Innehållsförteckning för Issue 115 från The Week Junior US

Half of Yellowstone National Park will be closed for at least the rest of 2022 after massive flooding occurred on June 13. Rivers overflowed in and around Yellowstone, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary as a national park. What is Yellowstone? Established in 1872, Yellowstone was the world’s first national park. Today, it is one of the most popular national parks in the US. In 2021, Yellowstone drew 4.86 million guests, making it the third most visited national park in the country, after Great Smoky Mountains and Zion. Yellowstone is located mostly in Wyoming and spills over into parts of Montana and Idaho. At 3,472 square miles, the park is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Yellowstone is home to more than 500 geysers, about 290 thundering waterfalls, and…

AN AARDVARK’S ARRIVAL A baby aardvark was born at the San Diego Zoo for the first time in nearly 40 years. “We can’t wait until we are able to introduce the cub to our zoo guests, helping them learn more about this remarkable species,” a zoo official said. A CEREAL CHAMPION Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, has another honor to add to her list. She’s the latest champion to appear on a Wheaties box during the celebration of the cereal’s 100th year. This “means the world to me,” she said. MIMICKING A MERMAID A real-life “eco mermaid” is setting records to protect the seas. Merle Liivand swims with a single fin to raise awareness of plastic pollution in the ocean. She swam 26.2 miles off the coast…

Harini Logan, a 14-year-old from Texas, won the 94th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on June 2, in a televised contest outside Washington, DC. The Week Junior’s Junior Council member Aarav, 13, interviewed Logan about her experience competing in the contest. Aarav: How did it feel to win? Harini Logan: I was so overwhelmed, and it was just surreal for me. I was so busy that I didn’t really get to think about my win! Aarav: What has life been like for you since then? Logan: I got to appear on the TV show Live with Kelly and Ryan. On the way back home to San Antonio, I was stopped by people in the airport who said, “Can I take a selfie with you?” I’m like, OK, people actually know…

From their native Greece to the National Basketball Association (NBA), brothers Giannis, Thanasis, and Kostas Antetokounmpo have had a long journey to the top. Now a new film on Disney+, Rise, tells the story of the family’s ascent to sports stardom. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 27, is an executive producer of the film. He was born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents and is one of five brothers. When his parents immigrated to Greece, they faced discrimination and financial hardship. Giannis and his brothers helped out by selling watches and sunglasses to tourists in Athens. The 6-foot, 11-inch star forward discovered basketball at age 13. He and Thanasis were invited to a local youth basketball club after someone spotted their athletic talent playing soccer. From there, Giannis played on the Greek national…

Researchers studying the lifestyle of reef manta rays—one of the world’s biggest fish—have found that they are mostly creatures of habit. The rays, which can grow up to 16 feet across and weigh more than 1,500 pounds, live in large numbers in Komodo National Park in Indonesia. They swim in shallow waters near the coast and frequently visit “cleaning stations” on coral reefs, where small fish pick off the rays’ dead skin and any itchy pests. As a result, Komodo has become a popular place for tourists to scuba dive and see these giants up close. Until now, however, scientists haven’t really known how many rays there are and how much they move around. A team from the Marine Megafauna Foundation (“megafauna” is a scientific word for large animals) and…

Located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, Fenway Park is the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball. Let’s learn more about the field known as “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.” How the baseball stadium began In 1910, Red Sox owner John I. Taylor decided to build a new ballpark for his team, which had been playing in a wood stadium called Huntington Avenue Grounds. He wanted a modern “jewel box” style, made of concrete and steel with two tiers of seating. Taylor chose the city’s “Fens” section for the new location. On April 20, 1912, Fenway Park opened for its first game, and the Red Sox beat the New York Highlanders (now known as the Yankees). What makes Fenway Park special Fenway is now only one of two jewel-box parks…

Rather than throwing away disposable face masks, a team at Washington State University has repurposed them into strong concrete. The scientists pulled microscopic fibers out of masks and mixed them with a substance called graphene oxide. They applied that mixture to a common cement paste. The resulting concrete was stronger and less prone to cracking than standard concrete. A reinforced material like this could be longer lasting and reduce the amount of cement needed for construction projects.…

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is now taking a short pause for international competitions, but teams delivered a weekend of thrilling action before the break. On June 19 alone, 16 goals were scored across three matches. One competition that day was between the North Carolina Courage and the Houston Dash. Six minutes into the match, North Carolina midfielder Denise O’Sullivan opened the scoring, and Houston forward María Sánchez answered back nine minutes later. The teams went into halftime tied 1–1. In the second half, Houston scored three times in the first seven minutes. The Courage came back, scoring twice in three minutes to cut the deficit to 4–3 with 30 minutes left to play. In the end, they were unable to tie the score, resulting in a Houston win.…

