Innehållsförteckning för Issue 292 från The Week Junior US

On November 4, people across the US voted in state and local elections. Participation was higher than usual, and there were historic results in New York City, Virginia, California, and other locations. What was the November 4 election? Voters participated in what is known as an off-year election, when there are no races for President or Congress (branch of government that makes laws). Instead, they cast ballots for governors, mayors, state and local leaders, and new laws or policies. Democrats beat Republicans in the most high-profile races. What happened in New York City? In the race for mayor of America’s most populated city, Zohran Mamdani, age 34, won with 50.4% of the vote. Mamdani, a Democrat, beat Andrew Cuomo, a former New York state governor who ran as an Independent,…

A HAPPY HELLO For the first time in nearly 15 years, a baby Bornean orangutan was born at the Los Angeles Zoo in California. The apes are critically endangered in the wild. Zoo staff called the arrival of the little boy (shown at right with his mother) a “fantastic moment.” A HISTORIC SEASON The world-famous Rockettes dance troupe is celebrating 100 years of high kicks. The group is best known for its Christmas Spectacular show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, which mixes tap, jazz, and ballet and attracts more than 1 million audience members each year. SHOWING KINDNESS Wanting to help people during the government shutdown, AJ Owen and his sons, ages 9 and 7, set up a small food pantry on their lawn in Pennsylvania.…

The Kenai Fjords are located in the southern part of Alaska. (A fjord is a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes.) The mountains, glaciers, and waterways were created hundreds of thousands of years ago. The Sugpiaq people, one of eight Alaska Native peoples, lived on the land long before the area became part of the state of Alaska. Nearly 40 glaciers make up the icy landscape. Lynx, hoary marmots, mink, meadow jumping mice, northern bog lemmings, and porcupines roam the forests and mountains, thriving in the chilly climate.…

Whipsnade Zoo in England recently welcomed an 11-year-old South American tapir named Anna. Although they look like pigs with long snouts, tapirs are more closely related to horses and rhinos. They whistle, shriek, click, and snort. ● LIFESPAN: About 35 years ● HABITAT: Cloud forests, grasslands, and swamps ● SIZE: Up to 8 feet, 2 inches long and 710 pounds ● DIET: Mainly leaves, fruit, twigs, and plants ● FUN FACT: Tapirs use their snouts like a snorkel to breathe while swimming underwater.…

A 185-million-year-old fossil found on the south coast of England, in the UK, has been identified as a new species of ichthyosaur. The fossil was discovered in Dorset, in an area known as the Jurassic Coast, where many fossils have been found over hundreds of years. Ichthyosaurs were a type of prehistoric marine reptile. They were dangerous predators and lived in the waters that covered much of what is now Europe millions of years ago. They had long, thin jaws with many teeth, which they used to catch prey including octopuses and cuttlefish. The fossil was discovered in 2001 at Golden Cap, a hill in Dorset overlooking the sea, and taken to the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada. Scientists studied it for years but only recently identified it as a…

AGE: 21 TEAM: UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY SPORT: CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK AND FIELD Family sport Growing up, both of my parents did marathons, so I was around the long-distance running scene. Once my brothers got to junior high age, they joined the cross country team. Seeing them excel motivated me to try the sport, and I fell in love with it. Running fast is a great feeling, and getting stronger every day is really motivating. Also, teammate relationships kept me coming back every season. Big payoff My freshman year, I decided to try the steeplechase event. I had no idea if I‘d excel in it. I pushed through a rocky season and found my bearings. I’m proud of that and I’m glad I stuck with it. Last season, I broke the school record…

Nearly nine years after Disney’s Zootopia won the Academy Award for best animated feature film, a sequel is heading to movie theaters. Zootopia 2 continues the story of idealistic rabbit Judy Hopps and scam artist fox Nick Wilde as they work together in a city where predators and prey live in harmony. It will be released on November 26. All of Zootopia’s animals are mammals, and Byron Howard, a director of both films, told The Week Junior that he and writer-director Jared Bush thought about where the reptiles existed in that on-screen world. The question gets answered in the new film after Nick and Judy encounter a pit viper, Gary De’Snake (voiced by Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan). He is trying to bring his family back to Zootopia, where…

Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a new tower defense game. It is out now for the Nintendo Switch systems, PlayStation platforms, Xbox consoles, and PC. The original Plants vs. Zombies was a popular game that was released in 2009. In it, you use plants to defend a house from a zombie invasion led by the evil Dr. Zomboss. There have been award-winning sequels as well as spin-offs, and the game even inspired a series of graphic novels for kids. Plants vs. Zombies: Replanted is a remastered remake of the original. The premise of the game remains the same, but there are some new elements that include Cloudy Day Mode, which makes it harder for your plants to grow, and Air Raid mode, which has zombies fall from the sky. Many…

