Innehållsförteckning för Issue 232 från The Week Junior US

On September 15, a private space mission named Polaris Dawn successfully came to an end after achieving several important milestones. One of them was the first spacewalk ever conducted by crew members who are not professional astronauts. What is the Polaris Dawn mission? Polaris Dawn is part of the Polaris Program, which is a collaboration between the aerospace company SpaceX and billionaire business executive Jared Isaacman, who is paying for the program. Polaris Dawn, which launched on September 10, is the first of three planned test flights. Its four-member crew traveled in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Isaacman was the mission’s commander, and the pilot was Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force officer who has flown military jets. The other crew members were…

A SUPER STONE FRUIT Two farmers in South Africa set a new record for the world’s heaviest plum, which weighed just over a pound. Dean and Deon Barnard said they didn’t do anything special to grow the Autumn Treat variety of the fruit. “I’m so proud and excited,” said Dean. SAYING THANKS The US Postal Service (USPS) is releasing a stamp thanking healthcare workers, including hospital staff, home health aides, lab technicians, scientists, nurses, doctors, and surgeons. The USPS said these workers “dedicate their lives to protect our health, safety, and well-being.” A LEGO LAP When Formula 1 race car driver Lando Norris took a new vehicle out for a spin, he drove a little slower than usual—because the car is made of 342,817 Lego pieces. The full-size, fully functional…

Texting while walking is so common that there’s a name for it: twalking. That may sound silly, but health experts say distracted walking can pose a serious risk. Pedestrians who aren’t looking up can easily bump into an object or another person, trip or fall, or step into the street without realizing they’re in the path of an oncoming bike or car. People who support making twalking illegal argue that texting and driving is banned in 48 US states, so texting and walking should be outlawed as well. Those against a ban say that’s going a step too far. What do you think? Should it be illegal to text and walk? Yes—it’s common sense It’s simple: If you’re looking at your phone while you walk, you’re putting yourself and others…

Jillian Gamsby Senior animal care specialist, Brookfield Zoo Some animals, like cheetahs, need to move quickly to catch their prey. Others, like rabbits, need to get away from predators. Tortoises don’t have to flee or chase—they can tuck into a hard shell to protect themselves, and as plant-eaters they don’t need to run to catch a delicious leaf! Do you have a question for an animal expert? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about the Brookfield Zoo at brookfieldzoo.org.…

Scientists have identified an extinct prehistoric predator that would have looked like a giant salamander. The species, called Gaiasia jennyae (see illustration at right), lived in what is now Namibia about 280 million years ago. It was more than 8 feet long, with a powerful jaw it could have used to capture large prey. Gaiasia jennyae was possibly the largest creature of its kind and may have stayed near the bottoms of swamps and lakes to catch its prey by surprise. “It’s got a big, flat, toilet-seat-shaped head, which allows it to open its mouth and suck in prey,” says Jason Pardo, one of the authors of a new study describing the creature. “It has these huge fangs—the whole front of the mouth is just giant teeth.”…

The world’s first folding electric skateboard is easy to take on the go. Linky, which is made by a company in Italy, can be folded up and tucked into a backpack or other carrier. Users can take Linky on the bus or train, then quickly open it when they want to ride it. Linky has two motors, a remote control to help steer, and a range of up to 11 miles on one charge. It can handle hills and hit a top speed of 22 miles per hour. A light on the front makes night riding safer, while optional all-terrain wheels create a smooth ride on bumpy surfaces.…

Peter Brown’s illustrated novel The Wild Robot became a best-seller when it was published in 2016. Now the heartwarming story has been turned into an animated film that arrives in theaters on September 27. In early reviews, many critics have said it is one of the best movies of the year. The Wild Robot centers on the robot Rozzum 7134, nicknamed “Roz.” After a storm, she ends up on a deserted island where she initially struggles to fit in with the local animal inhabitants. She ends up caring for an orphaned baby goose, Brightbill, and finds support from new friends. In the film, Roz is voiced by Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o. The film was written and directed by Chris Sanders, who co-wrote movies such as How to Train Your…

A.N.T. Farm (Hulu, Disney+, or rent on other platforms) “This hilarious sitcom is about 11-year-old Chyna, a musical prodigy who can play many instruments. When she is put in the A.N.T. (Advanced Natural Talents) program, she has to skip grades and move from middle to high school. She makes friends with Olive, who has an incredible memory, and Fletcher, an artistic genius. They struggle to fit in with the rest of the school and face bullies such as Queen Bee Lexi. Chyna’s classmates judge her for her mature musical talent, but with the help of her friends, she overcomes the challenges and sees everyone for their unique qualities.” Shamita, 12, Ohio Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other kids? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

