Opposites attract in this picture-book account of two Jewish boys from Queens who begin making music together as young teens. Jokester Paul and “math geek” Artie hit it off as cast members in the sixth-grade production of Alice in Wonderland. Both music lovers, Artie studies the way sounds work together to form harmonies; he takes the high notes while Paul takes the low, creating the sound that would make them famous. Although they enjoy early fame with a song that hits the Top 10 in New York before they even graduate high school, Paul and Artie part ways, pursuing separate interests for years before reuniting. Inspired by the political songs of Bob Dylan and social movements of the 1960s, they rebrand themselves as Simon and Garfunkel and record their showstopper: “The Sound of Silence.” For these long-time friends, the road to stardom is paved with persistence, good timing, and, above all, extraordinary talent. (Ages 8–11)

From childhood friendship to brief teenage stardom, from early failures to musical greatness — the incredible story of how Simon & Garfunkel became a cherished voice of their generation.

Long before they became one of the most beloved and successful duos of all time, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were just two kids growing up in Queens, New York — best friends who met in a sixth-grade production of Alice in Wonderland and bonded over girls, baseball, and rock ’n’ roll. As teens, they practiced singing into a tape recorder, building harmonies that blended their now-famous voices until they sounded just right. They wrote songs together, pursued big-time music producers, and dreamed of becoming stars, never imagining how far their music would take them. Against a backdrop of street-corner doo-wop gangs, the electrifying beginnings of rock ’n’ roll, and the rise of the counterculture folk music scene, G. Neri and David Litchfield chronicle the path that led two young boys from Queens to teenage stardom and back to obscurity, before finding their own true voices and captivating the world with their talent. Back matter includes an afterword, a discography, a bibliography, and a fascinating list of song influences.