Nugly By M.C. Ross “This story is about a dog named Nugget. He is the cutest puppy, but when he’s put up for adoption, he thinks he isn’t loved anymore and runs away. After Nugget gets an injury that affects his cuteness, he must find a new purpose in life. He goes on a journey that helps him realize there’s more to life than what’s on the outside. This book is sweet and good to read when you feel alone.” GiannaLei, 9, California Do you have a book to recommend? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

Crisscross Each of these kinds of soup fits into this grid. Can you find where each one goes to complete the grid? 3 letters PHO 4 letters MISO TACO 5 letters BROTH ONION RAMEN 6 letters TOMATO WONTON 7 letters EGG DROP 8 letters CONSOMME SHARK FIN 10 letters MINESTRONE YANKEE BEAN 11 letters CORN CHOWDER 13 letters BOUILLABAISSE CHICKEN NOODLE ALL THE SAME Each answer contains the letters C-O-N. Those letters have been placed for you. Can you figure out the words? ANSWERS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 29. 1. Musician who leads the orchestra 2. Upstairs section of theater seats 3. Midwest state known for its cheese 4. Hard material used to make sidewalks 5. Food that can fall out of a palm tree Take five Five 5-letter…

This organization provides people who are blind or visually impaired with the necessary tools and skills to travel independently. It offers a free guide-dog program, training in the use of a white cane for orientation and mobility, and a summer camp for teenagers who are legally blind. Every year, Leader Dogs for the Blind matches about 200 people with guide dogs and provides approximately 100 people with white cane training. Find out more at leaderdog.org.…

When The Week Junior went to press on November 11, the longest shutdown of the federal government in US history, which began on October 1, was closer to coming to an end. What happened? On November 10, Day 41 of the shutdown, the Senate (one half of Congress, the branch of government that makes laws) voted 60–40 to approve a spending package put forth by Republicans that would reopen the government. All but one Republican senator voted for it, along with eight senators who typically vote with the Democrats. The bill did not guarantee what Democrats had been pushing for: the extension of subsidies to keep healthcare costs from rising significantly for more than 20 million people. What motivated the eight lawmakers? The day before, November 9, the lawmakers who…

Most kids stop napping in school when they’re very young, but some older students are having a snooze too. In recent years, high schools in New Mexico installed napping pods—reclining chairs with a pull-down shade and soft music—and colleges across the US have done the same. Teachers and students have also started nap clubs. In China, where elementary and middle school students often nap midday, a study of nearly 3,000 kids ages 10 to 12 found a link between napping and improved mood, behavior, and academic performance. Some people say students don’t need to rest, however. What do you think? Should naps be allowed at school? Yes—naps help body and mind The school day is busy, with plenty of noise, social interaction, and learning. That can be draining! A nap…

The number of green sea turtles in the wild has increased thanks to years of efforts to protect the species. This news was revealed when conservationists gathered in the United Arab Emirates last month. The meeting was organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a group of experts and leaders who produce a“Red List” recording the extinction risk of animals and plants. Green turtles were previously classified as “endangered” after people captured many of the animals for their meat, eggs, and shells. Construction had also destroyed many of the beaches where they nest, and some turtles had gotten trapped in fishing gear. Now the species has been moved to the lower-risk category of “least concern.” Their numbers have increased by 28% since the 1970s due to conservation…

Mandy Keogh Assistant professor of wildlife biology, Bemidji State University The hump on a beluga whale’s head is called a “melon” and is made up of fat tissue. Beluga whales produce high-frequency clicking sounds to communicate with each other and to find food in a process called echolocation. The melon helps project the sound into the water. Do you have a question for an animal expert? Send it to hello@theweekjunior.com. Find out more about Bemidji State University at bemidjistate.edu.…

Researchers re-created an ancient recipe once used in Turkey and Bulgaria —yogurt made with ants. To create it, they dropped four ants into a jar of warm milk. By the next day, the liquid had begun to thicken and sour, which is an early stage of yogurt fermentation. The fermentation process typically starts when bacteria are introduced into milk. In this case, the ants carry the bacteria, as well as other substances, that get the milk to thicken and change its texture. Don’t try this at home, though. Ants can carry harmful bacteria too.…

