Innehållsförteckning för Issue 116-117 från The Week Junior US

In June, the US government made several historic decisions on issues that have been debated in the nation for many years. These new rulings and laws will affect the lives of millions of Americans. What happened? Congress (the branch of government that makes laws) reached a compromise to create new gun safety laws for the first time in nearly 30 years. The decision was bipartisan (agreed to by lawmakers from both major political parties, Republicans and Democrats). The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS, the nation’s top court) also announced decisions in several major legal cases. A majority of justices voted to overrule a 111-year-old gun safety law in New York, overturn a case decided nearly 50 years ago involving a woman’s right to end a pregnancy, and expand religion in public…

BACK-TO-BACK BRILLIANCE Major League Baseball star Shohei Ohtani had two career highs in two days. On June 21, the Los Angeles Angels pitcher hit two home runs and drove in eight runs, the most of his career. The next night, he struck out 13 Kansas City Royals batters, another career record. “What a performance,” said Angels manager Phil Nevin. TURTLE CONSERVATION Dozens of the world’s rarest sea turtles made it safely to sea after hatching on a Texas beach for the first time. Kemp’s ridley turtles laid about 45 eggs on Magnolia Beach, and conservationists guided the turtlets as they crawled to the water. “Everybody feels really special,” a scientist said. A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT A crossing guard known as the “Queen of Walt Whitman Boulevard” has retired in style. Claire…

Swimming with sharks may seem scary, but it is a dream come true for marine biologist Candace Fields. Fields studies large ocean predators (including sharks) and appears on National Geographic’s Sharkfest, which is six weeks of programming all about the science, stories, and history of sharks on Disney+. Growing up in the Bahamas, Fields spent a lot of time in the ocean. “I was always naturally drawn to the amazing creatures that lived there,” Fields told The Week Junior. “I am sure this sounds cliché, but for as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a marine biologist.” After getting a degree in neuroscience (study of the nervous system and brain) at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania, Fields returned to the Bahamas. She pursued her true passion, marine…

Just like humans, dolphins can suffer from skin irritations and disease—a problem that seems to be getting worse as the world’s oceans get warmer. Fortunately, dolphins have found their own natural way of treating them, and new research suggests that it could amount to a form of medicine. Angela Ziltener of Switzerland’s University of Zurich leads a team studying a group of 360 bottlenose dolphins that live in the Red Sea off the eastern coast of Egypt. The team noticed that dolphins would often line up to rub against various corals. This could have just been a way of soothing irritated skin. However, Ziltener began to wonder if there was more to the dolphins’ behavior. The dolphins seemed to prefer certain coral species and singled out specific corals for rubbing…

The population of Bali mynas in the wild, once thought to be as low as six, has rebounded. An Indonesian government program that works with private breeders to breed mynas in captivity and release some into the wild has been a success. • LIFE SPAN: About 7½ years• SIZE: 10 inches long and 2 to 4 ounces• DIET: Insects, fruit, worms, and small reptiles• HABITAT: Mountains along Bali’s north coast• FUN FACT: Mynas are talented songbirds that make a variety of calls.…

She stands above New York Harbor, lifting a torch that lights the sky. The Statue of Liberty is a work of art and much more. Also called “Lady Liberty,” she is an icon representing the United States of America. Lady Liberty is born When slavery officially ended in the US in 1865, a French abolitionist (person against slavery) named Édouard de Laboulaye wanted to give a gift in celebration. He discussed the idea with artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who decided to create a sculpture for the occasion. Many historians believe that the design Bartholdi chose, a woman in a robe and crown, was intended to represent Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. He began fundraising in France and the US, even building the statue’s torch-bearing arm and carrying it around to…

Stonehenge is a prehistoric stone monument near Salisbury, England, in the UK, that is estimated to be about 5,000 years old. Scientists recently found that the landscape around it is scattered with hundreds of pits, many of which were made long before the standing stones were put up. The discovery shows that the area has been important for longer than experts thought. The pits were found by researchers from the University of Birmingham in the UK and Ghent University in Belgium. They surveyed the area by firing electric currents into the ground. The strength of the currents showed differences in the soil, including areas where it had been disturbed. Philippe De Smedt, who led the team, said this technique allowed them to “visualize what’s buried below the surface of entire…

After six exciting games, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals ended on June 26. With a 2–1 victory, the Colorado Avalanche went up 4–2 in the best-of-seven series and became the NHL champions. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had won the title the past two years. This is the first time Colorado has won the Stanley Cup trophy in 21 years and the franchise’s third title overall. Colorado had an incredible season. They won 72 games, which ties them with three other teams for the most in NHL history. Their playoff record was 16–4. Tampa Bay was a tough opponent in the finals, with two of the first four games going to overtime. Heading into Game 5 on June 24, Colorado was one win from the…

