Innehållsförteckning för Issue 220/221 från The Week Junior US

A war that broke out 14 months ago in Sudan has brought the nation to the edge of a humanitarian crisis. Located in northeastern Africa, Sudan is a nation of 47.6 million people and one of the largest countries on the continent, covering 734,000 square miles. What is happening? The civil war (conflict between groups within a country) has become a “catastrophe,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations (UN, group of 193 countries working together). More than 14,000 people have died, and about 9 million people have had to flee their homes. About 2 million of them have fled to nearby countries, including Chad, which is struggling to cope with the arrivals. An estimated 18 million people in Sudan are facing severe hunger, and experts warned…

WATCHING WOMEN’S HOOPS The Women’s National Basketball Association reported that about 400,000 fans attended games in May—the highest number in 26 years. Games on TV averaged 1.3 million viewers, nearly triple last year’s number. MERMAIDS ON PARADE The 42nd annual Mermaid Parade made a splash along Surf Avenue in New York City’s Coney Island on June 22. The event features people dressed in elaborate sea creature costumes—because “life is too serious,” said Marta Berk, one of the participants. A THOUGHTFUL SEND-OFF “Reach under your chairs,” senior class president Mason Macuch told his 180 classmates at their high school graduation in Massachusetts. Macuch had written a personal letter to every student. “My hope is that the notes will bring back happy memories when they look at them years from now,” he…

This summer, travel industry experts predict that 271 million people will hit the skies on US airlines. That’s a record number, and 6% more flights are needed to accommodate them. Most of those millions of travelers will pay the base fare for each flight plus additional fees. Seat charges can range from about $30 to more than $150 per flight, while checking a single bag can cost between $35 and $100. All those costs are double for round-trip travel. While this may seem unfair to customers, airlines say the extra fees help them keep up with fuel and labor costs, which have increased sharply. What do you think? Are airline fees out of control? Yes—airlines are overdoing it The price of air travel is sky-high, and ticket prices have already…

Do you love taking photographs of plants, flowers, trees, and wildlife? Now is your chance to use your creativity, curiosity, and skills to enter The Week Junior’s Nature Photo Contest. The entry form for 8- to 10-year-olds is at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-2024PhotoContest-8-10 and 11- to 14-year-olds at tinyurl.com/TWJUS-2024PhotoContest-11-14. Winning entries will be featured in a September 2024 issue of the magazine. See official rules at theweekjunior.com/photocontestrules.…

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in Italy in the year 79, it buried the nearby city of Pompeii under about 20 feet of volcanic debris, killing thousands of people. The thick layers of ash and rock preserved the ruins of the city and the bodies of residents, which lay hidden until they were uncovered in the 1500s. Since then, archaeologists have been studying the ancient city to learn about life in Pompeii and the people who died there. Now they’re also working to learn about those who survived—and what became of them. Pompeii was a wealthy, bustling city. Horses and carriages clattered along its streets. People shopped at bakeries and markets or popped into the barbershop. Although scientists estimate that about 20,000 to 30,000 people lived there, only about 1,500 bodies…

The NHL (National Hockey League) season ended on June 24 with a deciding Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. In front of a home crowd at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, the Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 2–1, to claim their first NHL title. The teams were two out of the 16 that made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers earned their spot by finishing the regular season in first place in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Oilers, meanwhile, finished second in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. To make the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers knocked out the New York Rangers, the NHL’s top team in the regular season, while the Oilers eliminated the Dallas Stars, the top Western Conference team. The…

Coach’s Name: Megan Allaway Clubs: Long Island Soccer Club and Long Island Rough Riders “Coach Megan is sweet and funny and makes me feel confident. She always helps us at games and at practice. If we get hurt, she takes care of us instantly—she’s even carried us off the field. If we make a mistake, she tells us, ‘That’s OK, try again.’ She teaches us new moves every week, and practices are fun. She is British and makes us laugh when she tries to do an American accent.” Maya, 9, New York 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.…

Animal inspiration Gru’s profile was created to resemble an emperor penguin (right). The reason for the likeness is because the males of the species care for their young, just like Gru does. Special language “Minionese” is a made-up language spoken by the Minions, Gru’s tiny yellow helpers. It blends gibberish and real-world languages, including English, French, and Korean. Wild ride Minion Land opened at Universal Studios Florida last year. It includes the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride (right), a motion simulation adventure through Gru’s lab with Margo, Edith, and Agnes.…