The women’s ice hockey national teams from the US and Canada have begun their 2025 Rivalry Series, a set of exhibition games. The first two games were played on November 6 and November 8 in the US, and the final two will take place in December in Canada. This is the sixth edition of the Rivalry Series, and Canada has been the overall winner four times. The US is looking to win its first Rivalry Series since the 2019–20 event. Team USA is ranked number one in the world, and Team Canada is number two. They are both expected to compete for gold at the Olympics in February. Game 1 of this year’s series was played in Cleveland, Ohio, and Team USA won, 4–1. Canada scored the first goal midway…

Last November, the first part of the big-screen adaptation of the musical Wicked arrived in movie theaters, where it wowed audiences and broke box office records. Ever since, fans have been eagerly awaiting part two, Wicked: For Good, to see the dramatic story conclude. The film will hit theaters on November 21. Wicked is based on the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. It reimagines the land of Oz from the classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and takes place before the events of that story and the classic film adaptation. Wicked is about green outcast Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), who becomes known as the Wicked Witch of the West, and popular Glinda (Ariana Grande), who is considered a Good Witch.…

Greenhouse Academy (Netflix) “This super-exciting show is about a family of four: dad Carter, mom Ryan, and their kids, Alex and Hayley. Ryan is an astronaut, but sadly, someone sabotages her rocket and she doesn’t make it back from space. After that, Alex and Hayley are sent to Greenhouse Academy, a boarding school. They are split into houses that often compete but sometimes have to work together. They make friends and enemies, and things get really wild as the story unfolds. The show has action, comedy, romance, mystery, and cliff-hangers at the end of almost every episode.” Saahil, 14, California Do you have a film or TV show to recommend to other kids? Send your review to hello@theweekjunior.com.…

(Graphix) Despite being named after the beautiful and rare luna moth, 12-year-old Luna considers herself a creature of the indoors. Luna’s mom was a nature lover, but she died when Luna was a baby. Luna and her dad live in California, and they see her mom’s side of the family once a year. When Luna is about to ask permission to visit Los Angeles with friends, her dad breaks the news that they have to move across the country to a location near Washington, DC, for his job. Until they find a place of their own, they’ll live with Luna’s maternal grandmother. Soon after Luna and her dad arrive, they visit the National Museum of Natural History, where they spot a framed luna moth near the butterfly exhibit. It ignites…

Spotlight on Cynthia Erivo  By Elizabeth Dennis and Hunter M. Green, illustrated by Ruth Burrows (Simon Spotlight) Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba in Wicked and Wicked: For Good. In this beautifully illustrated biography, you’ll discover facts about her rise to fame. For example, the first song she sang onstage was “Silent Night.” Ages 6 and up Wickedly Popular Sticker Book Illustrated by Brooke O’Neill (Workman Publishing) More than 1,100 stickers related to the Wicked movies and The Wizard of Oz are included in this book. They come in various sizes and can be used to decorate crafts, notebooks, and other objects. Designs include Glinda’s gown, magic wands, and the Land of Oz. Ages 7 and up Wicked: The Official Visual Companion By Universal Pictures (HarperCollins) This hardcover keepsake has more than…

Stout squirrels take the spotlight In Dinosaur Valley State Park in Texas, one fuzzy rodent looms large. Chunkosaurus Rex, a squirrel with a taste for acorns and crumbs, has won the first-ever Fat Squirrel Week. Inspired by Fat Bear Week, an annual contest in an Alaska park, this competition celebrates the fattest squirrel in all the Texas state parks. Finalists included Chunk Norris, Nutella, and Stanley “The Texas Tank.” “We appreciate all the support for Chunkosaurus Rex during this hard-fought battle,” Dinosaur Valley said on social media. A concert performed for cows After studies found that music can soothe cows and boost milk production, a dairy farmer in England decided to invite a jazz band to play for her cows. The Dixiebeats, a six-piece group, performed a 30-minute concert for…

“I started my own weekly email newsletter, inspired by The Week Junior, a magazine I’ve loved reading for years. Every Saturday, I send my newsletter to more than 50 friends and family members. I write book reviews, provide trivia, and run fun contests like ‘Win a Book!’ I spend about 6 to 10 hours a week on it. It’s a fun way to build my writing and creative skills, and it’s my way of learning and trying something new! One of my young readers even told me I inspired them to start a similar newsletter. That makes me very happy!” 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. RIDDLE OFTHE WEEK What’s…

“Your article on the jack-o’-lanterns helped inspire part of my Halloween costume! I was the headless horseman, and this was my papier-mâché head I carried around.”Jack, 11, Massachusetts “I wanted to share a picture of a vanilla-chocolate icing cake that I made for Diwali.”Elina, 8, Texas “I loved solving this week’s quiz. My favorite article was about the Asian golden cat!”Saketh, 8, Oregon We’d love to see pictures you’ve taken or pictures with you in them! Have an adult email them to us at hello@theweekjunior.com, along with anything you would like us to know about what’s happening in the photo.…