Coach’s Name: Emily Walters Sport: Fastpitch softball competitive 10U “Coach Emily always pushes us to do our very best and has taught us so much about softball. Even if I miss the ball, she helps me get it the next time. I don’t know if I would be this good without her. She is an amazing coach and leader. All the girls on our team play hard for her. She will inspire me my entire softball career.” Ashleigh, 10, California 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.…

Visual influence The film’s production designer said that part of the The Sea Beast’s look was inspired by the clouds and sky in paintings by American artist N.C. Wyeth. Water scenes There are almost 800 ocean shots in the film. When they were making waves, the animators relied on the Beaufort Wind Scale, which real sailors have used for hundreds of years to estimate wind speed and its effect on the water. Red sails The Inevitable’s red sails aren’t just for show. To prevent rot and sun damage, sailmakers used to treat cotton sails with a substance found in tree bark. It would turn the material a brownish red.…

I think the magic of reading is that when you pick up a book, you get to meet new people, visit different places, and experience unbelievable things. It takes us outside our own world and allows us to enter different environments. There are many books that I enjoyed reading to my three kids when they were very young. We read Goodnight Moon, and we read The Wheels on the Bus so much that the pages became all torn up. I also read Winnie-the-Pooh to them and would do the voices of the characters. As my children got older, they moved beyond picture books. For instance, each one of them read the A Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket, the pen name for Daniel Handler. I will always remember…

Were you ever scared of monsters? I was fun-afraid of them. Growing up, I’d like to spook myself by reading scary stories that I wrote. I would also check out library books about monsters from other countries and cultures. So you loved books as a kid? I was a voracious reader of comics. But I had trouble reading regular novels. My eyes always skipped around on the page. What was your favorite comic series? Calvin and Hobbes. The series helped me learn English. French is my first language. Do you have a lucky charm? Not anymore, but as a kid, I always had a rock or stone in my pocket. Trouble is, I was always losing things, including my lucky charms. What’s the coolest place you’ve sketched from? On the…

1. Pick up first. Before you vacuum, tidy up anything that’s on the floor so you have a clear space to clean. Dust off other surfaces like desks or counters. This way, if dust or dirt falls on the floor, you’ll be able to vacuum it up. 2. Work side to side. If this is your first time using the vacuum, ask an adult to help you plug it in and show you how to put it on the correct setting. Then bring the vacuum to the corner farthest from the door to the room and start vacuuming there. Vacuum in lines going side to side in the room, working your way back to the door. 3. Clean it. Once you’re finished, empty the vacuum’s bag or filter into a…

Word search Can you find all these words associated with a day at the beach in the grid? They are hidden horizontally, vertically, or diagonally and can be forward or backward. When you’re done, read the remaining letters to get a bonus message. BOARDWALK BOOGIE BOARD COOLER CRAB DRIFTWOOD DUNE FLIP-FLOPS GULL ICES JET SKI LIFEGUARD OCEAN PIER RAFT SANDCASTLE SEAWEED SHELL SHORTS SNORKEL STARFISH SUNSCREEN SURF SWIMSUIT TIDE TOWEL UMBRELLA WAVES WHARF FILL IN THE BLANKS Fill in the blanks in each sentence with two words so the second word is the same as the first word with a single letter added to the end, like FORGE and FORGET. (NEED A HINT? Check the bottom of the page.) ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 29. 1. I was listening…

Do you enjoy taking photos of plants, trees, and wildlife? If so, enter our nature photo contest. Submissions will be judged on quality (clear and well-composed photographs), originality (use of creativity), and how well the entry reflects the nature theme. 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. Winning entries will be featured in a September 2022 issue of the magazine. See official rules at theweekjunior.com/photocontestrules. IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos 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 submission. By emailing your submission to us, you give The…

1 True or false? A California court ruled that bees can be considered fish under the state’s laws. True □ False □ 2 Which city’s public library system is giving away 500,000 books for the summer? a) Chicago b) New York c) Seattle a □ b □ c □ 3 What is the name of the ship in the new animated film The Sea Beast? 4 What dinosaur is believed to have had the slowest metabolism? a) Armored stegosaurus b) Duck-billed hadrosaur c) Horned triceratops a □ b □ c □ 5 True or false? The Statue of Liberty was bluish-green when it was first built. True □ False □ 6 How many US states have banned single-use plastic bags? 7 True or false? The men’s baseball team from Ole…

