Table of contents for 521 in The Week Junior

A scientist is training hoverflies to boost their pollinating skills. Which animal would you like to train to do a useful task? Have a look at how these clever insects are trained on page 12. The Percy Jackson books are based on ancient Greek legends. What’s your favourite creature, god or character from Greek mythology? Read about season 2 of the Percy Jackson TV show on page 22. Gaelic and Scots are now recognised as official languages in Scotland. Which of the world’s languages would you like to speak well? Read about Gaelic and Scots on page 7. The big debate Should spelling tests be scrapped? Page 10.…

ENCYCLOPEDIA In ancient Greece, a child was expected to learn many subjects. This all-round education was known as enkuklios paideia, which became “encyclopedia” in English in the 16th century (see left). Cyclo- meant circular or “all-round”. It first described a general course of study, but 100 years later it meant a large book that gave information about many different subjects, which is how we still use it today. Don’t just read The Week Junior… Listen to it! This week, Bex, Eve and Joe are talking about which books they’d like to see adapted on screen. Scan this code to take you straight there!…

A report by the United Nations (UN) has found that rebuilding Gaza could cost about £53 billion over many years. The UN is a group made up of most of the world’s countries that works to promote peace. Gaza is a strip of land bordering Israel and Egypt where around two million Palestinian people live. It is governed by an armed group called Hamas. A long-running conflict between Hamas and Israel, which got much worse on 7 October 2023, led to intense fighting in Gaza. A ceasefire (pause in fighting) was declared on 10 October 2025, although both sides have accused each other of breaking the rules of the ceasefire. However, the ceasefire is officially still in place. The estimated £53 billion cost of rebuilding includes the cost of constructing…

On 1 December, the charity Save the Children published a survey showing that young people think “giving back” to others is important at Christmas. The research was released as part of the charity’s One Delivery That Matters campaign. What did the research say? The research looked into what UK children think Christmas spirit is all about. It was based on a survey of 2,000 eight to 16-year-olds by a research group. The results showed that 73% of children said they would give up one of their presents if it meant another child in need could receive something essential. Also, 78% of young people said their Christmas wish this year was for every child to get what they need the most. Save the Children said this was a “powerful message” because…

Rock climbing is a sport that involves using ropes and other equipment to climb up a rock face, either outdoors or an artificial one indoors. Luca, who is 17, loves it because, he says, “you get to solve problems with your friends”. Luca enjoys outdoor climbing because it’s a chance to interact with the environment. He’s been researching how his hobby impacts nature since he was 14 and wants to promote sustainable rock climbing. This means “climbing in a way that in 20 years, the same outdoor routes will be in use”, he says. The cliffs people climb are home to lots of plants and birds, and when climbers make their way up, they can disturb nests and damage delicate ecosystems (communities of living things). Luca says he spotted damage…

Hoverflies could be a secret weapon in boosting crops that feed people around the world, according to recent research. These small insects have yellow and black bodies, and are often mistaken for bees or wasps – but they don’t sting or bite. They’re called hoverflies because they float in mid-air and they are known as “super pollinators”. ​Pollination is the process that allows plants to reproduce, by carrying the powdery pollen they produce between male and female plants. Hoverflies pollinate almost three-quarters of the world’s food plants. Unlike bees, hoverflies don’t mind rain and can travel thousands of miles, spreading plant species to new locations. “In some ways, they’re potentially more useful” than bees and wasps, Will Hawkes, an insect specialist at the University of Exeter, England, told New Scientist…

In British Columbia, Canada, sea wolves have been pulling crab traps ashore to eat the contents. Sea wolves are a type of grey wolf from parts of Canada and the US Pacific coast. European green crabs arrived in the community of Bella Bella more than 10 years ago, and upset the local ecosystem (community of living things). Traps, which are filled with bait, are set to catch them and reduce the green crab population. However, in 2023, the team working to catch the crabs noticed that some traps were damaged and had teeth marks on them. To find out which animals were responsible, they set up cameras near the traps. They filmed a sea wolf using the rope attached to the trap to pull it ashore. Once she’d pulled it…

YOUR PHOTOS SEND YOUR PHOTOS Email them to hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Once a month we feature photos by our readers. Ask a parent or carer to send in photos for you and make sure they read this: upon submitting images for publication, you the adult grant Future Publishing Ltd permission to publish the submission in the Week Junior publications and on their associated web and social pages. You warrant that you own or have the right to grant this permission and that Future’s use will not infringe the rights of any third party.…

