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musical and theatricalbut Joshuas success isnt due to family pressure. No way did I desire for him to be a musician, says his dad, Jun Mhoon, who feels he missed out on his own childhood when music took over. Joshua started playing just over 20 months ago. He was interested in guitar, but his hands were too small, so Harry Steckman, artistic director of Steckman Studio of Music in Oak Park, suggested piano. In his 35 years of teaching, Steckman says hes never seen a child learn so fast. He memorized Eleanor Rigby in about five minutes, according to Steckman, and has mastered everything from Schumann to Joplin to Bach. Most impressively, he snagged several prominent awards, including first place in his category for Duet and Soloist at the 2011 Granquist Music Competition, one of the states largest music contests and only Joshuas ninth formal concert. He also received one of the highest honors in the world-renowned National Federation of Music Clubs competition in 2011 and was asked to compete again this February, when hell enter at a much more advanced level. I like that you can show people what you can doand I just like playing for people, Joshua says.Elisa Drake

JAYLIN FLEMING, 12 BASKETBALL PHENOM

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Ask Chicago seventh-grader Jaylin Fleming who his favorite NBA player is, and he reluctantly says Kobe Bryant. After we tease that, as a point guard from Chicago, he really should have said Derrick Rose, he hesitates. Oh, yeah. Of course, Derrick, he says. I love Derrick. Wait, youre on a first-name basis with Derrick Rose? Yeah, Ive played with him some, says Jaylin. Hes been really cool. Such is the life of a basketball wunderkind. The story goes that at eight years old Jaylin was watching his older brother play ball in a gym with a family friend who played for Marquette University. Jaylin thought hed like to try the game out, and immediately began doing things that take years of practice. Since then, hes been ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation for his age by scouting site middleschoolelite.com, joined the AAU team MeanStreetsthe same youth basketball program that launched Roseand has begun a career as a model and commercial actor. He was even hired as a

playoff correspondent for Lopez Tonight, and shot free throws against NBA legend Reggie Miller on camera. But Jaylin says his work as a spokesman for Triple Threat Mentoringan organization that works with troubled and incarcerated kidshas been the most rewarding opportunity. Thats been amazing, he says, to be able to help and talk to those kids. But pressed about whats been the most fun, Jaylin smiles. Id have to say the Lopez show. Jonathan Messinger
6 STAS GUNKEL, 10 BLOGGER

At age seven, while most of his peers were oblivious to politics, Stanislaw Stas Gunkel was blogging about the 2008 presidential election at Report from Planet Stas (planetstas. blogspot.com). He started the blog in 2007 when his favorite topics were LEGOs and Star Warsand in 2008 it got political. With a series of posts labeled Kids for Obama: Election Commentary, the Edison Park resident outlined the reasons then-Sen. Barack Obama should be president. Five days before Election Day, Stas received a personal thankyou letter from Obama. When the letter

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