The winners of the 2025 Earthshot Prize were announced at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 5. Established by Prince William of the UK in 2020, the prize recognizes ambitious projects focused on the environment. Winners represent one of five Earthshot goals: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing our climate. The ceremony was held in Latin America for the first time to emphasize Brazil’s role in finding climate solutions and the environmental challenges the region faces. The prize for helping nature went to re.green, a company using artificial intelligence and satellite data to restore the Amazon and Atlantic Forests in Brazil. In the second category, the city of Bogotá, Colombia, was recognized for implementing a cutting-edge plan…

Dick Cheney, who held a variety of positions in the US government over several decades, including Vice President during the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2009, died on November 4 at the age of 84. He is considered one of the most powerful Vice Presidents in US history. Cheney was born in Nebraska in 1941 and grew up in Wyoming. His government career began in 1969, during President Richard Nixon’s administration. He later worked for President Gerald Ford, ultimately serving as his White House chief of staff. In 1978, Cheney was elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served for 10 years as a member of Congress from Wyoming. President George H. W. Bush named him secretary of defense in 1989. In 2000, Cheney was elected…

Tawny Chatmon is a photographer who adds layers of color and texture to her portraits to celebrate Black culture. Now she has gotten her first-ever museum solo exhibition, titled Tawny Chatmon: Sanctuaries of Truth, Dissolution of Lies, at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in Washington, DC. It is on view through March 8. Chatmon’s portraits often feature Black children and families, including her own. She combines photography and painting, using gold details to symbolize larger themes such as beauty and justice. She has cited mosaics from the Byzantine era (324–1453) and paintings by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) as inspirations. Her work has been shown around the world, including at the Venice Biennale in Italy, the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minnesota, and other museums.…

A report from Ember, a research group, found that in the first half of 2025, renewable energy produced more electricity than coal did across the world. Renewable energy comes from natural sources that don’t run out, such as the Sun or wind. Coal has been the main way to make electricity on Earth for more than 100 years. Formed over millions of years from dead plant matter, the black lumps are burned in power stations to heat water and create steam. This turns structures called turbines, and the energy from the movement is turned into electricity. When coal is burned, it releases gases including carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change. Scientists say humans must reduce their use of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, in order to…

Socorro doves Nine Socorro dove chicks have hatched at two major UK zoos this year, offering hope for a species that has been extinct in the wild since 1972. Experts plan to reintroduce the doves to their native Socorro Island in the Pacific Ocean, near Mexico. Black rhinos in Namibia A huge fire has burned through one third of Namibia’s Etosha National Park. The blaze damaged nearly 3,000 square miles of grass, plants, and trees, endangering the 114 mammal species that live there, including rare black rhinos (above).…

A love of creating that began in childhood A led Jim Henson to building a universe of characters beloved by generations. His early life Henson was born in 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi. When he was in fifth grade, his family moved to Hyattsville, Maryland. He was interested in art and was close to his grandmother, who was a painter, quilter, and needleworker. She supported his interests and encouraged him to use his imagination. Henson attended the University of Maryland, where he met his future wife, Jane Nebel. Together, in 1955, they created Sam and Friends, a five-minute puppet show with music and humor, for local television. The show led to the development of a group of puppet characters Henson called Muppets. They included an early version of a frog puppet,…

A team of scientists in the Netherlands said they have developed a therapy that can slow down Huntington’s disease, which affects the brain and has no cure. It is named after George Huntington, an American who wrote about the disease more than 150 years ago. Huntington’s disease affects people’s movement, thinking, and emotions. About 41,000 people in the US have it, and more than 200,000 are at risk of developing it. The cause of Huntington’s disease is an accidental change in one gene, called the huntingtin gene. Genes are short sections of DNA, which are chemicals that contain the instructions on how a person will develop and grow. The change in the huntingtin gene progressively damages the brain. A company called uniQure created a gene therapy that slowed the progress…

The 2025–26 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) basketball season began on November 3. At the start, the top-ranked women’s team was UConn (University of Connecticut), the defending national champions. Purdue University was the number one men’s team. Last season’s men’s champions, the University of Florida, were ranked third. The women’s season started with two games played in Paris, France. In one of them, 16th-ranked Baylor University upset seventh-ranked Duke University, 58–52. Baylor allowed Duke to score only 19 points in the second half. The next day, UConn began its title defense with a 79–66 win over 20th-ranked University of Louisville. Meanwhile, ninth-ranked NC State (North Carolina State University) beat eighth-ranked University of Tennessee, 80–77. On November 9, NC State met 18th-ranked USC (University of Southern California) in another tight contest.…