Virat Kohli Kohli scored 135 runs from 120 balls for India against South Africa in one-day international (ODI) cricket. India won the first ODI match by 17 runs. Ellis Simms He scored twice as Coventry beat Charlton 3-1. Coventry lead the Championship, the second highest level of men’s football in England. Gloucester-Hartpury Gloucester-Hartpury beat Bristol Bears 54-14 in the Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) competition. They have won all five of their PWR games this season. Uganda netball team At the Celtic Cup netball tournament in Glasgow, Scotland, Uganda won all their matches to lift the trophy.…

In the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, adapted from Rick Riordan’s bestselling book series, 12-year-old Percy Jackson made an unexpected discovery: he’s a demigod. A demigod is the child of a human and a god. In Percy’s case, his father is Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of the sea. Being a demigod may sound cool but it’s dangerous – and a lot of Percy’s time is spent running away from monsters. The safest place for demigods is Camp Half-Blood, a haven for young demigods where they can train and learn how to defeat monsters. After going on a quest to retrieve the lightning bolt of Zeus, who is the king of the ancient Greek gods, Percy is back for a new adventure in season two. This time,…

Bat-Fam Available now on Prime Video This TV show about Batman follows the adventures of Bruce Wayne (Batman’s real name), his son Damian and their trusted butler, Alfred. They work through the challenges of living with a bunch of unusual housemates, while also working together to keep Gotham City safe. Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age Available now on AppleTV+ Earth’s Pleistocene period, also called the Ice Age, started around 2.6 million years ago. This documentary reveals what life was like for now-extinct species including the woolly mammoth, woolly rhino, sabre-tooth tiger and giant armadillo.…

What is your favourite Norse myth? Ragnarök, the final battle between the forces of light and darkness, which is the event before the end of the world and its rebirth. Where did the idea for the book come from? Odin was born from a badly drawn cat, with one eye bigger than the other. Once I erased the eye, it became an eye-patch. Do you have any pets? When I was little, I had a mixed-breed dog called Bobby. His favourite hobby was to find ways to leave the house and go for walks around the neighbourhood. Like Aldo, the hero in your story, do you enjoy reading comic books? Very much so. I learned how to read with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck comics, then I moved on to…

However much you love cats, you probably wouldn’t want one delivering your post – especially if you own a dog. However, Catto’s Post Office is a game set in a world where everyone is a cat, including its hero Catto, who works as his town’s resident postcat. You play Catto and your job is to deliver packages to the other people in the town while helping them with their problems or tasks, which include finding lost scissors and spotting sea monsters. Along the way, you can get distracted by jumping into boxes, knocking things over and finding 16 rubber ducks that have been hidden around the town. There are also residents who want to help Catto. You even get a button just for meowing, although it’s for fun rather than…

Wordsearch Can you find all of the words listed? They are hidden horizontally, vertically or diagonally and may read forwards or backwards. BAR BLOCK BOX BROWN BUTTON CADBURY CREAM DARK ECLAIR EGG FILLING FLAVOUR HARD MARS MILK PLAIN SAUCE SLAB SWEET TREAT WHITE 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. Shortcode Eight letters of the alphabet have been replaced by numbers. Crack the code to find the words. Word fill in All these words fit in the grid. Can you work out where each word goes to complete it? 4 letters CLIP LANE RIDE VEST 5 letters CHAIN FRAME SPEED TRACK 6 letters DYNAMO HELMET SHORTS SPOKES…

Young Change-Maker of the Year Have you ever raised money for a cause you care about? Or stood up for someone in need? The organisation SuperKind is looking for the UK’s most amazing young people. If you have spread kindness in any way this year, SuperKind would love to hear about you as part of their Young Change-Maker of the Year competition. The winner will get a goody bag and their story will feature on SuperKind’s website, and five runners-up will also get prizes. The deadline is 19 December. To find out more, ask an adult to visit tinyurl.com/TWJ-superkind 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 contribution…

We know that our readers are kind and want to help others. You’re not alone. On page 6 you can read our report about the Save the Children charity, which took a survey of young people. Almost three quarters of them said they’d give up one of their presents if it meant a child could get something they really needed. On page 21 we report on the power of helping your community, with some ways to get started, and on page 27 there are some ideas for things you can make for Christmas presents, which is often a more planet-friendly way to celebrate. Changing the way you do something to make sure it doesn’t harm nature is important to rock climber Luca. On page 11 you can read how he…

