Innehållsförteckning för Issue 198 från The Week Junior US

On January 22, the American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards were given out for the best books and digital media published for children and young adults in 2023. In all, 22 awards were announced by the ALA, the world’s oldest and largest library organization. All the winners were chosen by librarians. Which books won awards? The John Newbery Medal for best children’s book went to The Eyes and the Impossible, written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Shawn Harris. The Randolph Caldecott Medal for top picture book went to Big, written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, the first Black woman to win the award. The Coretta Scott King Author Book Award, which recognizes the work of a Black author, went to Nigeria Jones, by Ibi Zoboi, while the King…

GREETING A BABY GORILLA A baby western lowland gorilla was born at the UK’s London Zoo, which was great news for the critically endangered species. The baby and its mother have been snuggling, and their keepers are “grinning from ear to ear,” the zoo said. WOOFS AND WAVES One surfer near Lima, Peru, is catching waves—and wagging his tail. Efruz, a 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier, regularly hops on the front of his owner’s surfboard and doesn’t seem to mind when he gets soaked. “He loves the sea,” said Efruz’s owner, a surfing instructor. INSPIRATION ON WHEELS An artist in Arizona is “driving creativity” by taking his Comic Bookmobile to schools, libraries, and other spots. Frank Powers gives cartoon drawing lessons, does puppet shows, and plays games. But the real goal,…

On January 23, former President Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary, a nominating contest to help determine the Republican candidate for US President. Trump received about 54% of the vote, while former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley got 43% of the vote. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who had been in the race, dropped out on January 21. Trump and Haley are preparing for South Carolina’s primary on February 24.…

Most sports are divided by gender, meaning that male athletes compete only against other men and play on teams with other men, while female athletes compete only with and against other women. However, some sports are coed, meaning men and women play each other or they are teammates and compete against other mixed teams. Some people say these coed sports offer better opportunities for female athletes, as well as valuable learning experiences for all players. Others think it’s best if male and female athletes play only with or against people of the same gender. What do you think? Should more sports teams be coed? Yes—mixed teams help everyone Coed sports provide an environment in which gender is less important than being part of a team working toward the same goal.…

“How can I show my cat I love him in a way he understands?”Sammi, 11, Minnesota Dr. Sarah Carotenuto Professor, University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine Some healthy ways to show love include petting him (when and where he likes it), caring for him (providing food, water, and clean litter), playing with him, giving him activities such as scratching posts and a laser pointer to chase, and letting him sleep peacefully. Cats sleep 20 to 22 hours a day! Do you have a question for an animal expert? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about the UA College of Veterinary Medicine at vetmed.arizona.edu.…

Scientists have argued for many years about whether a dinosaur skull found in Montana in 1942 belonged to a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex or an entirely different species. The authors of a new study argue that the bones could not have come from a young T. rex and do, in fact, belong to a separate species called Nanotyrannus lancensis. The team arrived at this conclusion by measuring growth rings on the fossils. Growth rings show the passage of one year in the life of a living thing. The rings on this creature were bunched together near the outside of the bone, which indicated that its growth had slowed down. If the creature had been a young T. rex, it would still have been “growing like crazy,” said the study’s lead author,…

On January 23, nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, the top prize in the film industry, were announced. Among the nominees in the Documentary Short category is The Last Repair Shop, a 40-minute film that highlights a group of craftspeople in Los Angeles, California, who repair students’ musical instruments. It is available on Hulu, Disney+, and YouTube. The shop in the film maintains more than 80,000 instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). It receives public funding in order to operate, so repairs are free to students. It is one of the few shops of its kind left in the US. The film provides a look inside the warehouse where the work is done and shows how the instruments are repaired. It also focuses on…

Venba is a narrative video game that mixes cooking and puzzles. It is available for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox platforms, and the PC. Set in the 1980s, the game is about an Indian family that has moved to Canada from Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India. Their favorite Tamil foods, which are made with unique spices and flavors, help give them a taste of home. During the move, a special cookbook belonging to the mom, Venba, is damaged. The book is filled with recipes that have been passed down for generations. A core part of the game is solving puzzles to find the right ingredients for the dishes and to use them in the correct order. There is a lot of guidance as you point and click your…