(Jimmy Patterson Books) Twins Pew and Basket long to escape the miserable orphanage where they have lived since they were babies. Thanks to Pew’s heightened sense of smell and Basket’s incredible hearing, the 12-year-olds determine that the staffers at the orphanage are having a special celebration. While the workers are distracted by the party, Pew and Basket attempt to escape by running out the front door of the orphanage. But they don’t get far because guard dogs chase them down. When Pew and Basket are returned to the orphanage, they learn that their punishment is to spend a year apart from each other. They are devastated, but then a mysterious man appears in their room and claims he’s a time traveler who has been sent to find them. When he…

The Firefly Summer By Morgan Matson (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) Ryanna accepts an invitation from her late mom’s parents to spend the summer with them in Pennsylvania. She meets a bunch of cousins for the first time, learns about her mom, and even hunts for treasure while trying to solve a mystery. Ages 8–12 Lasagna Means I Love You By Kate O’Shaughnessy (Knopf Books for Young Readers) When Mo is sent to live in foster care after her grandma dies, cooking is what brings her comfort. She starts a recipe website, hoping others will share their family dishes. A delightful twist gives Mo a new beginning. This story takes place in New York City, and the book includes several recipes. Ages 8–12 Skunk and Badger By Amy…

HELP YOUR HOME SMELL NICE Everyone likes their home to smell good. While stores sell air fresheners to scent your home, they may contain chemicals that can be irritating to some people and pets. To make your home smell better naturally, there are several things you can do. With an adult’s permission, crack open the windows on nice days to circulate fresh air. You can also talk to your family about putting fragrant house plants, like eucalyptus, lemon balm, or orchids, around your home. Baking soda is a natural way to absorb odors. Add half a cup of baking soda and six drops of an essential oil to a mason jar, poke holes in the lid to make a vent, and place on a shelf in the kitchen or laundry…

Crop artists bloom at state fair Visitors to the Minnesota State Fair had a chance to view 354 of the state’s finest pieces of crop art—artwork made from seeds, beans, and other plant materials—as part of an annual contest. The Minnesota Star Tribune featured some of this year’s funniest crop creations, including a “Crop-Tart” toaster pastry (above) and an anglerfish with a glowing lure declaring that crop art is making it “light headed.” Others were more meaningful, such as a tribute to artist Keith Haring, who once declared that “art is for everybody,” depicting people around a giant corn husk and the words “crop art is for everybody.” Jumbo pigeon to land in New York Some say New York City has more pigeons than people, so it’s about time the…

“I was super excited to see an article about Mars and NASA in a recent edition of The Week Junior. I had just completed reading the book Hidden Figures about three Black female mathematicians who worked at NASA. I built a 3D-printed monument replica, and I named it ‘Together, we lift off!’ to honor the amazing contributions of the three female space trailblazers. I also wrote a poem about the mathematicians and built this Lego set of the Saturn V rocket.” Have you done something interesting or raised money for a cause you care about? Whatever you’re up to, we want to hear about it at hello@theweekjunior.com.…

1 What type of pumpkin spice coffee beverage was created in 2003? a) Cappuccino b) Latte c) Macchiato a □ b □ c □ 2 In recently analyzed recordings, what word did chimpanzees Johnny and Renata appear to say? 3 True or false? Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is now the longest-running play on Broadway. True □ False □ 4 Rock climbers in which US national park helped officials protect nesting peregrine falcons? a) Yellowstone b) Yosemite c) Zion a □ b □ c □ 5 Which country recently passed a law restricting junk food advertising? a) Australia b) New Zealand c) The UK a □ b □ c □ 6 In the movie The Wild Robot, what is the name of the baby goose Roz takes care of?…

In May, the award-winning play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child had its 1,794th performance and became the fifth-longest-running play in Broadway history. One of the people who helped it get to that historic moment is Rolt Smith, who has been the production’s stage manager since its Broadway debut in 2018. His role, he told The Week Junior, is to “maintain the artistic vision of the director and designers and keep it fresh.” Smith, who grew up outside New York City, always loved theater. In high school, after he tried out for a play and didn’t get an acting part, he joined the stage crew instead. “[It] opened up a whole world for me,” Smith said. He attended the University of Rhode Island, where he was one of the first…

For many years, humans have thought that our ability to speak makes us different from other primates. During the 20th century, studies of apes adopted by humans found that they were unable to form simple words, and a 2016 study also found that monkey brains are not developed enough to learn to talk. But a new analysis suggests that non-human apes have a greater capacity for speech than was believed. Axel Ekström of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden believed apes were capable of talking. He thought they had failed to speak in past studies because researchers had mistreated the animals. For evidence of their abilities, Ekström looked for recordings of apes being trained to say simple words. He first found a 1959 documentary about a chimpanzee named…

