Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I enjoyed this one more than I expected. It addresses a couple of things that are often overlooked in fiction. Most often, when religion comes up in a book it involves the characters telling us how their family is religious in name or culture only. While we don't get details of Benny's family's belief system, we do get the sense that Judaism is a significant part of their lives, an inbuilt part of their reality. And we're seeing how that influences their every day life, not just surrounding bar mitzvah prep (the typical usage in fiction). Even more, we see how religion and music and culture are all twined together in Benny's life and in his family history. And let's talk about the music. Not a rock band. Not a country band. But music as it is wrapped into a culture. As Benny explains klezmer music to other musicians, he sees the parallels to other musical traditions. Now, I will say that the writing is a bit stiff and some of the plot elements a bit fantastic. It may have benefited from a little more nuance. Overall, though, I call this one a net positive.

Benny has tried to stay hidden in the shadows since an incident in a school play left him the butt of jokes and target of a school bully. On his own he plays violin and loves Klezmer music. One day though the teasing gets the best of him and he decides to sign up his band for the talent show. The problem is - he has no band. Can he find some new musicians to play with him and perhaps make new friends as well.
This was a breath of fresh air. Sometimes books for this age get really heavy and especially this year I needed something lighter.

This book is a good middle grade book for the ages. Klezmer music we learn about and get a taste of through Benny who plays violin. We see his journey making friends and forming a band to prove a point. I think this book was really thorough and in-depth and I think it will appeal to some middle grade readers and too some it might be too slow moving. But I think the characters are well thought out and it is a fun and funny book.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

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.

It's hard to find modern literature for children that fall into the category of "good" books, 'good' meaning that there is a focus on character, moral development, and family closeness. In the age of Big Nate and Dork Diaries, which will not sit on our shelves, this is one I can easily recommend my students to read! You'll fall in love with Benny and his band of misfits, feel indignant on his behalf, and eventually find yourself coming to understand multiple perspectives...including some that are a surprise! We will be using this book in our classroom as the jumping off point for studying Klezmer music with our Jewish studies.

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!