Was it hard to adapt Barracoon? It was challenging because I wanted to convey the reality of Cudjo’s life, but I had to make the violence he endured not too scary. I also wanted to bring Cudjo’s language to young readers while also keeping the book simple to read. As I made changes, I thought about my 7-year-old daughter, and I shared the story with her as I worked on it. How long did it take? It was quite the process! Between the research I did for the introduction, completing a first draft, and making edits, it took at least a year. How can kids celebrate Black History Month in February? I would suggest that kids do research about Black people who have contributed in meaningful ways to their town…

A new report revealed that about 245,000 Holocaust survivors are living in more than 90 countries worldwide. The Holocaust was the mass killing of 6 million Jewish people and millions of others by the German Nazi party during World War II (1939–1945.) The report came out shortly before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked every year on January 27. The report was published by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, known as the Claims Conference. Founded in 1951, it has secured more than $90 billion from Germany to help survivors, who range in age from 77 to over 100. The funds help them pay for medical treatment, caregivers, meals, and other services. Records show that 49% of survivors live in Israel, 18% in Western Europe, 18% in…

After exploring Mars for nearly three years, the NASA helicopter named Ingenuity has embarked on its last mission. On January 25, the US space agency said that at least one of Ingenuity’s blades had been damaged during a landing and it would no longer be able to fly. What is Ingenuity’s history? The helicopter traveled to Mars in 2020 attached to Perseverance, a NASA rover (wheeled robot). Both were sent there with special missions and were controlled by scientists from Earth. Perseverance was created to look for signs of ancient life on Mars and to gather rock samples. Ingenuity’s task was to prove that a helicopter could fly on a planet with a very thin atmosphere (blanket of gases) around it. Ingenuity took its first flight in April 2021, becoming…

When British singer-songwriter Sir Elton John won his first Emmy for his TV special Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium on January 15, it meant he became an EGOT winner. An EGOT is when an artist wins the highest awards in the four major performing arts fields: Emmy (TV award), Grammy (music award), Oscar (film award), and Tony (theater award). He is the 19th person to ever achieve it. John, age 76, was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in England. He taught himself to play piano at age 3 and was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London at age 11. He rose to fame in the 1970s with pop and rock songs, such as “Tiny Dancer.” Over a 50-year career, he has released 31 studio…

Have you ever been hungry and tired and wished you could solve both problems at once? If you were a reindeer, it would be easy. According to new research, these talented deer can have a snooze while they chew their food. Reindeer, also known as caribou, live in the Arctic and other northern regions where the winters are extremely dark and cold. Food can be scarce in winter, so during the warmer months the deer must constantly graze on plants, eating as much as they possibly can. Like cows and about 200 other mammals, reindeer use a process called rumination to break down the tough plant fibers they eat. This process involves passing the food back and forth between their mouth and the four chambers of their stomach, chewing it…

Experts in Australia decided to remove up to 50 red handfish from the wild to protect them from marine heat waves. They will be kept in a facility until the water cools. Fewer than 100 of the fish, named for their hand-like fins, are known to exist. • LIFE SPAN: Five to eight years • HABITAT: Reefs in southern Australia • SIZE: Two to five inches • DIET: Small crustaceans and worms • FUN FACT: Handfish crawl along the seafloor. They lack a swim bladder, which keeps fish afloat.…

People from all over the world travel to the city of Sapporo in northern Japan to see the massive snow structures at the Sapporo Snow Festival. How the celebration started The festival dates back to February 18, 1950, when students from local schools put up six snow sculptures in Sapporo’s Odori Park. The festival was officially recognized as an annual event by the city the next year. About 1,000 people participated in the festival in 1953, and one sculpture that year was nearly 50 feet tall. In the following years, the festival gained wider attention due to television coverage. The snow sculptors Since 1955, a unit of the Japan Self Defense Force has made sculptures for the festival. The Citizen Snow Sculpture Event began in 1965, and local citizens have…

New robotic shoes help people walk faster without extra effort. Moonwalkers X, which are worn over regular shoes, are for people who walk a lot on the job, like warehouse or distribution center workers. Each shoe weighs 3.2 pounds and has six wheels designed for indoor use on smooth surfaces. As the wearer takes steps, the shoes use artificial intelligence to adjust to their gait, and the wheels propel them along. People can move up to 2.5 times faster, which improves productivity and puts less physical strain on workers.…

