Getting children excited about reading magazines and books has never been an easy undertaking, but today social media has made it even more difficult. All the more pleasing that magazine The Week Junior has managed to appeal to children aged 8 to 14 with its editorial concept and design, inspiring them to read. For over five years now!
Fact-based The Week Junior aspires to help children aged 8 to 14 understand the world so that they can form their own opinions and navigate society. It is the only magazine in the US that is aimed directly at children aged 8 to 14. Editor-in-Chief Andrea Barbalich reflects on this success story: “We meet our young readers at eye level, helping to foster a lifetime love of reading, learning, and action. They are incredibly curious, well-informed, determined, kind children. What’s even more amazing is that they have a sense of immediacy – they want to turn ideas into action today. Knowing and understanding this generation the way only The Week Junior does is what drives us forward every day.” Children at that age are a dream target group that responds very positively to The Week Junior being a print magazine.
No AI used, by choice
Every issue, spanning 32 pages, is jam-packed with everything curious kids today want to know. This ranges from current events in the US and the world, to stories about animals, science, sports, art, entertainment, and much more. All articles are age-appropriate, written balanced and in a way that doesn’t come across as a lesson. The magazine has been sold in a subscription-only format since 2020 and now reaches 100,000 households. For the children, it feels like a present, and not like homework in disguise. Beyond the magazine, the offering includes the platform “theweekjunior.com” and activities on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest (for parents) as well as PopJam (for children). Andrea Barbalich stresses that it was a conscious decision not to use AI: “Our magazine is created by human beings who really care to create the best quality product that they can every single week.”
Fastest growth on the US magazine market
All the more impressive considering that only 20 percent of new magazines in the US manage to survive on the market for more than four years. And all the more gratifying that The Week Junior is among the fastest growing magazines on the US market, followed by The Atlantic and New York in the second and third places. In the second half of 2024, the print run of The Week Junior grew by 23 percent according to the Alliance for Audited Media. Andrea Barbalich emphasizes: “We’ve worked very hard over the years to build that trust with parents and show them that we can be a non-partisan, unbiased resource for their kids that helps break stories down into a format that children can understand and that helps them form their own opinion about it.”
Interactive columns like The Big Debate invite readers to comment on the week’s news. The latest initiatives include seasonal features, like the Summer of Reading with book recommendations for children, as well as a photo and illustration contest. Also new is an annual national survey spotlighting key upcoming issues. Besides content for children, the magazine also provides guidance in areas such as parent-oriented communication on current topics as well as resources for educators.
Community building
“Another factor is the magazine is doing something no one has ever done in the United States and parents and children have recognized how positive that is not only for the children reading it but for the whole family,” explains the Editor-in-Chief. At the same time, the magazine has managed to establish a community with targeted initiatives, one of which being the Junior Council. Each year, twelve children are chosen to join. The kids spend four months in the editorial team, where they learn the art of journalism from the ground up. After they graduate from the Junior Council, they choose a cause, and they research and write their first stories, which are then published in The Week Junior. “With the Junior Council, we have ignited a spark in our readership, strengthening the sense of community. And it has shown us that this is also possible with a print magazine,” says Andrea Barbalich, summarizing her experiences.