WondLa (Apple TV+) Based on the best-selling The Search for WondLa books, this new series is set in a future where Earth is called Orbona and inhabited by aliens. The story follows Eva, a human teen who was raised underground and begins a search for other humans on the surface of the planet. SharkFest (National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu) Begins June 30 National Geographic is rolling out its annual batch of new shows about sharks. Viewers can follow research expeditions, learn about new shark-related discoveries, and see incredible underwater footage. Space Cadet (Amazon Prime) This new film is a comedy about a party girl who spent her childhood wanting to go to space. After she gets into NASA’s training program with made-up information, she must hide the truth about her lack…

The Secret Library is an enchanting fantasy full of twists that gives readers plenty to think about with its themes of race, inequality, and deception. Here are questions to get a conversation going with friends and family who have also read the book. Should Dally have waited until she was older to explore the secret library? Why or why not? How do you think Dally’s life would be different if her family’s past hadn’t been kept secret? What are some ways that Dally shows courage? Why was it important for Dally to discover more about her father’s side of the family? Which of Dally’s adventures was the most thrilling? How does Dally become more connected to the Black community as the story unfolds?…

Super water sports crisscross Each of these words associated with water sports fits into this grid. Can you find where each one goes to complete the grid? When you’re done, transfer the letters in the yellow boxes, in order from top to bottom, into the boxes below to get the answer to the riddle. 3 letters OAR WIN 4 letters CREW GEAR 5 letters BEACH OCEAN RACES RELAY RIVER TOWEL WAVES 6 letters JET SKI MARINA NOODLE RAPIDS SPLASH 7 letters BOATING GOGGLES PADDLES RAFTING REGATTA RIPTIDE SURFING 8 letters COXSWAIN EARPLUGS FLIPPERS KAYAKING LIFE VEST NOSE CLIP PRACTICE 9 letters HYDROFOIL LONGBOARD MARCO POLO RASHGUARD STOPWATCH WATER SKIS 10 letters BACKSTROKE SNORKELING 11 letters BATHING SUIT COMPETITION INFLATABLES PARASAILING 13 letters FISHING TACKLE WATER AEROBICS Q: What’s the most…

“I went with my mom, my brother, and a friend to Pensacola, Florida, recently to see the Blue Angels, the US Navy’s flight demonstration group. Just the day before, I got The Week Junior, which had an article about the Blue Angels. My favorite part of the air show was the pass called the Diamond 360 maneuver where the jets were very close together. After the show, we went to the museum where the pilots were giving autographs. I got in line and Lieutenant Commander Amanda Lee signed my copy of The Week Junior under the article about the Blue Angels. Her smile lit up the room when she realized she was one of the pilots featured in the magazine. It was truly special.” Have you done something interesting or…

Melinda French Gates, a world-famous business executive and philanthropist, has unveiled plans to donate $1 billion over the next two years to organizations and initiatives that provide support to women and girls worldwide. French Gates, age 59, grew up in Dallas, Texas, and became interested in computer science through an advanced math class in seventh grade. She studied computer science and economics at Duke University, where she also earned a business degree. In 1987, she joined Microsoft and worked there in high-level roles for nearly a decade. From 1994 to 2021, she was married to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. In 2000, they established The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, whose efforts include funding major institutions such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization, supporting disease research, and helping farmers cope…

It’s not easy being a sea otter. Most of the marine mammal’s favorite foods are hidden inside shells or spines. Their preferred prey, sea urchins and abalones, are easy to break open using the otter’s teeth and an occasional tool, but these creatures are becoming harder to find. Now a study has shed light on how using tools enables otters to safely feed on other kinds of animals. Sea otters live in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of North America and Asia. They are important inhabitants of kelp (seaweed) forests and estuaries (places where a river meets the sea). To stay healthy, they have to eat about 25% of their body weight in food each day. Abalones and urchins have declined in some areas, so otters have turned to…

After more than 40 years, Peruvian diving petrels have returned to Pajaros Uno island in Chile. The rare seabirds left after rats preyed on their eggs and chicks. Conservationists eliminated the rats and played bird calls to attract the petrels back. • LIFE SPAN: Up to 15 years• HABITAT: Cold waters west of South America• SIZE: Between about 8 and 10 inches• DIET: Plankton, fish larvae, and anchovies• FUN FACT: Peruvian diving petrels use their wings as paddles to swim underwater.…

Located on a city’s lakefront in Ohio, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, also known as Rock Hall, celebrates the music legends. Early days In 1983, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was established to create a museum that would document the history of rock music and honor legendary artists. The foundation, led by music industry executives, held a national competition to select a city for the venue. In May 1986, the foundation chose Cleveland, Ohio, where several record companies were located and where disc jockey Alan Freed brought the phrase “rock and roll” into the mainstream on 1950s radio. Famous architect I.M. Pei designed a glittering structure of geometric shapes in glass and metal on the shores of Lake Erie. On September 2, 1995, the Rock…