A massive earthquake struck the mountainous region of southeastern Afghanistan on June 22. The earthquake’s magnitude (size of the seismic waves it produces on a scale of 1 to 10) was about a 6. A second, weaker earthquake hit the remote area two days later. Nearly 3,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, according to Afghanistan’s state media, and some villages were completely destroyed. Houses in the region are often made of mud and stone, leaving them more vulnerable to collapse. As of June 24, the death toll had reached 1,150 people. It is the deadliest earthquake in 20 years in a nation where about half of the population is already facing severe food shortages. Rescue efforts are underway. The World Health Organization has sent medical teams and supplies, and…

On June 25, a crowd gathered in Washington, DC, to bring attention to issues affecting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The Unity March was the first national event ever held to call for social justice for Asian Americans. It is intended to become an annual event. What happened? Up to 2,000 people attended the event on the National Mall, a park in the nation’s capital where many important protests have taken place. The Unity March was formed by 10 organizations, including Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote. The event was also supported by more than 50 multicultural groups representing Black, Latino, and other communities who have historically experienced discrimination in the US. Attendance was lower than expected due to intense heat, widespread airline flight cancellations,…

Cornwall, United Kingdom Swimmers unite for Ukraine On June 26, a group of 270 swimmers performed a routine together to break a world record. The event raised money to help children affected by the war in Ukraine. Half of the swimmers wore blue swim caps and half wore yellow caps, representing the Ukrainian flag. Guinness World Records has yet to confirm whether they beat the previous record for the largest synchronized swim routine, performed by 247 people in Spain in 2017. Nepal Mount Everest Base Camp may move Nepal is considering relocating Mount Everest Base Camp due to human activity and warming temperatures. The base camp from which adventurers climb Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is facing risks from human traffic and melting of nearby Khumbu glacier. Mount Everest Base…

Mueller State Park, Colorado Sitting on the western foothills (hilly areas at the base of a mountain) of Pikes Peak, a prominent mountain in Colorado, Mueller State Park spans more than 5,000 acres. It is covered in forests of coniferous and aspen trees, as well as grasslands where large chunks of granite rock burst from the landscape. Black bears call the place home, as do elk, deer, and mountain lions, while trout swim in the ponds. Hundreds of birds, including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and gray jays, live in or migrate through the park.…

Brazilian tapirs A Brazilian tapir named Ennis has given birth to a male tapir at Amazona Zoo in the UK. Brazilian tapirs are mammals related to horses and rhinoceroses and are under threat in the wild due to hunting and loss of habitat. Great Salt Lake Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere, dropped to its lowest recorded water level in 2021. A warming climate and human use of water from rivers that feed the lake are causing it to dry out.…

Scientists have solved one of the oldest mysteries about dinosaurs: whether they had cold or warm blood. The answer, it turns out, is both. The temperature of an animal’s blood is tied to its metabolism—the rate at which its body extracts energy from food. Metabolism affects how much an animal needs to eat, how active it can be, and even where it can survive. Understanding dinosaur metabolisms is a huge breakthrough in learning how these extinct beasts lived. Mammals and birds are warm-blooded animals with fast metabolisms. They need to eat frequently but can be active, even in cold climates. Cold-blooded animals, such as reptiles, have slower metabolisms and eat less often, but their activity depends on the temperatures around them. They get sluggish if they cool down too much.…

Marcel, a tiny, talking shell with a big heart, became famous in 2010 when he starred in a stop-motion animation video that was seen by millions. Now he is starring in the film Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, which is playing in select theaters across the country. It will open nationwide on July 15. Marcel was created by Jenny Slate, who provides his voice, and Dean Fleischer Camp. In the original video, Camp interviewed Marcel about his life. In the film, Camp plays a filmmaker who rents the house where Marcel lives. After he learns that Marcel misses the other shells that used to live there, the pair set out to find them. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On was made almost entirely with stop-motion animation. This technique involves…

Fall Guys, the hit battle royale game (a multiplayer game with the goal of being the last player standing), is available to more people than ever. Until recently, the game was only on the PlayStation 4 and PC. Now it can be accessed on the PlayStation 5, Xbox platforms, and Nintendo Switch. On top of that, the new Fall Guys: Free for All update lets people download the game for free and play up to 50 tiers (levels) right away. Fall Guys was first released in 2020. Its main characters are known as Beans. In the game, players guide them through funny, fast-paced challenges and obstacle courses in an arena called the Blunderdome. Each round can include up to 60 players, so the action often gets a little chaotic, but…

