd of 81,885 fans. They beat Canada 33-13, securing their record streak of 33 wins in a row. Both England and Canada have played exceptionally well this World Cup. While the Canadian backs were resilient and strong, the forwards were unable to match the power of the England scrum, which helped to lay the platform for a thrilling victory for England. I was one of the lucky people to watch the match live at the Allianz Stadium and think of it as one of the best days of my life. The crowd was buzzing with energy and the fact that, on that day, we broke rugby records…

Draw a festive cover Have you sent us your artwork for this year’s The Week Junior Christmas cover competition? The deadline is 11.59pm on 2 November. We’re looking for a bright, colourful and festive design on the theme of Peace on Earth for the cover of our Christmas issue, coming out on 18 December. Your picture could be a symbol of peace and love, a scene of friendship, or it could show togetherness at Christmas – or anything else you want to paint and draw. To find out more and download a printable template, ask an adult to visit theweekjunior.co.uk/cover25 WIN A BADGE! 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…

On 19 October, Israel’s military said a ceasefire (pause in fighting) with Hamas had resumed following fighting in Gaza. Gaza is a strip of land that borders Israel and Egypt. It is home to Palestinian people and is governed by Hamas. Over the past two years, there has been intense fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. On 29 September, a plan for peace between the two was announced by US President Donald Trump. As part of the plan’s first stage, Hamas has released 20 hostages to Israel in exchange for 1,968 Palestinians being held in Israel. As The Week Junior went to the printers, Israel said it had received the bodies of 15 out of 28 hostages who died in Gaza. A ceasefire came into effect on 10 October,…

On 17 October, Prince Andrew announced he would give up his royal titles, including the Duke of York. That means he won’t use them any more. Who is Prince Andrew? He is one of the four children of Queen Elizabeth II (who died in 2022) and the younger brother of King Charles III. Andrew lives at Royal Lodge in Windsor, England (see panel). Until now, he has been known as the Duke of York. This is a special title traditionally given to the second son of the King or Queen. What happened? In a statement issued on 17 October, Prince Andrew said news stories about him were distracting from the work of the King and the royal family. As a result, he said he had decided to no longer use…

On 22 October, it was International Stammering Awareness Day and The Week Junior spoke to Jude, who is 12 years old and has a stammer. Stammering is a difference in the way some people speak. It can lead to people repeating letters and sounds or not being able to get words out. Jude has written a book called I Didn’t Ask for Beans: My Life with a Stammer. It’s inspired by an experience he had at school while ordering lunch. He struggled to get his words out and ended up with a meal he didn’t want. The aim of the book, says Jude, is to “raise awareness of what stammering is, and help all students with a stammer”. To other people struggling with a stammer, Jude says, “I know it’s…

Scientists have officially spotted 10,000 species at Wicken Fen nature reserve in Cambridgeshire, England. It is thought to be the first nature reserve in the UK to have recorded so many species. The 10,000th species, recorded earlier this year, was a rare moth. The six-belted clearwing has yellow stripes to disguise itself as a wasp. Wicken Fen is a wetland, and the National Trust charity bought the site in 1899 for £10 when it was smaller than two football pitches. Over time, the charity bought more land and Wicken Fen is now about 8.2 square kilometres. During the 20th century, scientists discovered 13 species at Wicken Fen that were new to science. Experts think that warmer temperatures have tempted more insects to move north and find a comfortable home in…

Off the north-east coast of England, 4,000 European native oysters have been released into the sea. The shellfish are attached to 20 heavy blocks with surfaces designed to mimic the sea bed. It’s part of a project by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and environmental charity Groundwork North East and Cumbria. Oyster numbers in UK waters have fallen by more than 95% in the last 200 years. The causes for their decline include pollution, disease and too many being harvested for food. Scientists want to bring them back because oysters are good for the ocean. The shellfish boost water quality because each one can filter (clean) around 200 litres of water a day. The reefs formed by their shells can also provide homes for fish and other sea creatures.…

Lots of people celebrate Halloween on 31 October. It’s a day with lots of strange traditions such as carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating but have you ever wondered why we have a day dedicated to ghosts and other scary things? Where did Halloween come from? Halloween is thought to date back more than 2,000 years and has its roots in the pagan festival of Samhain. Paganism is a set of spiritual and religious beliefs. Nature is important to pagan people and some pagans worship gods and goddesses. Samhain is celebrated on 1 November and the name means “summer’s end”. It marked the end of harvest season, when people were preparing for winter. A group of people known as the Celts – who lived in Britain from around 750BC – believed this…

