Innehållsförteckning för Issue 227 från The Week Junior US

On August 8, a new leader took over the South Asian nation of Bangladesh after weeks of political turmoil. The interim (temporary) government was installed after protests caused the former leader to resign and flee the country. What happened? In July, students in Bangladesh began protesting against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Her government pushed back, and tensions grew until the protests became violent, leading to 10,000 arrests and the deaths of more than 400 protesters and police officers. On August 2, demonstrators stormed the prime minister’s residence. Hasina escaped and left the country. Protesters called for Muhammad Yunus, an economist, to be the country’s new leader. Yunus flew back to Bangladesh from Paris, France—where he was attending the Summer Olympics—to be sworn in. At a news conference, he asked the…

PURPLE POWER An Iowa man set a record for the world’s heaviest eggplant, which weighed 8 pounds, 5.3 ounces and measured 2 feet, 3.9 inches around. Dave Bennett, who grows fruits and vegetables as a hobby, said he doesn’t remember ever eating eggplant before. COLORFUL CREATURES An orange lobster named Peaches laid eggs and now has 100 babies, some of which have her extremely rare coloring. Peaches lives in a marine science center at the University of New England, in Maine, which said the odds of finding a “beautiful creature” like her are 1 in 30 million. GIVING BACK(PACKS) Reed Marcum, age 18, raised money to give away more than 6,000 backpacks filled with school supplies to kids in Oklahoma and nearby states. “It is so fulfilling to know we…

Olympic gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik of Team USA has become a sensation, igniting interest in men’s gymnastics nationwide with his standout performances on the pommel horse at the Paris Olympics. He first helped the US men’s team secure a bronze medal, its first medal in 16 years, and then won an individual Olympic bronze medal. Nedoroscik, age 25, of Sterling, Massachusetts, began gymnastics early. He initially competed in many disciplines before focusing only on the pommel horse, where his exceptional skill set him apart in the competitive world of gymnastics. He has strabismus, a vision impairment caused by crossed eyes, and wears glasses regularly, but he takes them off to compete. In college, as a member of the men’s gymnastics team at Penn State University, he earned four All-America honors and…

Many animals—including humans—end up airborne (with their feet totally off the ground) for short periods of time when they move quickly. In larger animals, this is less common. Elephants, for example, never completely leave the ground. However, a new study has found that the famously heavy hippopotamus “takes flight” when it runs. Despite their size, some hippos have been recorded reaching speeds of nearly 20 miles per hour. But until now, no studies had shown whether they become airborne. Researcher Emily Pringle went to Flamingo Land Resort, a zoo and theme park in the UK. She collected video footage of hippos there, recording them moving around in their enclosure during the day. The study also looked at wild hippos in videos online. In total, the researchers looked at the movements…

Echidna San Diego Zoo Safari Park in California celebrated World Echidna Day on July 19 with special talks about the egg-laying mammals. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea and are also known as “spiny anteaters.” ● LIFE SPAN: Up to 58 years in zoos, 45 in the wild ● HABITAT: Forests, woodlands, and grasslands ● SIZE: 14 to 30 inches long, 5.5 to 22 pounds ● DIET: Mostly termites, ants, and worms ● FUN FACT: Echidnas dig their strong feet into the ground so predators can’t get to their soft bellies.…

Many people think of electric cars as being a relatively recent invention. But their history actually dates back to the 1800s. Gas cars vs. electric cars Most cars on the road today are powered with gasoline in an internal combustion engine. Burning gasoline produces substances that are harmful to the environment, however. One is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Electric vehicles (EVs), which produce fewer greenhouse gases, have emerged as an alternative in recent years. One type of EV is an all-electric or battery electric vehicle that uses a battery pack—which can be charged through a wall outlet or other special equipment—to power an electric motor. Another type is a hybrid car. These run on a combination of electric motors and batteries with internal combustion…

A marine fossil was mistakenly identified as a jellyfish for decades until scientists did a simple thing: They turned it upside down. Roy Plotnick of the University of Illinois–Chicago and his colleagues were puzzled by the fossil, Essexella asherae, because it looked unusual for a jellyfish. Jellyfish have a mushroom-like cap and long tentacles. This one had what looked like a skirt and a different kind of cap. When the team turned the specimen upside down, they realized it was a sea anemone, a relative of the jellyfish. What was thought to be its cap was actually a muscular foot, which it used to root into the ocean floor. “This study demonstrates how a simple shift of a mental image can lead to new ideas and interpretations,” Plotnick said.…