Paul Cezanne, a 19th-century French artist who helped inspire 20th-century abstract art, is the subject of a new major exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. Cezanne includes 80 oil paintings, 40 watercolors and drawings, and two sketchbooks. Cezanne lived from 1839 to 1906 in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. Some of his favorite subjects were landscapes, still lifes, bathers, and portraits. He was known as an “artist’s artist” because other artists liked and collected his work. Although he was alive when Impressionism (a style of painting that depicts an artist’s own view of a scene) was big, he is known as a Post-Impressionist artist. He tried to be different in his life and creatively. Rather than painting the world as he saw it, he focused on how it…

The BFG (2016) PG Available to rent or buy on all major platforms Based on the 1982 Roald Dahl book of the same name, this movie follows Sophie, a 10-year-old girl living at an orphanage in England. One night, while everyone else is asleep, Sophie is visited by a giant who carries her off to his home in a faraway land called Giant Country. He proves to be kind and goes by BFG, which is short for “Big Friendly Giant.” He grants sweet dreams to sleeping children. He took Sophie to Giant Country because he sensed she was lonely. He’s lonely, too, and they become friends. Danger looms as giants named Fleshlumpeater and Meatdripper plot to grab and eat children at night. To stop them, BFG and Sophie decide to…

(HarperCollins) This book is set before the School for Good and Evil series begins. Twin brothers Rhian and Rafal run a training school for heroes and villains in fairy tales. The school has two branches: one for good and the other for evil. Although Rhian leads the good branch and Rafal heads the evil one, Storian, the magical pen that writes tales, has never specified which brother is good or evil. When Storian assigns Aladdin, a widely known thief, to the School for Good, a rift between the brothers begins. Will they be torn apart? This story is packed with action and shows you the character flaws in both schools. You don’t need to have read the School for Good and Evil series before this book, but if you did,…

Use tape Roll up pieces of washi tape and put them on the backs of your photos, then attach them to a wall. Use more strips of colorful washi tape to create the four sides of a frame around each photo. Clip to a string Hang a long string from one end of a wall to the other. Add clothespins along the string to hold your favorite photos. Create a collage Take a plain wooden box or frame and layer your photos (or cut out parts of the photos) onto it. To keep the photos flat, paint over them with clear glue, such as Mod Podge, when you’re done. Make a shape Arrange your photos in a shape, like a heart or a star, on a large poster board. Glue…

People around the world are continuing to call for an end to the war in Ukraine. If you would like to express a wish for peace, go to theweekjunior.com/ukraine with an adult to print out our poster template. Add a drawing or a message and display it in your window or on your front door. To share your poster with us, ask an adult to take a photo of it and send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. An adult can also share it on social media using #StandWithUkraine and tag us at @theweekjuniorus. IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

Teacher’s Name: Mr. Lewis School: Menlo School “Mr. Lewis is the drama teacher, and we always do something fun in his classroom. He lets us pick which drama activity we want to do each day, and he has such a caring and energetic personality. Whenever he talks, students smile because he is super dramatic and funny, too. He really understands students and tries to make everyone heard and respected.” Marissa, 13, California Nominate your teacher for Teacher of the Week! Send your reason for the nomination, a photo of your teacher, and your school’s name and address to hello@theweekjunior.com. We want to hear from you! To have your letters, photos, nominations, recommendations, or ideas considered for inclusion in the magazine, please include your full name, age, and state with your…

Sign up and follow @theweekjuniorus on PopJam, a social media platform for kids 7–12. Ask an adult to download the app from iTunes or Google Play. We asked: What was the best book you recently read? “Percy Jackson has a lot of action and Greek mythology, which I love learning about.“ “The Marvellers!” “Cold War Correspondent by Nathan Hale is an awesome book about a news reporter in the Korean War.” “Sweep by Jonathan Auxier!” In the big debate, we asked: Should people be able to rent out pools? “Yes! For birthday parties or special events if you don’t have your own pool.“ “The rent should be for a select time period only.” “Just use public pools!” Now tell us: What was your favorite toy when you were younger and…

Stretching from New Jersey to New York City, Gateway National Recreation Area is more than 26,000 acres of beaches, forests, and marshes. This federally protected parkland provides people who live in dense urban environments with opportunities to enjoy nature, like bird watching, ocean swimming, hiking, and camping. Ospreys nest in the park in the summer, while American oystercatchers snack on shellfish along the shore. Common milkweed plants throughout the area serve as hosts for monarch butterflies, and beach plum shrubs grow on the sand dunes.…

Greater one-horned rhinos The population of greater one-horned rhinos has reached 4,104 individuals, the highest number since at least the 1980s. Efforts in India and Nepal to protect them from poaching (illegal hunting) have helped the animals recover. Sperm whale Several sperm whales have been found dead on shores this year, including in Israel, the Philippines, and the Florida Keys. Four were found dead in May alone. The creatures are considered at high risk of disappearing from the wild.…