From January 23 to 28, the US Figure Skating Championships took place in Columbus, Ohio. There were competitions in singles, pairs, and ice dancing, and three of the four reigning US senior champions skated at the event. In women’s singles, the winner was Amber Glenn, age 24, a former US junior champion who was making her ninth appearance in the senior competition. She became the first openly LGBTQ skater to win the US women’s title, an honor Glenn described as “incredible.” After the short program, Glenn was in second place, four-tenths of a point behind defending champion Isabeau Levito, age 16. In the free skate, Glenn landed an impressive triple axel early, but she struggled in the second half of her routine. Levito, however, fell three times during her free…

A common childhood fear—being afraid of the dark—is the basis for a new animated film. Orion and the Dark is a story about an anxious 11-year-old boy, Orion, who is visited by an entity named Dark. Together they go on an adventure that helps Orion manage his worries. It is now streaming on Netflix. The movie, which was inspired by a picture book of the same name by Emma Yarlett, was written by award-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. It expands on Yarlett’s story and includes the entities Sleep, Unexplained Noises, Sweet Dreams, Quiet, Insomnia, and Light. This aspect of the film has made people compare it with Inside Out, which had characters that were different emotions. In addition to having a fear of the dark, Orion is nervous about things such…

Young Sheldon (CBS, Netflix, Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime) “This funny sitcom, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is about a young genius, Sheldon, and his family. They live in a fictional town called Medford, Texas. Sheldon has an older brother named Georgie and a twin sister named Missy. In the first season, Sheldon is 9 years old but he skips grades and ends up in high school with Georgie, who isn’t as smart as Sheldon. I like this show because something exciting happens in every episode and Sheldon always gets into trouble. The seventh and final season is coming out this month, so you should check it out.” Graham, 11, New York Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other kids? Send your review to…

Adapted for Young Readers By Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi, illustrated by Jazzmen Lee-Johnson (Amistad Books for Young Readers) This new version of a best-selling nonfiction book tells the story of Cudjo Lewis (born in about 1841 and died in 1935). Cudjo was the last known survivor of the transatlantic slave trade. He was illegally taken from his village in Africa, held in a barracoon (enclosure), and transported by ship to Alabama, where he was enslaved. After slavery was abolished in 1865, Cudjo remained in Alabama. When he was in his 80s, Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960), a famous writer, spent three months interviewing him. They picked peaches together as Cudjo shared his experiences of growing up in Africa and being an enslaved person in the US. Hurston…

The football event of the year, the Super Bowl, will take place on February 11 this year, and it’s the perfect opportunity to throw a party. Whether you’re into watching football or you’re just looking forward to the musical entertainment during the halftime show, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Here’s how to start planning your party. Make the guest list First, talk to an adult about who you’ll invite. Do a count of how many people you’re expecting, including your family members. Then reach out to guests and let them know when to arrive (check the kickoff time for your time zone). You can make fun paper invites or simply reach out to guests by phone. Encourage everyone to come wearing their favorite team’s colors! Set up the room…

With a little planning, you can make your Super Bowl party an environmentally friendly one. First, aim to reduce party waste. Keep paper trash to a minimum and out of landfills by using washable plates and glasses. If you expect you may have leftovers, send guests home with food packed in reusable containers. (You can also ask your guests to bring their own containers.) Keep party decorations simple and try using objects from around your home. A football helmet you already have could be placed on a table or counter, for example. Make sure you clearly label bins for guests to deposit trash or recyclables.…

All of us at The Week Junior were a bit sad to hear that Ingenuity, the NASA helicopter that landed on Mars in 2021, has taken its last flight (p4). Bill Nelson, the head of NASA, called Ingenuity “the little helicopter that could,” and it’s easy to see why. It was originally scheduled to conduct five test flights over 30 days and wound up completing 72 missions in nearly three years, proving without a doubt that a helicopter could fly in a very thin atmosphere. Ingenuity also served as a trusty companion to Perseverance, the NASA rover that wheels around on Mars gathering rocks and looking for signs of ancient life. Ingenuity was a scout for Perseverance, flying overhead so scientists guiding the vehicles from Earth could decide where the…