After a long day of hiking or setting up camp, outdoor explorers can enjoy a soothing soak in nature. The Joolca Hottub is inflatable, rugged, and designed to be set up in the mountains or on a beach. The Joolca Hottub is big enough for two people and inflates in a few minutes. A separate device, the Hottap, draws water from a natural source, filters and heats it, and fills the tub. That process takes about two hours. When the soaking is done, the tub breaks down quickly and fits into a carrying case.…

Locations There are 18 types of penguins, and most live in the southern half of the world, mainly in Antarctica (right). Only Galapagos penguins live above the equator. Special bodies Penguins cannot fly, but they’ve evolved to move underwater with incredible speed. They have solid bones, which reduce their buoyancy (ability to float in water). The gentoo penguin (below) is the fastest-swimming bird in the water. Mini marvels The little blue penguin (right) is the smallest penguin in the world. Adults grow to be 13 to 15 inches tall and weigh about 3 pounds. They can be found along the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.…

Dance Moms: A New Era (Hulu) The popular 2010s reality series Dance Moms went behind the scenes at a dance studio and introduced the world to JoJo Siwa and Maddie Ziegler. This reboot stars a new group of dancers and their moms, plus coach Glo Hampton. Expect intense rehearsals, competitions, and drama. Primos (Disney+) This new animated series follows 10-year-old Tater, a girl growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. Her plans for a summer of self-discovery are disrupted when all 12 of her cousins move into her home. Trying to find alone time and have fun isn’t easy in the chaos. Blue Ribbon Baking Championship (Netflix) Ten bakers who are state fair competition winners face off in this new series. They reimagine classic fair foods, such as…

What do you love most about the Swifts? I love the opportunity to sit down and play with language and think about what words can do. Do you have siblings? I have one brother who is much younger than I am. But my dad is one of seven siblings, and growing up we had a lot of family reunions, which is probably where I got the idea for the Swift family. Which Swift do you relate to the most? Like Shenanigan, I am the kind of person whose brain gets itchy if I don’t have something to occupy myself with. Favorite hobby? I love wood carving. I like to make little figurines. Can we expect another Swift adventure? Yes, I am currently drafting ideas for the next book!…

As hard as it can be to say goodbye to summer, back to school is also a really fun and exciting time. You get to start new classes, meet new classmates, join sports teams or clubs, and see friends you may not have spent time with while you were on break. The beginning of a new grade also gives you an opportunity for a fresh start. Now is a great time to think about what you can do to help yourself have a successful year. Here are a few ways to get off on the right foot. Establish a routine Your summer schedule was probably very different than your school year schedule will be. If you can, start getting into a school routine a few days before you head back…

Crisscross Each of these school subjects fits into this grid. Can you find where each one goes to complete the grid? 3 letters ART 5 letters DRAMA MUSIC 6 letters CIVICS FRENCH HEALTH 7 letters ENGLISH PHYSICS SPANISH 9 letters ASTRONOMY GEOGRAPHY 11 letters COMPOSITION MATHEMATICS ALL THE SAME Each answer contains the letters B-U-S. Those letters have been placed for you. Can you figure out the words? Spot the difference These two pictures of school lunchtime appear to be the same, but take a closer look. There are actually five differences. Can you see them? All the same hint: In word 4, the letter after S is H. Take five Five 5-letter words associated with school are hidden in this grid. For each one, the first letter is somewhere…

Handy talent sets a record Matteo Pavone of Italy, who calls himself “The Handstand Vehicle,” has earned a world record for an upside-down feat of strength. The former rugby player pulled three airplanes—weighing more than 3,400 pounds in total—about 16 feet while walking on his hands across concrete. Pavone said he was proud of the record but plans to try again with four aircraft. “Everything can be achieved with hard work, determination, and the support of your family and friends,” he said. Chicken wings go to court An Ohio man had a bone to pick after a restaurant meal sent him to the hospital. Soon after eating some “boneless chicken wings,” Michael Berkheimer began feeling ill. A chicken bone had gotten stuck in his throat and caused an infection. Berkheimer…