Scientists in the UK have created a wearable Third Thumb, which is designed to increase range of movement, grasping ability, and carrying power. The Third Thumb helps with tasks that would otherwise be difficult with one hand or for people with mobility issues. The device is worn around the wrist and hand and controlled by pressure sensors under the user’s big toes. One sensor moves the thumb side to side, while the other moves it up and down. In testing, 98% of people who tried it learned to pick up objects within 60 seconds.…

Nick Taylor AGE: 44 SPORT: BOCCIA “I played wheelchair tennis for 25 years. Near the end of my wheelchair tennis career, I decided I wanted to try another sport. Boccia, a throwing sport, made the most sense, especially based on my disability. It’s all about accuracy and precision. You win and lose games by literally half of a millimeter. It is that tight and that close.” Jessica Savner AGE: 32 SPORT: MODERN PENTATHLON “The modern pentathlon is running, swimming, shooting, show jumping, and fencing. I like how many different moving parts there are. You have to constantly be able to adjust and focus on something new and different, and you’re always moving. It’s never boring.” Kenny Bednarek AGE: 25 SPORT: TRACK AND FIELD “To me, track and field is just…

Little Kitty, Big City is a new adventure simulation game. It was recently released for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox systems, and PC. Cats are famously good at landing on their feet if they fall, and happily, that’s the case for the feline hero of the game. It starts with the cat snoozing on a ledge outside its owner’s apartment. The cat slips off but lands safely in a garbage can in the street. From then on, your job is to help the lost kitty find its way back home. In the game, you play as the cat, who is cute and black and has green eyes that move just like a real cat’s eyes do. During your adventure through the city, you have to solve puzzles while you look for…

What sparked the idea for this book? I once heard someone say they had a secret library. The library was hidden away in their home, but at first I thought it was a library that was full of secrets. Is Dally similar to you? Dally and I are both biracial—our moms are white and our dads are Black. But I was a quiet child who stayed at home and was content to live in my own imagination, while Dally wants to be out in the world exploring. If you could time travel, where would you go? I’d go to the future. It would be great to find out what we did right or wrong and come back with ideas that lead to a more just society. What middle school book…

Robot sets puzzle cube record A robot built by Japanese engineers has smashed the world record for the fastest time to solve a rotating puzzle cube, commonly known as a Rubik’s cube. The Rubik’s cube is a six-sided cube with nine colored squares on each side. To solve the puzzle, the robot had to make all the squares on each side match in color. The record for a human to solve the cube is 3.13 seconds, but the robot solved it in the blink of an eye—literally. It took about 0.31 seconds, as quickly as a human blinks. Build your own Notre-Dame While the world waits for the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, Lego fans can create a miniature version of the historic building at home. Complete…

July 5, 1975 Arthur Ashe is Wimbledon champion On July 5, 1975, American tennis player Arthur Ashe (1943–1993) became the first Black man to win the Wimbledon Championships, one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments, held in the UK. In a major upset, Ashe beat fellow American Jimmy Connors, who had been favored to win. In 1997, the US Tennis Association named its centerpiece tennis stadium in New York City after Arthur Ashe.…

John Lennon’s Sgt. Pepper outfit The star wore this look on the cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Elvis Presley’s motorcycle Elvis, called “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” loved motorcycles. His 1975 SuperTrike has been on loan to the hall since 2013. The Supremes’ designer gowns Known for their striking style, this superstar trio wore these sequined, feather-trimmed Bob Mackie gowns while performing in a 1969 TV special. Johnny Cash’s custom guitar One of the country legend’s favorite guitars, an acoustic Fender made for him, is displayed in the hall beside his trademark dark concert attire. Taylor Swift’s catsuit She isn’t eligible for induction yet. But fans can see her black catsuit on exhibit. She wore it to the 2021 induction of singer-songwriter…

Three boys out for a hike in North Dakota discovered the rare fossil of a young Tyrannosaurus rex. Jessin Fisher and his brother Liam, who were then age 10 and 7, were exploring an area called the Hell Creek Formation with their dad, Sam, and their cousin Kaiden Madsen, who was then age 9. The kids often searched for fossils in the area but had never found one before. They spotted a huge bone poking out of the dirt. Sam sent a photo of the fossil to Tyler Lyson, a paleontologist (scientist who studies fossils) at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in Colorado. Lyson thought it was from a duckbill dinosaur, a common fossil, and invited the boys to dig it up with his team. As soon as…