An object’s temperature can be observed with a thermal imaging camera – also called an infrared imaging camera. All objects give off infrared radiation, which is a type of energy. Infrared radiation is invisible but your body senses it as heat. The hotter something is, the more infrared radiation it is giving off. Thermal cameras can detect this radiation and create pictures that show how hot something is and how temperature varies across its surface. This technology is used in many ways. It allows people to “see” in the dark by picking out the warmth of people or wildlife at night. People also use it to see where heat is escaping from badly insulated buildings.…

team of experts have A launched a small robot submarine on a mission around the world. Scientists from Teledyne Marine, who make underwater equipment, and Rutgers University in New Jersey, US, worked on the device. The 2.57-metre glider, called Redwing, aims to travel around the world, taking around five years and gathering data on sea currents and temperatures. Redwing uses a battery-powered buoyancy engine, which causes it to sink to about 1,000 metres and then rise to just below the surface, again and again, travelling at about one mile per hour. Enjoy these stories? Find more in this month’s The Week Junior Science+Nature magazine sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk…

Have you ever heard someone being described as conscientious? Conscientiousness is a skill or quality. Experts have found that people who are conscientious are more likely to do well in their work and have good relationships with other people. What does conscientious mean? Being conscientious means wanting to do your work or your duty well. When you do something, you want to do it to the best of your ability. It also means not giving up when things get tough and doing tasks without being asked to do them. You can spot a conscientious person because they follow the rules, do their homework early and to the highest standard they can. They stick with tasks, even when they’re hard, and are responsible and careful. They might help others without being…

Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters has had a very successful year. The latest announcement is that the film’s soundtrack has been awarded a platinum record. This means the soundtrack has sold the equivalent of one million copies. The film is about a K-Pop (Korean pop) girl group called HUNTR/X, who also spend their time hunting demons. Their rivals are a demon boy band. The soundtrack has been very popular, and in August HUNTR/X’s song Golden reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 music chart in the US. The singers behind the voices of HUNTR/X are Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami, and they received their platinum award on an American TV show. That evening, they also did their first live full-length performance of Golden. K-POP HALLOWEEN KPop Demon Hunters singalong…

It’s a collection of spooky real-life mysteries but writer and broadcaster Danny Robins sees his book as a detective story. In Do You Believe in Ghosts? readers must work out if they are “team sceptic” and think the mysteries can be explained by science, or if they are “team believer” and think ghosts really do exist. Robins told The Week Junior he’s always been fascinated by ghosts. “I was that child who used to lurk in the school library reading books all about ghosts,” he says. “Ghosts feel a bit like time travel,” he adds. “It’s maybe the past coming to us.” Although Robins would love to chat to a Victorian ghost, lots of the cases in his book are modern. One involves flying Lego, and his favourite is in…

Over 700 pull-ups in one hour An Australian police officer broke a world record that had stood for nearly 10 years by performing 733 pull-ups in an hour. A pull-up is an exercise where you hang from a high bar by your hands and pull yourself upwards. It takes strong arms and a good grip and, in breaking the women’s world record, Jade Henderson completed more than 12 of them every minute, on average. By the end, Henderson said her hands were very sore. She said she was very proud of herself for “pushing through” and “not stopping until the end”. Police catch runaway pumpkin Police officers in Ohio, US, received a strange call earlier this month when a giant inflatable pumpkin went “on the loose” after it blew away…

Teacher’s name: Mr Orpin School: St Michael’s Prep School, Otford, England “Mr Orpin teaches maths and French but also runs our Debating Club. He tells us about current affairs and gets us thinking about many topics and different points of view. For example, he knows I love dogs so when we debated cats vs dogs he put me on team cat, which challenged me to think differently. We’ve also debated things like whether people should have real or fake Christmas trees and if children should learn at school or at home. He’s super supportive and we’re very lucky to have him.” Amelie 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…

“Me and my friend Annie catching up on the latest news in The Week Junior.”Eliza “My sisters and I love reading The Week Junior. I was very excited to give some of our copies to my class. My wonderful teacher Mrs Orski was so pleased.”Oni “My friends and I set up our own book club. We’re called LITE, using our initials (Luisa, Iona, Tanaya and Eliza). We love checking out the book club pages of The Week Junior to help us pick our next read. We also love climbing trees and my little sister Caitlin joins us sometimes too.” Iona “We tried your tasty tarts recipe (issue 512). I made mine with olives and mushrooms. I had a brilliant time cooking and we all absolutely loved how they turned out!”Aryansh…

1 How many streets are there in Birmingham, England? ☐ a) 2,500 ☐ b) 5,000 ☐ c) 8,000 2 True or false? It takes seven years to qualify as an architect. ☐ True ☐ False 3 What is the name of the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built by the Romans? 4 Which country is home to the world’s first floating car park? ☐ a) Japan ☐ b) Australia ☐ c) Denmark 5 True or false? The UK is home to the most species of animals and plants in the world. ☐ True ☐ False 6 Where do fossas live in the wild? 7 What does the city of Conway in South Carolina, US, temporarily change its name to each year? ☐ a) Autumn ☐ b) Halloween ☐ c) Samhain 8…