On June 16, the Golden State Warriors became the 2022 National Basketball Association (NBA) champions after beating the Boston Celtics, 103–90, in Game 6 of the seven-game NBA Finals. It is the team’s fourth title over the past eight seasons. This was the NBA’s 75th anniversary season, and the teams in the finals turned out to be two of the NBA’s three remaining original franchises. The Warriors began in Philadelphia but are now based in San Francisco. The Celtics won Game 1 and Game 3 of the finals, making for an exciting start to the series. The Warriors, however, dominated the next three games and were up 3–2 entering Game 6. The Celtics began that game in fantastic form, taking an early 12–2 lead, which forced the Warriors to use…

Coach’s Name: Dana Pugh Organization: Flip Flop Gym (gymnastics) “My coach is amazing because she is very encouraging. I started working with her when I was about 3 years old. She has taught me my cartwheel, roundoff, roundoff handspring, roundoff tuck, and many other skills. She is very hardworking and pushes me to do stuff. If I do something very well, then she’ll let me do the next thing I’ve never done before. I truly love her very much. She is like my second mom.” Camille, 9, Kentucky To nominate a Coach of the Week, send your coach’s name, photo, sport, and team to hello@theweekjunior.com. Include your name, age, state, and a few reasons why your coach is great.…

His studio In 1902, Cezanne set up an atelier (studio) outside of Aix. He worked there until 1906. Now it is open to the public as a museum. Many items he kept in the studio appear in his art. Special view About 100 of Cezanne’s paintings feature Montagne Sainte-Victoire, a small mountain in the south of France that can be seen from Aix. He began using it as a subject in the 1870s and depicted it from different views. Fun drawings The artist had a playful side. One example is Figure Studies Around an Engraving of an Ornamental Vase. In it, Cezanne doodled figures around an engraving (a type of print) made by another artist in the 1700s.…

If I could sum up the magic of reading for kids, I would describe it as just that: magical. Since my children were very small, reading has been one of my favorite ways to bond with them. Introducing them to new places and people and ideas through words is awesome. One of the books I loved the most when I was between the ages of 8 and 14 was Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I read it in Mrs. Pack’s class in the 4th grade. It’s always stayed with me because it was one of the first books I read where I discovered that not all endings are happy. I also loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl because, well, it’s Charlie, and there’s a…

We spoke to Soman Chainani, who wrote this issue’s Book of the Week. He is one of The Week Junior’s Summer of Reading Author Ambassadors, and his popular School for Good and Evil series has sold more than 3 million copies. Which school would you be in—good or evil? Definitely evil. It’s always been in my nature to root for villains! Sophie [from the original series] is the character who is most like me. She’s very contrarian and has a strong point of view. What was the topic of the first story you wrote as a child? In elementary school, I wrote detective stories starring myself at Somy Holmes, a character inspired by the famous fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. There would always be a murder, and I would make my…

How to enter • Follow the judging criteria. Submissions will be judged on quality (clear, well-composed photographs that aren’t blurry), originality (the use of creativity and imagination through the camera lens), and how well the entry reflects the nature theme and The Week Junior.• Choose one photo to enter. Only one photograph per entrant is allowed.• Fill out an entry form. With a parent, complete an entry form and submit it by July 18.• Enter the correct age group category. Children ages 8 to 10 will be judged in one category. Children ages 11 to 14 will be judged in another category. Winners will be selected from each category. The entry form for 8- to 10-year-olds is at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-PhotoContest-8-10. The entry form for 11- to 14-year-olds is at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-PhotoContest-11-14. NO…

The cheese company Velveeta has begun selling an unlikely product: nail polish. Its new Pinkies Out Polish Collection comes in two mouthwatering colors: “La Dolce Velveeta” yellow and “Finger Food” red. The company also released a set of nail stickers that look like mini pasta shells and melted cheese. Not only can fans match the look of their favorite snack, their painted nails will smell like Velveeta cheese, too. “Please don’t eat it,” the company said.…

My son is a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox, and we’ve been fortunate to attend many games at Fenway Park (p12). We love everything about it, from the pre-game excitement outside the stadium, where Big League Brian never fails to make an appearance on stilts, to the first glimpse of the Green Monster as we enter the park and the “Sweet Caroline” sing-along in the eighth inning. If we’re really lucky, we get to hear “Dirty Water” at the end, which means the Red Sox have won the game. Even if you aren’t a Red Sox fan, I hope you enjoy reading about the history of America’s oldest Major League park. I also invite you to enter our second annual photo contest (p25). The amazing participation we had…