We showcase a big beginning and an exciting ending in this issue of The Week Junior. With a special edition of our How To section, we’re wishing you a great start to the new school year (p24). Whether you’ve already gone back or are preparing to return, we hope this will be your best year yet! Just as school is starting, the Summer Olympics have ended. We have a story about the closing ceremony in Paris, France (p3), a profile of a Team USA athlete (p9), a special section of Olympic Photos of the Week (p16), a two-page Sports spread of competition highlights (p18), and a selection of amazing photos (shown at right) that you sent us after making the Olympic recipes and crafts from Issue 223. We are so…

Aircraft Small electric planes have taken to the skies. Electric air taxis, like the Volocopter (right), may soon fly passengers around major cities. Boats Several companies make electric boats for recreation. Candela makes a “flying” electric boat (right) that rises above water. The state of Washington plans to convert its passenger ferries to hybrid by 2040. Trains Japan has electric trains that travel at least 185 miles per hour. Caltrain, a rail service in the San Francisco Bay Area, is testing an electric fleet (right), and California plans to build its first high-speed rail system. Bikes Most major bicycle companies make electric bikes, also called e-bikes (right). They typically use a motor to provide extra power to cyclists as they pedal. Some e-bikes are fully electric and operate without pedaling.…

A new treatment to reverse diabetes in humans has shown promising results in initial studies. A team of scientists from New York and California combined two existing drugs that hadn’t previously been used together to increase the production of beta cells in mice. Beta cells are found in an organ called the pancreas and make a chemical called insulin. Insulin does the important job of regulating the amount of glucose (type of sugar) in blood. It does this by allowing cells in the body to absorb the glucose. In people with diabetes, the quality or quantity of the beta cells decreases. Their bodies either don’t produce enough insulin or are not able to use the insulin properly, leading to high blood sugar levels. Existing treatments manage diabetes through medicines and…

The final week of the 2024 Olympics was filled with exciting and historic moments across the venues in Paris, France. The last event was the women’s basketball gold medal match, where Team USA beat France, 67–66, and won their eighth consecutive Olympic women’s basketball gold. Here is a look at more of the highlights from the end of the Summer Games. TRACK AND FIELD Team USA won 34 medals in track and field. They included Quincy Hall’s come-from-behind gold in the men’s 400-meter race, Tara Davis-Woodhall’s gold in women’s long jump, and Grant Holloway’s gold in the men’s 110-meter hurdles. US sprinter Noah Lyles, who had won the men’s 100-meter race, hoped to win the 200-meter race but got bronze instead. After the race, he revealed he was sick with…

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition is a new collection of classic video games. It was recently released exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The game is based on real tournaments that Nintendo once hosted, where top gamers competed using speedrunning to finish video game levels and tasks as fast as possible. Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition features more than 150 challenges from 13 games that were part of the original NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), including three Super Mario games, two Zelda games, Metroid, Kirby’s Adventure, and Donkey Kong. There are also levels from lesser-known classics such as Kid Icarus and Excitebike. The challenges in the game start out on the easier side, with tasks that include completing the first level of Super Mario Bros. and sucking up baddies in Kirby. Every…

Percy Jackson: The Chalice of the Gods By Rick Riordan ”This book is so funny! It’s the sixth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Instead of the usual monsters battling each other, Percy just wants to get his college recommendation letters! He must complete quests with his best friends, Grover and Annabeth, for the different gods. I love this story so much, and I love the characters too!” Tricia, 12, California Do you have a book to recommend? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

1 Which country won the most medals overall at this year’s Olympics? a) China b) France c) US a □ b □ c □ 2 True or false? In the book The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues, a statue was stolen from the Swift family home. True □ False □ 3 What was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid-electric car? a) Chevy Volt b) Nissan Leaf c) Toyota Prius a □ b □ c □ 4 A team from which US state won this year’s Little League Softball World Series? 5 What is the nickname of the penguin who helped inspire the film My Penguin Friend? a) DinDim b) PinPim c) YanYam a □ b □ c □ 6 True or false? Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are the first giant…

August 22, 1902 US President rides in an automobile On August 22, 1902, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th US President (1901–1909), became the first President to publicly ride in an automobile. He toured the city of Hartford, Connecticut, in an electric car, which had two 400-pound batteries and could reach a top speed of 13 miles per hour. In 1905, he made transportation history again when he became the first US President to ride in a submarine.…