On 28 November, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his closest adviser, Andriy Yermak, had resigned (left his job) because of a corruption investigation involving top officials and government ministers. Corruption is dishonest behaviour by those in power. Yermak denies any wrongdoing and has not been accused of anything. What is the investigation? Earlier in November, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) said they had found evidence of wrongdoing in Ukraine’s energy industry. The investigation has lasted for 15 months. NABU and SAPO say some people took illegal payments from companies doing work for Energoatom. Energoatom is a nuclear energy company owned by the government. The people said to be involved include energy officials and government ministers, some of them colleagues or…

Save the Children helps millions of children each year. One of these children is Alia (not her real name) whose family fled Ukraine in 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country. Alia’s family went to Bucharest, Romania, where it was safe for them. Alia found settling in very difficult but began to feel better when she visited the Save the Children Hub. This is a space where Alia and other Ukrainian children can make friends and play together. Alia has also been learning English there. She said, “The Hub helped me find friends and I now feel comfortable in Romania.” When she’s older, Alia would like to become a dentist.…

Out of almost 900 species of hoverflies in Europe, more than a third are under threat. Ways to encourage the insects in your area include leaving dead wood like logs in flower beds – young hoverflies eat them. You can also create tiny hoverfly “lagoons”, which are shallow pools of water with fallen leaves that are ideal breeding areas. Hoverflies like wildflowers and herbs, including the umbrella-shaped flowers of plants like dill and cow parsley.…

Audiobooks have become a really popular way for people to enjoy books. This November, the first ever Speakies took place, an awards ceremony dedicated to audiobooks and audio drama. Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa was just one of the people who won awards for reading books aloud. In the UK between 2023 and 2024, the money made by book publishers from audiobooks increased by 31%. A report by the charity National Literacy Trust (NLT) this year found that more children enjoy listening to audiobooks or podcasts than reading books. When were audiobooks invented? Audiobooks first emerged in the 1930s and were created for blind people. During the First World War (1914–18) thousands of soldiers lost their sight. When they came home, many had to learn Braille (a writing system that…

Outer space is a harsh environment. Anything exposed to it has to put up with extreme temperatures, high levels of ultraviolet radiation (a type of energy produced by the Sun) and a near-total vacuum. A vacuum is an area with absolutely nothing in it, including no air. However, new research has revealed that spores of moss (a type of non-flowering plant) spent nine months attached to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2022 and managed to survive. Spores are cells that some organisms use to reproduce. Scientists carried out their tests on sporophytes (parts of moss that produce spores) from a type of moss called spreading earthmoss. Before sending the sporophytes into space, they experimented with them on Earth. They exposed them to vacuum conditions, high levels…

Around 3,000 competitors from 81 countries took part in the Deaflympics, a competition for athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing. The games are held every four years and this year were in Japan from 15 to 26 November. There were 21 sports in the Deaflympics. Badminton, basketball, karate, table tennis, swimming and volleyball were some of the activities that athletes competed in, aiming to get a gold (winner), silver (second place) or bronze (third place) medal. Ukraine won the most medals, picking up 99 in total: 32 golds, 39 silvers and 28 bronzes. Hosts Japan were second with 51, followed by China’s 50 medals. Great Britain had 65 athletes involved in football, athletics, shooting, swimming, golf, tennis and cycling. DeaflympicsGB won 12 medals, and 15-year-old swimmer Charlotte Gower,…

On 5 December, it’s International Volunteer Day, which is a reminder of the power of helping others. What is volunteering? Volunteering is when you give up your time for free to help someone else. It can involve assisting a charity with its work, helping to look after the environment or even supporting a team, like coaching younger children’s sports. Why should you volunteer? Volunteering has lots of benefits for the people being helped and the person doing it. Being a volunteer can help you develop empathy, which is understanding other people’s feelings. “Volunteering is great for our mental health, it makes us feel good – a bit like our insides are smiling,” says Maddy Mills. She’s from Family Volunteering Club, which works to help children and their families volunteer for…

Hercules Hercules is a demigod who was taken from the gods as a baby and raised on Earth. He struggles to fit in but when he finds out who he really is, he must defeat the evil Hades. Available on Disney+ Epic Tails Pattie is a daring mouse living in ancient Greece who dreams of becoming an adventurer. When her home is threatened by the sea god Poseidon, she embarks on a quest to save it. Available on ITVX Greeking Out This podcast dives into the stories of ancient Greece and beyond. Find out about dangerous monsters, ancient curses, disastrous shipwrecks and the quest for immortality (living forever).…