More than 16 million people ages 6 and up in the US play the sport of table tennis, popularly known as Ping-Pong. The game is played with paddles and a lightweight ball on a large table with a net that is 6 feet long and 6 inches high above the table. (Many local recreation centers have tables, paddles, and balls, or you can buy a set that includes a net that can turn any rectangular table into a Ping-Pong table.) Here are some tips for getting started. Begin with a serve Matches can be played with single players or in pairs. Each point starts with a player making an important shot called a serve. The serving player tosses the ball in the air, waits for it to drop down, and…

Ingredients • 2 slices hearty whole-wheat bread• ¼ cup whole-milk ricotta cheese• ⅛ teaspoon lemon zest• ¼ cup blueberries or raspberries, or 2 strawberries, sliced• 2 teaspoons sliced almonds• 1 to 2 teaspoons honey Instructions 1. Lightly toast the slices of bread in a toaster. 2. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta and lemon zest. Stir until the lemon zest is evenly distributed. 3. Spread half the mixture on each slice of toast. Top each piece with half of the berries and almonds. 4. Drizzle honey over the toast. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings. Helpful tips The bright yellow outer layer of a lemon’s rind is called the zest when it’s grated, and it is very flavorful. You can use a microplane, citrus zester, or the smallest holes…

An unusual sport that involves chasing cheese down a hill has returned to the UK after it was canceled during the pandemic. Competitors run after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese as it rolls down the very steep Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire at up to 70 miles per hour. The first person to catch it is the winner. This year marked Chris Anderson’s 23rd victory, and he now plans to retire from cheese racing. What was his prize? The cheese, of course.…

One of my favorite things to do every week is to see how many thousands of kids have voted in our Big Debate (p8). I enjoy finding out which debates are the most interesting to you and which way you vote. So far the debate that has received the most votes is “Should restaurants serve only local foods?” (Many more of you said no than yes.) This week, we have another food-related question that we hope everyone will have an opinion on: Is chocolate ice cream better than vanilla? What do you think? We’re eager to hear! You can have an adult visit theweekjunior.com/polls with you so you can cast your vote. We will share the results in Issue 118, which will be published after our editorial team takes a…

Teacher’s Name: Mr. JFT School: Cadence Park School “Mr. JFT is a great teacher! I think he deserves this title because he did so many things for us. He is cool but strict when he needs to be. He makes everybody feel good about themselves and always reflects on what he does. Mr. JFT has fun ways of incentivizing us, like games, dojo points, and so much more! He has inspired me to work hard, be kind, and be cool. Thomas, 10, 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.…

Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years began receiving the vaccine against Covid-19 on June 21. After studies showed the vaccine was safe and effective for this age group, US health officials gave permission for two Covid-19 vaccines, one by drug company Moderna and another by Pfizer-BioNTech, to be given. This was the last age group to become eligible for the vaccine, making about 17 million young children able to get doses.…

July is National Ice Cream Month, and although Americans love ice cream all year round, more of it is eaten in July and August than any other time of year. What flavors will most Americans turn to? It’s a toss-up between vanilla and chocolate, which compete for the nation’s top flavor. Food industry experts say vanilla makes up about 26% of ice cream sales in the US, while chocolate is right behind it, at about 22.5%. Chocolate lovers argue that chocolate is richer and tastier than vanilla. But vanilla fans think their favorite flavor goes with everything and is a better treat. What do you think? Is chocolate ice cream better than vanilla? Yes—chocolate is tasty and healthy Chocolate ice cream is not only bursting with intense flavor, but it’s…

A California court has ruled that bumblebees can be considered a type of fish under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), making bees eligible for the protections that the law provides. The CESA was written to protect “native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant.” Bumblebees are a type of invertebrate, (animals without a backbone). However, California’s Fish and Game Code defines fish as “a wild fish, mollusk, crustacean, invertebrate, amphibian, or part… of any of those animals.” So bumblebees, as invertebrates, fall under that definition, the court recently found. Now four species of bumblebees can be listed as endangered under the CESA. Listing these species under the CESA means they cannot be killed or taken from the wild, and public agencies cannot approve projects…

Diana Vogel Zookeeper, Smithsonian’s National Zoo An ideal habitat for a new dam has flowing water over 6 feet deep. This allows beavers to make an underwater entrance to their home. They also prefer an earthy riverbed as opposed to rocks. Beavers are herbivores (plant eaters), so finding a habitat close to vegetation is also crucial. Do you have a question for a zookeeper? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about the Smithsonian’s National Zoo at nationalzoo.si.edu.…

