Every kid is good at something.
But imagine doing it so well
that grown-ups flock to see you in action.

Meet nine prodigies who were born with extraordinary gifts—and who worked like demons at their passions. Phillis Wheatley, a black slave in colonial Boston, was 14 when her first poem was published. Stevie Wonder wowed audiences with his harmonica solos
at the age of 12. And future film star
Buster Keaton was hurtling through the air in a vaudeville stage act when he was only three. But the life of a wonder kid is not necessarily an easy one. Read about how they were discovered, the struggles that shaped their lives, and how their dazzling talents stunned the world. Complete with captivating photographs and links to their works, Wonder Kids is a true celebration of not-so-tiny talent.

The Wonder Kids

• Phillis Wheatley, a black slave in Boston who wrote poetry
• Maria Gaetana Agnesi, an Italian linguist and mathematician who was fluent in seven languages by age 13
• Clara Schumann, a German pianist who made her professional debut when she was 9 years old
• Fanny Mendelssohn, a German composer whose work as a teen caught the ear of Queen Victoria
• Buster Keaton, whose acrobatic skills made him a vaudeville star across North America when he was only six
• Dai Vernon, a Canadian child-magician who went on to become the only conjurer to fool Houdini
• Stevie Wonder, whose singing and harmonica playing made him a
  Motown star at age 12
• Wang Yani, a Chinese artist
  who began touring with her paintings of monkeys when she was
  just 4 years old
• Terence Tao, an Australian mathematician who attended
  university at age 9