Bunny vs Monkey: Intergalactic Monkey Business! by Jamie Smart (David Fickling Books) In the latest instalment of this comic book series, a new mischief-maker has arrived in The Woods – called Little Monkey. He’s smaller, cuter and even stranger than the Monkey we know and love. As Bunny and friends try to work out what he’s up to, they find themselves on a crazy journey to outer space. The Horse Dreamer by Holly Surplice (Chicken House) Following the loss of Merryn’s father, Sorrel the horse arrives out of a storm. He’s like something from a dream, seemingly made from the woods and the sea, and is just what Merryn needs. As Christmas approaches, she must use her new-found strength to help her mum and sisters heal too. Rory Sparkes and…

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

Deciding what to give people for Christmas can be tricky. Just remember that a gift is a way to show someone that you care about them. It’s not about how expensive it is but how well suited it is to the person receiving it. A home-made gift shows that you’ve really thought about the person – what they like, what they’re interested in – and put time and effort into making something they’d enjoy. It could be a drawing, a funny poem or story about them, some delicious food or a pretty ornament. In every issue, our How To page offers ideas for activities. You’ll find many of them collected in our online activity hub (the web address is at the bottom of this page – ask an adult to…

Name: Zara “Last year I was diagnosed with ADHD. Often, people with ADHD have trouble paying attention (inattention), lots of energy (hyperactivity) and may do things without thinking first (impulsivity), such as interrupting others when talking. For me, I find I daydream a lot, I fidget and I find it hard to get to sleep. A few weeks ago, I did a presentation at my school about ADHD. I decided to do this presentation to help others learn about ADHD so that they can understand why my behaviour can be different to others at times. I think it also has helped them to recognise if they, or someone they know, may have ADHD. Since finding out about my ADHD, my family and my teachers have been able to help me…

“As soon as I read the article about National Tree Week I got inspired to make the pop-up tree from issue 519. It was so fun to make it and it turned out great. I love making art!”Chiara “We were busy on Saturday sticking all the posters from The Week Junior on our bedroom wall.”Margot and Helena “I loved baking some delicious Halloween gingerbread mummies (issue 515) with my Auntie Laura. They were absolutely amazing.”Lucas “Our first Scotland rugby match at Murrayfield! We got to sit next to the substitutes and got lots of selfies and autographs.”Fraser and Rory We’re proud to be plastic-free The Week Junior is delivered without a wrapper. This decision was made in response to requests from our readers who wanted us to reduce waste. Since…

More than 600,000 people in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and surrounding areas were left without power for some time on 29 November following overnight attacks by Russia. Ukraine said Russia had launched about 36 missiles and nearly 600 drones (small machines flown by remote control) at targets across the country. Ukraine said it shot down 558 drones and 19 missiles. Three people were killed and dozens injured. By the end of the day on 29 November, more than 360,000 of the homes affected had power again.…

A CHILDREN’S CHARITY Hope House Children’s Hospices, which help children with life-threatening conditions and their families, raised £811,379 in just 36 hours. The money will be used to provide activities such as art sessions and animal visits for the children it cares for. A GREAT GOALIE Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year 2025. Experts picked her as the winner based on her performances from 2024 to 2025. She helped England to victory in the Euros and won the Women’s Super League, Women’s FA Cup and Women’s League Cup with her club, Chelsea. A FAMILY OF PUPS A stray Shiba Inu dog and her five puppies have been rescued after she was found hiding them in a hole in a tree. All six dogs are…

On St Andrew’s Day, 30 November, Scots and Gaelic became official languages in Scotland. St Andrew is Scotland’s patron saint. The change is part of the Scottish Languages Act 2025. Gaelic has been spoken in Scotland since the 6th century, mostly in the Highlands and Islands. Scots is mostly spoken in the Lowlands, in the south of the country. Figures from 2022 showed 130,161 people in Scotland had some Gaelic skills and 1,508,540 people could speak Scots.…

Do you have to do regular spelling tests at school? How do you feel about them? For some pupils, they’re a common part of school life – and there’s a good chance this was the case for your parents or guardians, too. However, despite spelling tests having been an accepted part of the school calendar for a long time, some people think it’s time to move on. They argue that these tests are unfair to students and put too much pressure on them when they should be learning to love words and reading. On the other hand, some people think that they’re an effective, tried-and-tested way of keeping track of students’ progress with spelling and an important part of school life, even if they’re not enjoyable. What’s your view? Should…