Acro-cat Kazutoshi Ono took this action shot of his feline friend. Tight fit This photo Sarah Haskell took of her dog was named the overall contest winner. Dog day Luiza Ribeiro shot this picture of her Yorkie. Mighty mouthful Jonathan Casey shot this image of his pet turtle eating a rose. Horsing around This photo of a gelding was captured by Debby Thomas. Bottoms up This picture of a cat in a wall was taken by Kenichi Morinaga.…

On June 24, baseball teams from the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M University played in the third and final game of the Men’s College World Series (MCWS) in Omaha, Nebraska. Tennessee won, 6–5, and earned the university’s first-ever national title in the sport. The MCWS is part of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 Baseball Championship tournament, which began in May with 64 teams. Tennessee was the overall number one seeded (ranked) team while Texas A&M was number three. Eight teams made it to the MCWS, and Tennessee became the first overall top seed to win it since 1999. Tennessee and Texas A&M entered the final without a loss in the MCWS. On June 22, Texas A&M won Game 1, 9–5, thanks in part to Kaedan Kent,…

The Despicable Me films and Minions spin-offs have been so popular with moviegoers over the years that they’ve earned more money than any other animated franchise. A highly anticipated new film, Despicable Me 4, is coming to theaters on July 3 and continues the story of Gru, a supervillain turned caring family man who helps catch bad guys. The first Despicable Me film came out in 2010. It followed Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) as he softened up and took in orphans Margo, Edith, and Agnes. Carell said of the character, “Some people aren’t so nice, but they try to convince the world that they are. Gru is nice, but he tries to convince the world that he’s not!” Despicable Me 4 finds Gru working for the Anti-Villain League with…

Sydney to the Max (Disney+) “This is a funny, great show. It’s about a girl named Sydney and her dad, Max. The show switches between the present and her dad’s childhood in the 1990s. Sydney and young Max are similar in many ways and go through similar situations in each episode. In my favorite one, Sydney gets her ears pierced without her Grandma Judy, and Max is assigned to write an essay for a class at school. The characters always get into some kind of situation and try to solve it in a funny way. If you like to binge-watch shows, this is a good one for you!” Emerson, 10, Illinois Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other kids? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

(Candlewick Press) Since Dally’s fun-loving grandfather died, she’s been lonely. Her wealthy mom spends all her time working on the family business and won’t allow Dally to take a break from tutoring to join the Adventure Club at school. When Dally learns of a mysterious envelope that her grandfather left for her, she opens it even though she was supposed to wait until her 21st birthday. The envelope contains a map to a magical library. It’s filled with books that allow Dally to travel back in time. As she checks out each book, she has surprising encounters with her mom, dad, and grandfather when they were younger, as well as ancestors, including pirates, from hundreds of years ago. Dally, who is biracial, learns more about her Black roots and even…

CRUNCHY RAINBOW BROCCOLI SALAD Ingredients FOR THE SALAD: ● 2 small crowns (about 5 cups) broccoli florets and stems, chopped into bite-size pieces● 1 small red bell pepper, sliced● 2 cups shredded red cabbage● 1 large carrot, peeled and grated● Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)● Chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional) FOR THE DRESSING: ● ½ cup natural peanut butter● 4 teaspoons soy sauce● 1 clove garlic, grated● 1-inch knob fresh ginger, grated● 3 tablespoons lime juice● 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar● 1 teaspoon sesame oil● 1 tablespoon rice vinegar Instructions 1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain broccoli, then rinse it with cool water to stop the cooking. 2. Pat the broccoli dry,…

Summer is in full swing, and we’re celebrating with a special issue of The Week Junior. Our cover story spotlights the opening of Despicable Me 4, the latest release in the popular movie franchise (p20). Are you planning to see it during your school break? To add to the film fun, our senior art director, Vicky, has placed extra Minions throughout the issue. Besides the one above, can you find five more? This issue is also packed with bonus pages of seasonal recipes (p24) and summer-themed puzzles (p28). If you make any of the recipes, let us know how they turn out! Send a photo and a quote to hello@theweekjunior.com for a chance to be featured in the magazine. Our Nature Photo Contest is underway, too, and I hope it…

Enter to win books! This is the fourth issue of our Summer of Reading campaign! We hope you enjoy our interview with Author Ambassador Kekla Magoon and a review of her new book The Secret Library (p23). Our reading challenge continues! Once you’ve finished any three books, go to tinyurl.com/TWJUS-ReadingChallenge with an adult to enter our sweepstakes. Four winners will win books, and one will win books and a video call with an Author Ambassador. For our list of “The 50 Books Kids Love Most,” go to kids.theweekjunior.com/summerofreading. IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com.…