Eastern oysters Oysters are recovering in New York Harbor, which once held half of the world’s oyster beds but lost many of them in the past century. An organization working to restore them said there are now about 122 million oysters in the area. The Great Barrier Reef According to a new study, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is experiencing the highest sea surface temperatures recorded in 400 years. This has caused major coral bleaching, in which coral becomes stressed, loses its color, and may die.…

Americans spend about $500 million on pumpkin spice products each year. Let’s look at how this spice blend went from a pie seasoning to the undisputed flavor of fall. What is pumpkin spice? Pumpkin spice—also called pumpkin pie spice—is typically a combination of ground sweet and savory spices, including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. These spices are native to islands around Southeast Asia known as the Spice Islands. In the early 1600s, the Dutch began to take over the Spice Islands from the Portuguese. Through a trading company called the Dutch East India Company, the spice market exploded in Europe. The earliest known recipe containing pumpkin spice was for “pumpion pye” (pumpkin pie) in the UK in 1675. Arrival in the US As Dutch colonists settled in America in…

Scientists discovered how renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn achieved an intriguing golden glow in his most famous painting, The Night Watch. They found that he used arsenic sulfide, a naturally occurring mineral that he hadn’t used before. The artist completed The Night Watch in 1642. It’s about 12 feet tall and 14 feet wide and shows members of the police force of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The two main subjects are a police captain and his lieutenant. The research was conducted as part of a project called Operation Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum, an art and history museum in Amsterdam. Experts have been studying the painting since 2019. By understanding the materials Rembrandt used, the team can repair and preserve it for future generations. The experts used…

The 2024–2025 NFL (National Football League) season began on September 5. History was made during Week 1 with the first-ever NFL game played in Brazil. The Kansas City Chiefs, who are the league’s two-time defending champions, are expected to be one of the best teams again. They are attempting to become the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row. One big change this season is the addition of the dynamic kickoff rule, which was introduced to help increase kickoff returns. During a kickoff, the area between the receiving team’s end zone and 20-yard line is now known as the “landing zone.” If a kicked ball hits that area and stays there, it must be returned. Another part of the rule, designed to help prevent injuries, is…

Coach’s Name: Brian McCarty Team: Red Devils (basketball) “Coach Brian teaches us how to improve our skills and learn new plays but makes it really fun! Our line is called ‘Candy Cane,’ and we have a play called ‘Flamingo.’ We even have a distraction play where we pretend to be animals! He is encouraging and always finds something good at the end of each game, even if we lost. When you don’t understand something, he is kind and patient. He is the best coach and dad—I should know, he’s mine!” Evie, 10, Maryland 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.…

The Wild Robot The idea for Peter Brown’s first book in this series was inspired by his 2009 picture book, The Curious Garden, about a boy becoming a vibrant gardener in a gray city. The Wild Robot Escapes In this 2018 sequel, Roz is taken from the island and repurposed in a robotics facility. The film explores how technology affects her experiences and relationships. The Wild Robot Protects This book, published in 2023, delves deeper into themes about preserving the natural world. It finds a reunited Roz and Brightbill trying to save their island from a toxic tide.…

Lego: BrickToons (Disney+) A new series of shorts features beloved Pixar characters in Lego brick form. The episodes include a Land of the Dead sing-along with Coco’s Miguel, a field trip with Nemo and Dory, and a story about The Incredibles’ Parr family saving their neighborhood from villains. Dancing with the Stars (Hulu) (ABC) Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET This popular competition pairs celebrities with dance pros to perform choreographed routines for expert judges. Two of Team USA’s bronze medalists from the Paris Olympics are competitors this season: gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik and rugby star Ilona Maher. Animal Genius (National Geographic) (Hulu) Join wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin as she travels the world to uncover animals’ amazing survival strategies. She meets with top scientists and explores groundbreaking research on animal behavior, like…

The One and Only Ruby By Katherine Applegate ”This book is about an elephant named Ruby who is living at a park in a herd. In this story, elephants celebrate their Tuskdays when their tusks grow in. But Ruby does not want to have a Tuskday because she does not want to grow up. We like this story because it is from Ruby’s perspective. The story is part of a collection that includes The One and Only Ivan and The One and Only Bob.” Luna, 10, and Toby, 8, Colorado Do you have a book to recommend? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