Coach’s Name: Ryan O’Connor Team: Red Stick School of Fencing “Coach Ryan is such a great coach and fencer. He is really patient and doesn’t mind showing us practice moves more than once. He makes dad jokes and gives great video game advice. Coach is engaging and gives us good information on upcoming tournaments. He teaches back-to-back classes with different age groups and motivates all of us to do our best. Coach Ryan knows how to make us laugh, get us moving, and help us learn.” Julian, 12, Louisiana 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.…

Jurassic World: Chaos Theory (Netflix) The final season of this Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous sequel series continues to follow a group of adults who were trapped on a dinosaur-filled island as kids. They’ve uncovered a global scheme by a genetics company and must stop its dangerous experiments for good. The Family Plan 2 (Apple TV+) In the 2023 action film The Family Plan, former government spy Dan Morgan enjoys a regular life until he unexpectedly has to take his family on the run. In the sequel, a family trip to England turns into chaos when someone from Dan’s past seeks revenge. It is rated PG-13. The Great British Baking Show: Holidays (Netflix) A group of bakers compete in holiday-themed challenges in this spin-off of the popular competition series. Watch to…

What inspired this book? When I moved to the East Coast, I learned about the luna moth, which is native to eastern North America. Reading about it helped me realize I would discover amazing things about my new home. What’s your advice on starting a nature journal? Head outdoors with some paper and something to write with. Bring your curiosity with you, and have fun creating! What do you love most about nature? I love how it reminds me of the beauty in the world every day. What do you like to do in your spare time? I enjoy being with my family, reading, and running. Favorite museums in Washington, DC? The Museum of Natural History—especially the gems and minerals exhibit—and the National Gallery of Art.…

When you love someone, it can hurt very much when they die. That powerful feeling is called grief, which is a natural response to the loss of someone we care about. For many children, the loss might be a beloved family member, such as a grandparent. Many people also feel grief after the death of a pet. Everyone reacts to loss and grief differently, and no response is wrong. Here are some steps you can take to understand grief and to cherish the memory of someone you loved. Expect a range of emotions It’s normal to feel sad after someone dies, but many people initially experience another feeling. “Disbelief is a very common first reaction, as if the loss can’t even be real,” says Katie Peinovich, a clinical social worker…

In this issue of The Week Junior, we’re delighted to bring you some exciting news from the world of entertainment. As our cover story announces, Wicked: For Good will open in movie theaters on November 21 (p20). After the incredible success of last year’s Wicked film, which was part one of a two-part adaptation of the hit musical, we expect another box-office sensation from Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and the rest of the cast. This week we also report on the new Zootopia film that’s coming to theaters on November 26 (p21). And we have a story about Jim Henson, the genius puppeteer who created the Muppets, starting with an early version of Kermit the Frog in 1955. In addition to the furry creatures you see on pages 12 and…

Our 2025 Best Books of the Year list will be revealed soon! To celebrate, we’re hosting a special virtual event on December 4 at 7 p.m. ET. Attendees can meet four authors whose titles made the list: Derrick Barnes, author of The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze; Kate Messner, author of The Trouble with Heroes; and Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, co-authors of The Cartoonists Club. Christina Soontornvat, author of The Last Mapmaker, will moderate the event. Find out how these amazing writers come up with their story ideas, illustrate their work, and more! Ask an adult to RSVP IT’S YOUR TURN Email your news, views, and photos to hello@theweekjunior.com. We want to hear from you! To have your letters, photos, nominations, recommendations, or ideas considered for inclusion in the magazine,…

Teacher’s Name: John Severson School: Shadow Forest Elementary “Mr. Severson is really funny. He manages to make learning easy and fun at the same time. If we ever have a question or are stuck on a math problem, Mr. Severson helps us so we are able to understand the problem. To be honest, Mr. Severson is the overall best teacher I’ve ever had.” Maya, 10, Texas 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.…

1 What type of snake is Gary De’Snake in the animated movie Zootopia 2? a) Cobra b) Python c) Viper a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 2 Which men’s college basketball program had the top-ranked team going into this season? a) Purdue University b) University of Florida c) University of Arizona a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 3 What food did scientists make using an ancient recipe that includes ants? 4 True or false? In the book Winging It, Luna at first lives in California with her mom. True ☐ False ☐ 5 Photographer Tawny Chatmon’s first-ever solo museum exhibition is in which city? a) New York b) Philadelphia c) Washington, DC a ☐ b ☐ c ☐ 6 True or false? A prehistoric marine reptile found in the UK,…