The new school year is full of excitement and questions. Will you be in the same class as your old friends? Who will your new friends be? What’s your teacher like? Where will you sit? When it comes to seating, different teachers handle it differently. Some let students sit where they like, while others have a seating chart mapped out on the first day. You might end up next to your best friend or a new student who just joined the school. Many students want the freedom to pick their own seats, but plenty of people say the teacher knows best and students should keep an open mind. What do you think? Should students pick their seats in class? Yes—kids can handle the decision Letting students choose their own seats…

“Can dolphins communicate with whales?”Lillian, 10, Maryland Marco Wendt Wildlife ambassador, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Whales and dolphins have been seen playing and hunting together. They hear each other’s sounds, but we are unsure if they understand each other the way they understand their own kind. Remember, even if animals don’t speak the same language, they can communicate in other ways. Do you have a question for an animal expert? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about the San Diego Zoo at sandiegozoo.org.…

Scientists have cracked the mystery of a massive prehistoric shark that lived between 100 and 80 million years ago, thanks to a remarkable fossil discovery. The new study offered insight into Ptychodus sharks, including what they looked like, how they lived, and their evolutionary history. Ptychodus sharks were first identified in 1834. Until recently, however, most of the Ptychodus fossils that had been found were teeth, which were round in shape and up to 22 inches long and 18 inches wide. Based on the teeth, scientists believed that the sharks were up to 37 feet long and crushed and ate animals with shells that lived on the ocean floor, like clams. But they knew little else about the creatures. The latest collection of fossils changed that. They are about 91.85…

In 2011, a Brazilian fisherman named João came across a South American Magellanic penguin covered in oil. He cleaned him and cared for him, and then the penguin—nicknamed DinDim (a Portuguese word for ice pop)—headed back into the wild. For eight years after that, however, DinDim came back to visit João, traveling thousands of miles each time. Their story, which made international headlines in 2016, has been adapted into the heartwarming film My Penguin Friend. It is now playing in theaters. The film is directed by David Schurmann, who is from Brazil. He told The Week Junior he was excited to bring the “simple and beautiful story” to the big screen. Some facts were changed for the film, and Schurmann said he included scenes from DinDim’s point of view so…

Back to the Future Part II (PG) (Netflix and other major platforms) “This is the second installment of the Back to the Future films. It follows Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown as they travel to the future in their DeLorean time machine to fix a problem involving Marty’s kids. Things go awry when a character from the first movie, a bully named Biff, finds out about the DeLorean while Doc and Marty are in the future. Biff uses it to go back in time and get rich, creating an alternate timeline. Marty and Doc have to find when Biff time-traveled and stop him. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys sci-fi or action movies.” Steven, 13, Texas Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other…

(Dutton Books for Young Readers) Shenanigan Swift and her family head to Paris, France, to recover a prized painting that was stolen from their home in England. The Swifts think their French cousins, the Martinets, are responsible for the theft because the painting belonged to the Martinets until Swindle Swift cheated them out of it. The Swifts believe the Martinets hired the Ouvolpo, a group known for returning stolen art to its rightful owner, to take the painting. However, after checking in to the maze-like hotel run by the Martinets, the Swifts aren’t sure the Martinets have the painting. They learn that the Ouvolpo is also trying to steal the Martinets’ prize statue. Both the statue and the painting were created by the artist Pierrot, who created masterpieces with a…

Books Make Good Friends Activity Book By Jane Mount (Chronicle Books) If reading is one of your favorite things to do, you’ll enjoy the activities in this book. You can draw book covers, write a short story, create your ideal bookshelf, go on a book scavenger hunt, and more. Stickers and bookmarks are included. Ages 8–12 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Pop Heads 3D Craft By Jeff Kinney and Igloo Books (Igloo Books) This book supplies instructions and materials to make 3D posters of Greg, Rowley, and other characters from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It also contains more than a dozen fun games, such as a cheese maze game and spot the difference. Ages 6 and up Funtastic By Amanda Kingloff & the editors of Country Living…

HEAD TO SCHOOL ON FOOT If you live close enough to your school, it’s a great idea to walk or ride your bike whenever you can. This is not only fun and good exercise, but it also helps cut down on pollution from cars in your neighborhood. You can even talk to your family about starting what’s called a “walking bus” for your block, which is a clever way of saying a group of kids meet up near their homes to walk to school together. Just be sure to always be safe while walking or biking. Stay on the sidewalk when walking, walk or ride in the same direction as traffic, cross at designated spots with crossing guards, and wear a helmet if biking.…