Benny Feldman's All-Star Klezmer Band

by Allison Marks, Wayne Marks

Eleven-year-old Benny Feldman spends his days at Sieberling School obeying his number-one rule for surviving sixth grade: blend into the background.

So when he signs up his klezmer band to play in the school talent show, his classmates are shocked. Teased by guitar superstar and former friend Jason Conroy, Benny vows to win the trophy and erase the embarrassing nickname that has haunted him since his disastrous debut performance in an first-grade Sabbath play.

But, there is a problem. Benny Feldman's All-Star Klezmer Band is only a figment of Benny's imagination. He loves the traditional klezmer music of Eastern Europe, but how is he going to find other players to join him?

With the show a few months away, Benny, an accomplished fiddler, embarks on a quest to assemble a band that will beat Jason's rock group at the talent show. His search takes him to an arcade convention, a potato chip factory, an oddities shop, and a storage room stacked with cans of creamed corn and succotash. Along the way he meets Jennifer, a jazz-loving drummer; Royce, a bow-tie-wearing clarinet prodigy; and Stuart, a braggart accordion player from Cajun Country. He also learns a great deal about the joys and sorrows that lie at the heart of klezmer and discovers that being different can be wonderful.

Eventually, the ragtag and renamed "Klez Misfits" mount the stage and the tension-filled climax will have young readers wondering until the end if Benny and his band can pull off a miracle.

This fun and feel-good story shows how friends, family, history and culture can all build confidence. Benny learns to believe in himself and has fun and finds love along the way.

Genres: Middle Grade

208 pages, Paperback

Published January 18, 2021

Reviews

[Roz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a love letter to music and friendship and I just enjoyed every minute of it. Benny is a very relatable character, anxious about not standing out but who still wants to be seen as interesting and cool by his peers. I really appreciated the range of friendships provided here - friends to enemies; brand new friends; cross-generational; established friendships with growing pains. The familial relationships were top notch as well. I just loved Uncle Maxwell and the Moshe stories. All in all, this was a great story that I think is gonna have a broad appeal.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no clue what klezmer was going into this, but the cover and summary pulled me in. This was a great, if a bit too thorough at times, introduction to klezmer and a very fun story that I would be happy to recommend to middle grade readers.

Benny Feldman typically blends into the background at school to avoid embarrassment and teasing from his classmates, especially Jason Conroy, so he shocks himself and everyone else when he signs his band up for the school talent show. The only problem is that he doesn't actually have a band, so now he has to find people to play with and overcome his stage fright before the event so he can beat Jason's band and finally move past the embarrassing nicknames from his childhood.

Benny and his friends were great, and I loved how they all came from separate music backgrounds but found connection through klezmer, traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe. Benny is very close with his family and frequently seeks out his uncle for advice- which typically comes in the form of stories about Moshe, Benny's great-great grandfather and fellow fiddler.

I think middle grade readers will connect with Benny and his story, but they may have a hard time getting through the detailed information about klezmer music and musicians. I thought it was all very interesting, but it did pull me out of the story on occasion.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea of a children's book that features an 11 year old who plays klezmer violin. I don't know of any other book that brings klezmer into the classroom like this, so kudos to the author for picking this subject matter. Benny is an awkward boy who lacks confidence in himself and his actions and thoughts. But he's also a unique kid with a lot of appeal to certain other kids. And he's desperate to change his perceived reputation and that causes him to make some bold moves.
Does this translate well into a book that a child will identify with? I am not sure. As an adult I found it quite engaging, especially with the musicians that were cited. But the book walks the line between being a fun read and being an education on Klezmer. If the reader is unfamiliar with Klezmer, will they pick this book up to read? Surely it will be a parent or grandparent--or a child that has grown up with Klezmer that will select this book. I hope there is enough of a story that it can be an "in" to Klezmer, but I'm not sure that can be achieved. It would probably work well as an audio book with music included!

[Martha Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benny is a 6th grader who loves to play klezmer music on his fiddle. He signs up his band to play at the school talent show, but he doesn't actually have a band yet. He finds other musicians and turns them into a real band in this humorous middle grade novel, full of enchanting family stories, music, friendship, and sticking up for what's right. A 2022 Sydney Taylor Notable book.

[Nessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started off awkwardly, but soon blossomed into quite a charming read. Good messages, endearing characters — short and sweet.