Vivian, age 10, of Pennsylvania wants peace to be a priority and for there to be more equality, kindness, and sharing. She also wants to see more money invested in homeless shelters. As a reader of The Week Junior, you may be forming opinions about your hopes for the US. If so, we want to hear them! Go to kids.theweekjunior.com/activities to download a form, like the one at right. Fill it out, then have an adult email it to us at hello@theweekjunior.com. We’ll feature some of the submissions on this page in future issues. RIDDLE OF THE WEEK What invention lets you look right through walls? The window…

Teacher’s Name: Ms. Maisonet School: Brearley School “Ms. Maisonet is the best teacher you could ever imagine. Whenever we would do something wrong, she would tell us politely. Ms. Maisonet made learning fun. She is so kind, supportive, and positive and taught us not to be negative about our work. We grew so attached to her that at the end of the year, when we graduated to the next grade, some of us even had tears in our eyes.” Alisha, 9, New York 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. IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com. We want to hear from you! To have your…

How much of this week’s news can you remember? 1 The video game Venba is about a family that moves to Canada from what country? ____________________ 2 Aryna Sabalenka won her second straight title in which major tennis tournament? a) Australian Open b) US Open c) Wimbledon a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 3 Which of Jupiter’s moons is the most volcanic body in the solar system? a) Europa b) Ganymede c) Io a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 4 True or false? Matabele ants use berries to heal infected wounds. True ☐ False ☐ 5 The average fruit display collapses when you take out how much of the fruit? a) 10% b) 20% c) 30% a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 6 The documentary short The Last Repair Shop…

February 4, 1932 US hosts its first Winter Olympics On February 4, 1932, the US hosted its first Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. Future US President Franklin Roosevelt, who was then the governor of New York, opened the Games, welcoming the 252 participating athletes. It was the first Olympics to use a victory podium, which athletes stood on to receive their medals. The Winter Olympics returned to New York in 1980.…

Puebla, Mexico Giraffe transferred to new location A giraffe named Benito has arrived at his new home, Africam Safari park. He was transferred from a park in Ciudad Juárez, a city on Mexico’s northern border that often experiences extreme temperatures. Benito was the only giraffe living there, and animal rights activists had campaigned for him to be moved to a location with better weather for a giraffe. He is joining a herd of seven other giraffes at Africam’s preserve. Valencia, Spain City wins environmental award Valencia has been chosen as the 2024 European Green Capital. This award recognizes a city’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly. Valencia’s city officials have worked with local residents to reach their targets. They have installed thousands of energy-saving street lights—including some that can charge…

Established in 1903, Wind Cave National Park was the first cave in the US to become a national park. Located in southwest South Dakota, the area contains nearly 34,000 acres of prairies and forests and is home to wildlife including bison, pronghorn, and prairie dogs. The cave, which is one of the longest and most complex caves in the world, has only one natural entrance. Visitors can take a guided tour of its depths and view elaborate boxwork formations, which are honeycomb patterns formed by minerals extending out from the cave walls. Learn more at nps.gov/wica.…

Tigers in Thailand For the first time, two tiger cubs have been spotted by cameras at a wildlife sanctuary in Thailand, a promising sign for the conservation of the species. Researchers also said the total number of tigers seen there rose in 2023. African birds of prey A study found that birds of prey, including the martial eagle and the bateleur (above), have been disappearing from Africa over the past 40 years as wild areas have been converted to farmland. Many species are at risk of extinction.…

Quebec Winter Carnival Held in Quebec City in Canada, this wintertime event officially began in 1955, although its roots go back to 1894. Snow and ice sculptures are displayed at the festival (left), and an ice palace is built for the event’s mascot—a snowman named Bonhomme who wears a red cap and sash. Harbin Ice Festival This snow and ice festival in China typically opens in December and can run through early March. The largest snow sculpture in the world was made here in 2007. Called “Romantic Feelings” (left), it stood about 115 feet tall and 656 feet long and was built by 600 people. World Snow Sculpting Championship Since 2022, people from around the globe have traveled to Stillwater, Minnesota, to compete for the title of snow sculpting champion.…