Tentsile, a company that produces hanging sleeping shelters and hammocks for camping, has created a new tent and hammock made of 100% recycled plastics taken from the Pacific Ocean. The Ocean Hammock holds one person and is made from the equivalent of 31 recycled plastic bottles. The Ocean UNA tree tent, which fits one person and has a net to hold their gear, uses the equivalent of 128 plastic bottles. Both products are made without any chemical dyes, which reduces pollution created during the dyeing process.…

On June 26, the baseball team from the University of Mississippi, known as Ole Miss, won the Men’s College World Series for the first time in history. The team clinched the championship by sweeping the University of Oklahoma in the World Series finals. The games were played in Omaha, Nebraska, where the College World Series has been held since 1950. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One postseason tournament began in early June with 64 teams. Ole Miss was one of the last teams included. They had a record of 32–22 and were not expected to go far, but they won five straight games and were one of eight teams to make it to the World Series. To earn the title, a team must win two out of three…

On July 8, the new animated adventure The Sea Beast premieres on Netflix. It was co-written and directed by Chris Williams, who directed the award-winning film Big Hero 6. The Sea Beast is about monster hunters aboard the ship The Inevitable. They are joined by stowaway Maisie, an 11-year-old aspiring hunter who ends up on an unexpected journey with legend Jacob Holland. Williams said his idea for the story came from a childhood love of adventure films and an interest in old maps depicting sea monsters. The Sea Beast’s creative team did extensive research to make sure details in the film were accurate. They met with experts to learn how ships were built, and they carefully studied the movement of a ship’s ropes. “So much of our attention to detail…

Where the Red Fern Grows (1974) Amazon Prime This emotion-packed film is based on the beloved 1961 novel of the same name by Wilson Rawls. Set during the Great Depression (a period from 1929–1939 that left millions of Americans without work or food), the story follows Billy Coleman, a boy growing up in the Ozark Mountains of Oklahoma, where raccoons and mountain lions roam. Billy has always dreamed of having a dog for raccoon hunting, but his family can’t afford one. His grandfather inspires him to raise the money himself. He works several jobs and makes enough to buy two puppies, which he names Old Dan and Little Ann. He teaches them how to hunt, and they’re really good at it. The trio develop a strong bond, and the dogs…

(First Second) Suri, an orphan, lives with a traveling camp of merchants near mountains known as the Dragon’s Belt. About 500 years ago, a spider witch created a gap that allows monsters to cross onto the human side. A dragon carried Suri from the land of monsters when she was a baby. She believes that she’s better at taming monsters—such as cat creatures that can make themselves look like humans—than the people who are doing it now. On the way out of camp, Suri helps a mysterious boy carry packages. The boy drops a ball of golden twine, and Suri keeps it. The cat creatures, who know the twine has magical powers, come after Suri and separate her from the camp. Will Suri be up to the challenge of taming…

Backspin Backspin is when a player hits the ball with a downward chopping motion, making the bottom of the ball spin away when it lands. This makes the ball difficult for an opponent to return. Dropshot This is when a player hits the ball in a light way so the ball drops just over the other side of the net. If the opponent is standing farther back from the table, they may have trouble reaching the ball in time to return it. Rally A rally is when a ball is being hit back and forth between two players for a substantial amount of time before one player wins the point. Outside of a game, you can rally for fun and count how many times you and another player can keep…

The exhaust you see coming from trucks or factories may be what comes to mind when you think of air pollution. However, indoor pollution at home also exists and can be less obvious. It can come from activities you do at home, such as painting a room or using the stove or fireplace. These activities are safe to continue doing, but it’s smart to clean the air. The easiest way to reduce indoor air pollution at home is to open some windows for at least five minutes every day—or longer when the weather allows. If your kitchen or bathroom has a ventilation fan, run it each day to help circulate fresh air in those rooms.…

“Last year I went to St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and saw baby leatherback sea turtles hatch from their nest in the sand. They were strong and cute and I got to learn a lot about them. When I came home, I wanted to help the turtles because they are endangered. I started a Save the Turtle Club in my third grade class at my school. I turned my turtle artwork into stickers to go on water bottles and sold them. My club also did trash cleanups at recess. The money we earn from selling stickers goes to the Sea Turtle Project. I even got to send some of my stickers to St. Croix for the volunteers. I can’t wait to design more stickers and find new ways…

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 your favorite toy when you were younger? “A stuffed dog. It used to be my mom’s, so I would hug it when I was scared.” “Baby Alive dolls, because they have cute clothes.” “A small stuffed unicorn named Magic.” “Barbie. It had a show and came with accessories.” In the Big Debate, we asked: Should summer reading be mandatory? “Yes, it is a great way to keep your mind sharp and get ready for the next school year!” “No, summer is to enjoy a break. If you’re reading, you can’t go swimming or the book would get wet.” “It should…