“Thank you for publishing the recipe to make vegetable broth in the Eco Tip of the Week. I made this yummy-tasting vegetable soup following the recipe with help from Dad.”Mahati, 10, Connecticut “We subscribe to The Week Junior and took our recent magazine about the Lincoln Memorial to Washington, DC, on our family vacation.”Jake, 11, Calvin, 6, and Evan, 9, Wisconsin “I love reading The Week Junior while I’m eating my breakfast. My favorite sections are Science and Technology and the animal stories.”Taegan, 8, Ohio…

1 When was the Sonic the Hedgehog video game first released? a) 1991 b) 1992 c) 1994 a □ b □ c □ 2 True or false? The Green Monster in Fenway Park is the highest stadium wall in Major League Baseball. True □ False □ 3 Katya Echazarreta is the first woman born in what country to go to space? 4 How fast did the self-driving car Dallara AV-21 travel to break a land speed record? a) 175.49 mph b) 192.2 mph c) 200 mph a □ b □ c □ 5 True or false? President Richard Nixon is one of two US Presidents to have resigned from office. True □ False □ 6 The Nashville Zoo recently welcomed the historic birth of which animal? 7 When were the…

School’s out! But for some, there are still assignments to be done. Many teachers require students to read books during summer vacation. Some provide specific books that must be finished before the fall, while others allow children to choose their own reading material and report back on what they read when they return to the classroom. People who support required reading in the summer say it helps kids academically because they continue to learn and practice their reading skills. But others believe forcing kids to read during their time off from school has a negative effect. What do you think? Should summer reading be mandatory? Yes—kids need to keep reading It’s important for children to read over the summer. Experts have found that during the long break, students lose some…

Robbie, 10, Maryland Lori Smith Zookeeper, Smithsonian’s National Zoo Parrots have a specific region in their brain that is two to five times larger and more developed than other birds’, and it’s responsible for language, memory, and mimicry (imitation). It is what gives parrots their excellent thinking, remembering, and problem-solving skills! Do you have a question for a zookeeper? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about Smithsonian’s National Zoo at nationalzoo.si.edu.…

Mammals, including humans, are known for having big brains compared to the size of their bodies, which many scientists believe is a sign of greater intelligence. Researchers used to think mammals had always had big brains, for hundreds of millions of years. A new study found, however, that mammals’ brains were once smaller and their bodies were bigger. A team of paleontologists (scientists who study the past through fossils) examined the fossils of animal skulls that were recently discovered in New Mexico and Colorado. They looked at some from the Paleocene Epoch (66 million to 56 million years ago), such as Arctocyon primaevus, a predator with fangs that was related to modern-day pigs and sheep. Next, they examined animals from the Eocene Epoch (56 million to 34 million years ago),…

Sonic Origins is a new collection of classic games featuring the popular character Sonic the Hedgehog. It is available now on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation platforms, Xbox systems, and the PC. Before Sonic was the 3D movie star he is today, he appeared in side-scrolling 2D games. Sonic the Hedgehog was released for the Sega Genesis system in 1991 and was a huge hit. In the game, the speedy hero zoomed through colorful stages, collected rings, and took on bosses working for the evil Dr. Robotnik. Three more games came out between 1992 and 1994. Sonic Origins has remastered versions of those four original games. Every Sonic sequel contained bigger worlds and new characters, such as Sonic’s flying sidekick, Tails, and his wall-crawling frenemy, Knuckles. In Sonic Origins, you can…

From painting to sculpture to collage, there are many ways to be an artist. Photography is also an art form. It allows people to express their creativity through images they capture with a camera. Learn the basics on how to get started here, then consider entering our photo contest (see next page). Choose a camera The first step is deciding what kind of camera you’ll use. You can ask an adult if they have an old digital camera you can borrow. These were popular before smartphones were invented. Or you can use the camera function on a smartphone or tablet to take your pictures. Decide on a subject Next you’ll need to choose a subject (or focal point) for your photos. There are so many options! You could photograph a…

An animal hospital in Massachusetts had to deal with “the cutest emergency we’ve ever had” when a pet lizard got its head stuck inside a toy pineapple. To free Randy the bearded dragon, vets at the New England Animal Medical Center had to break open the pineapple—a model of the underwater home of SpongeBob Squarepants. “We’re not laughing at you Randy, we are laughing with you,” the center wrote in a social media post. “The pineapple didn’t make it, but Randy is back home happily laying in the sun.”…

“The last time my family planned a day trip to the city, I suggested that we make care packages for homeless people in Pittsburgh. I used some of my money that I had saved up and bought toothpaste, toothbrushes, apples, jerky, bottled water, and granola bars. I was able to help eight people, and it felt very good to be able to help people in need.” Have you done something interesting or raised money for a cause you care about? Whatever you’re up to, we want to hear about it at hello@theweekjunior.com.…