Nail artist Shea Osei is excited that her work has been put in the spotlight. For the last 15 years, she has done actress and singer Cynthia Erivo’s nails. Then Erivo was cast in the Wicked films as Elphaba and Osei was asked to design nails for her character. Osei created more than 35 sets of press-on nails for Erivo to wear in Wicked, and more for the sequel. Osei told The Week Junior that every set of nails she makes tells a story. She hopes her work will inspire others and her advice to aspiring nail artists is “learn the basics and find your own style”.…

Search for fallen pine cones on forest floors Pine cones can be found littering woodland floors from September to December. These woody structures contain the seeds of pine trees and help them to reproduce. The individual parts on the pine cones are called scales. These hold the seeds and help to keep them safe from weather and hungry animals until the seeds are mature and the weather is warm and dry enough for them to spread and grow new trees. Look out for fallen cones around black pine and Scots pine trees. Both these trees are evergreen (they don’t shed their leaves in autumn) and have needle-like leaves. Pine cones can be quite useful – you can add them to bug hotels to provide shelter for insects; lay them around…

Colombian scientists have brought up the first pieces of treasure from the wreck of a famous ship, the San José. In 1708, the Spanish galleon (a type of big sailing ship used for fighting and carrying goods) was sailing off the coast of Colombia, close to the city of Cartagena, when it was attacked by the British Navy. Its powder magazines (the places where gunpowder is stored) exploded and the ship sank. The ship was carrying almost 200 tonnes of gold, silver and gems, including about 11 million coins. That’s the same weight as about 40 male African elephants. Today, it is worth about £15 billion. Over the years, treasure hunters and archaeologists (experts who study ancient human-made objects) have searched the Caribbean sea for the ship. In 2015, a…

• Help the elderly Local care homes often want visitors. Older neighbours might need help too. • Litter picking Join a local litter-picking group and do your bit for the environment. • Collect money for a local charity Charities rely on donations (money given by other people), so helping them raise funds is really important work. • Help animals Local wildlife charities and rescue centres often need volunteers to help the staff with caring for the animals.…

From 29 March 2026, a brand-new immersive world for Frozen fans will open to visitors at Disneyland Paris, France. World of Frozen features a recreation of the kingdom of Arendelle, where the film is set. A 36-metre model of North Mountain towers over the kingdom of Arendelle, with Elsa’s Ice Palace standing on it. There’s also a musical boat ride attraction that will take visitors through a variety of locations including a snowy forest, the Ice Palace and the Valley of the Trolls. Inside Arendelle Castle, there’s an opportunity to have a royal encounter and meet Anna and Elsa. Other characters, including Olaf the snowman, are also found around the kingdom, and at the bay you can watch a show. The Frozen-themed area is part of the Disney Adventure World,…

The idea for Tidemagic: The Many Faces of Ista Flit first came to author Clare Harlow about 10 years ago, on a chilly winter afternoon when she was walking beside the River Thames inLondon. A section of the Thames is tidal, meaning it rises and falls with the sea’s tides, and Harlow tells The Week Junior about a part of the walk where she leapt back to avoid a wave sloshing over the footpath. “It suddenly went really still, and I was aware that I was all alone,” she says. “It was one of those December afternoons where it gets dark really early, and it was crisp and cold and misty… It just felt magical and full of possibilities.” At that moment, she wondered what would happen if magic rose…

Customers eat with the fishes After an unexpected flood in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, a restaurant is offering a unique dining experience where customers sit in water that’s full of fish. The Pa Jit restaurant was flooded when the nearby Tha Chin river burst its banks. Now waiters have to wear waterproof trousers as they serve customers, while diners are welcome to feed the fish. The owners worried that the flood could close the restaurant, but after people shared photos online of themselves with the fish swimming around their feet, business has never been better. Ice-skating elves take over rink Nearly 200 elves packed into an ice rink in Somerset, England, earlier this month to attempt to set the record for the world’s biggest elf skate. All 193 skaters wore full…

Teacher’s name: Miss Dewey School: Winscombe Primary School, Winscombe, England “Miss Dewey is very kind and understands that we are all unique. I’m autistic and get anxious in class and she gives me quiet time and mindfulness activities and helps me learn by explaining the work differently. She gives us jobs such as “tech guru” and “office helper”, which make us proud. Every Friday we take one of her teddy sloths home. Mine was called Joleen and I wrote about our adventures over the weekend.” Ethan 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 JOKE OF THE WEEK “Why…