Creative writing is a fun way to express your thoughts and emotions. One form of creative writing is a short story. “A story is like a playground for your imagination,” Lee Overtree, co-founder and creative director of Story Pirates, told The Week Junior. (To find out more about Story Pirates, see the box at top right.) “It’s a great place to experiment and try new ideas,” Overtree said. Here’s how you can get started. Forget the rules You may know what you would like your story to be about—or you might not, and that’s OK. “Sometimes it can feel intimidating to write a story because you have an idea of what the story has to be,” said Overtree. “But there is no right or wrong when you’re writing a story.”…

Word ladder To change the word LEFT into the word HAND, use each clue to fill in a word that is only one letter different from the word before it. If you get stuck, try solving from the bottom up. DO NOT ENTER Draw one continuous path from START to END that goes through every box except the ones containing obstacles. Your path may not cross itself, and there is only one solution. (NEED A HINT? Check the bottom of the page.) STEPPING STONES Each figure hides a seven-letter word associated with driving. To find each one, start anywhere and move in an unbroken path through letters that share a border (no jumping!), using each letter once. Crossmath Fill each empty box with a number or a mathematical symbol (+,…

In this week’s How To section, we’re excited to bring you an article about creative writing (p24). Have you ever tried writing a short story—or, if you have, would you like to try it again? Our article includes some smart tips from the creators of the Story Pirates Podcast to inspire you. One of the suggestions I appreciated the most is about the importance of rereading and revising your work. “Writing isn’t meant to be perfect the first time,” Story Pirates co-founder Lee Overtree told us. Our editorial team follows that advice every week! The Week Junior will also be featured in an upcoming episode of the podcast. We hope you’ll tune in! In addition, Story Pirates invites you to submit a story based on something you’ve seen in The…

Laney, who is 8 years old and from New York, told us that her grandparents are important to her because they are kind, caring, and awesome. A favorite memory is going to a lake with them. To celebrate your grandparent or any other special older person, go to kidstheweekjunior.com/activities to print out 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 responses in future issues. JOKE OF THE WEEK How do eggs like to travel? In yolkswaggons…

Teacher’s Name: Mrs. Jensen School: Reed Elementary “Mrs. Jensen is the best teacher ever. She makes school awesome by encouraging us to do fun art projects. She even has us do word art, which is making a picture out of our spelling words. She is a dual-language teacher and also teaches us Spanish! She is an amazing musician, too. Mrs. Jensen gives us class money, and at the end of the year, we have a humongous class store. She is so kind and helps everyone.” Mady, 11, Idaho 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.…

September 22, 1888 National Geographic is published On September 22, 1888, the first issue of National Geographic was published by the National Geographic Society, a group of explorers and scientists who wanted to share knowledge. The first issue published science papers and a report on a historic snowstorm. Although today the magazine, which has about 1.8 million subscribers, is famous for its photography, the first issue had no photos.…

For many years, scientists knew that an ancient sea creature called Odaraia alata was shaped like a taco and looked like a shrimp. They knew little else about it, including how it ate. In a new study, researchers have solved that mystery. Odaraia alata was about 8 inches long and lived between 520 to 512 million years ago. Its fossils were first found in 1912 in a rock formation in Canada called the Burgess Shale. Odaraia has a head shield that surrounds its body like a tube, giving it a taco-like appearance. Modern-day creatures like fan shrimp have a similar shield. Odaraia’s head, which had large eyes on top of short stalks, stuck out of one end of its shell, and its tail stuck out of the other. Other than…

Astro Bot is a new platformer adventure game. It was recently released exclusively for the PlayStation 5. The game stars the character Astro, who is a PlayStation mascot. Astro first appeared in a set of minigames released in 2013. The new game is the third in a space-set series filled with robots, aliens, and wild environments. The first standalone game, Astro’s Rescue Mission, was released for PlayStation VR in 2018. A sequel, Astro’s Playroom, was a free game that came with every PlayStation 5 when it was released in 2020. The new game combines the best aspects of the franchise and includes exciting gameplay, creative new worlds, and tributes to 30 years of other PlayStation classics. The adventure begins with Astro and other characters traveling in a flying PS5. When…

What inspired this book? I want to get kids reading. I hope they realize that reading is cool—that it’s fun. I’ve always wanted to do that. My mission is that when a child finishes one of my books, they’ll say, give me another book. That’s a big win. Do you have a favorite historical time period? I think it would be great to experience life during the Renaissance in the 1400s and 1500s in Europe. Did you enjoy reading when you were a child? I wasn’t a big reader growing up. When I was in college, I started scribbling out ideas for stories. Why do you enjoy writing for kids? I can let loose and be funny, and I enjoy that. What did you dream of doing when you were…