A spacecraft named Juno has captured highly detailed images of one of Jupiter’s moons. Juno, which is operated by NASA (the US space agency), flew about 930 miles above the surface of the moon Io. That’s closer than any other spacecraft has gotten since 2001, when NASA’s Galileo spacecraft passed 112 miles above Io’s south pole. Io is the third largest of Jupiter’s 95 moons and slightly bigger than Earth’s Moon. It’s also the most volcanic object in our solar system, with hundreds of volcanoes and lakes of molten (melted by high heat) lava on its surface. Since Juno was launched in August 2011, it has completed 57 flybys of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and three of its moons—Io, Ganymede, and Europa. The spacecraft has three…

The NFL (National Football League) conference championship games were played on January 28. The winners were the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. They now advance to the Super Bowl, which will take place on February 11. It will be a rematch of the Super Bowl in 2020, which the Chiefs won. In the first game, the number one seeded (ranked) Baltimore Ravens hosted the third-seeded Chiefs as they played for the AFC (American Football Conference) title. The Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, won 17–10. Many people thought the Ravens and their quarterback Lamar Jackson would be unbeatable, so it was a big upset. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes played well and connected with tight end Travis Kelce 11 times for 116 yards, including a touchdown. The Chiefs’…

Coach’s Name: Mia Alonso Team: MVSA Dance “Ms. Mia is an amazing teacher and always makes class exciting. Every practice, she choreographs a new routine or continues one from the last practice. She never criticizes, but instead builds us up. If you forget posture or form, instead of correcting you, she will hint at it so you are not the center of attention. I always learn something new when I go to practice. Plus, Ms. Mia has helped me increase my flexibility and strength!” Kassandra, 11, Florida 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.…

Lyla in the Loop (PBS Kids) Lyla Loops is a 7-year-old with a close family and a blue creature friend named Stu, whose name stands for “Something Truly Unique.” In this new series, Lyla uses critical-thinking skills to solve problems such as building carnival games or creating a sandwich for her family’s restaurant. Flyaways (PBS.org) (PBS App) February 7 Each year, more than 200 species of birds travel nonstop for thousands of miles along ancient routes called flyways. This Nature episode follows citizen scientists (members of the public) who are on a mission to protect the birds and learn more about the environment through them. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Disney Channel) (Disney+) This series, based on hit comic books of the same name, features Marvel’s first African American teen…

Barracoon: Adapted for Young Readers is a firsthand account about what it was like to be an enslaved person and to face racism after being freed. These questions can help you talk about the book with friends and family who have also read it. What surprised you the most about Cudjo’s life? Cudjo shares what his birth name in Africa was. Why do you think this was important? Did you like that Cudjo’s own words, which can be difficult to read, were included? Why or why not? How is Cudjo’s heart still in Africa even though he never returned? Why do you think the original version of this book didn’t get published until nearly 80 years after it was written? JOIN THE WEEK JUNIOR’S BOOK CLUB Watch a special video Ibram…

The husband-tossing festival On January 15, two newly married men were paraded through the city of Tokamachi, Japan, carried to the top of a hill, and thrown into the air. The men landed in soft snow and rolled down the hill to their wives waiting below. No husbands were hurt while carrying on this tradition, which has been performed annually since the 1700s and is intended to strengthen the bonds between spouses. After being reunited with their wives, the men light a bonfire. Once the fire dies down, the couples mix the ashes with snow and rub the mixture on their faces for good luck. Down the river in 87 days Dale Sanders, nicknamed “Greybeard,” has earned a Guinness World Records title as the oldest person to paddle the Mississippi…

“I enjoy reading The Week Junior and particularly love learning about endangered animals. Your articles inspired me to do something to contribute to their survival. I set up a stall called ‘Creations for Critters’ and sold artwork made from beads to raise money for endangered animals. I was delighted to see many parents and students stop by to purchase them. With my school principal’s support and my parents’ employers matching payments to charity, we made a total of $315. I donated this money to the Wildlife Conservation Network, which works to protect orangutans, elephants, and rhinos. I was proud to receive a personal acknowledgment from the nonprofit with a note addressed to me.” Have you done something interesting or raised money for a cause you care about? Whatever you’re up…

“I loved learning about the different types of waffles around the world.” Iris, 8, Texas “We got the idea for our national parks flags project from an issue of The Week Junior!”  Lee, 11, and Abigail, 8, Massachusetts “I enjoy reading and collecting The Week Junior issues. My favorite page is ‘That’s Unbelievable!’”  Parker, 12, Minnesota…