The Week Junior

"When you are young, you’re naturally curious about the world and everything in it. But the world seems made for grown-ups; complex and unknowable. That’s why we’ve created The Week Junior. It explains the news and events in ways that children understand; immediate, colourful, exciting. From news to nature, science to geography, and sport to books, The Week Junior explores an extraordinary array of topics from around the globe. Written to engage a young person’s point of view, without spoon-feeding or patronising, it explains events in a safe, accessible and inspiring way."

The big picture

Something worth talking about… • Lost for words? Try starting a conversation with one of these questions, inspired by stories this magazine.

Editor’s note

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

WORD OF THE WEEK

Listen to it!

BBC director general resigns

Five facts about the BBC

World leaders gather for COP30 meeting

Earthshot winners announced

IT’S AN AMAZING WEEK FOR…

National curriculum updated

Citizenship lessons

Homes for the homeless

Orchid makes a comeback

Young animators win prizes

Tributes to those who served

Around the world

Is it ok to use Americanisms? • A survey found that US words are popular with British children.

Staying curious, asking questions • Ehsan Adouane loves to interview people.

Professor Darleane Hoffman 1926-2025 • She switched from art to chemistry – and led the way for women in science.

THEY SAID IT!

The puzzle of a shrinking glacier

What is a glaciologist?

NATURE SPY • Spy red berries of black bryony in bare hedges

Chimps can change their minds

ANIMAL OF THE WEEK • Frilly-mouthed jellyfish

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

The film that brought toys to life • The smash hit movie Toy Story led the way for animated films.

Three more stories created with CGI

Surviving an avalanche

What is an avalanche?

Photos of the week

North Korea’s football success

Player prizes

THE WEEK’S WINNERS…

A time to share belief • Understanding different faiths helps people to feel more connected.

Tips for sharing your culture with others

The Golden Rule

An epic tale of two witches • A friendship is tested in the final part of the Wicked musical story.

The Wicked musical

Three more wonderfully witchy stories

First look at Paddington musical

THIS WEEK’S WATCH LIST

5 books about real-life journeys • With these books you can travel the world without having to pack a suitcase.

Wild Journey

A.M. Dassu • The Wild Journey author talks about visiting other countries in her dreams.

READERS RECOMMEND

Build your own imagined world • Kieran Larwood on how to make stories believable.

BOOK BITES • “But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them.”

ON MY SHELF

Ready to battle? • Kirby Air Riders is a racing action game with lots of chaos.

GAME OF THE WEEK

PODCAST OF THE WEEK

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Make a bathroom shine • Help out at home by cleaning the bathroom until it sparkles.

That’s unbelievable!

Puzzles

A bike bus to school

TEACHER OF THE WEEK

CHARITY OF THE WEEK

GET INVOLVED • Stepping Into Stories competition

YOUR PHOTOS • We’d love to see your snaps. Send them to us at hello@theweekjunior.co.uk Don’t forget to tell us why you took them.

Quiz of the week

The Week Junior