The book follows eleven-year-old Simon Barnes dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper that everyone calls  Notorious D.O.G. But for now, he's just a Chicago fifth grader who's grader who's small for his age and afraid to use his voice.

Simon prefers to lay low at school  and at home, even though he's constantly spitting rhymes in his head. But when his new teacher assigns  the class an oral presentation on something that affects  their community, Simon must face his  fears of talking to people when he decides to focus on the homeless population in his neighborhood.

With some help from an unexpected ally and his friends, will Simon gain the confidence to rap his way to an A and prove that one kid can make a difference in his 'hood?

The event will occur on Wednesday, April 14 at 5pm ET on PBS Books Facebook Live and Youtube pages.

Dwayne Reed is a Chicago teacher, whose viral back-to-school music video "Welcome to the 4th Grade" took the internet by storm. His debut novel, Simon B. Rhymin', inspires young readers everywhere to use their voice to create change within their communities. When he's not writing, rapping, or teaching, Dwayne can be found presenting at educator conferences across the U.S. or loving on his beautiful wife, Simone.