Dwayne Reed

Recommended Ages: Gr. 2-5

Plot Summary: Simon, the smallest kid in 5th grade, is beyond thrilled when his new teacher jumps on his desk and starts rapping on the first day. But then, Mr. James announces the first project, an oral presentation on something in the community that is important. Simon loves to make rhymes and raps in his head, but he is petrified of speaking in front of his class. To make it even worse, he has to go on the first day of presentations, on the sixth day of school, because it's alphabetical by last name. Simon chooses homelessness as his topic after thinking about Sunny. Dad takes Simon to the community center to help serve a meal, and Simon spends some time talking to Sunny. All Simon can think about is his project and his fear of speaking in front of the class. Will he be able to pull it together in time?

Setting: Creighton Park, Chicago

Characters:
Simon Barnes - lacks confidence in his ability to rap in public in front of strangers
Maria - Simon's friend, loud, speaks her mind, eager in school
CJ - makes friends everywhere he goes
Mr. James - Simon's 5th grade teacher, raps on the first day of school in class
Sunny - a homeless man who Simon always sees sweeping the sidewalks and singing
Bobby - bullies Simon
Dad and Moms

Recurring Themes: bullying, homelessness, rap, confidence, height, friendship, family

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: This book was sweet but it moved too slowly for me. I also struggled with how he said he rhymed in front of his friends and family but I never got that impression. I thought all the well-written rhymes in the book were all in his head. I was surprised he didn't rap for his final presentation and that the bully situation wasn't solved. Overall, it was decent. I liked all the themes.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: slow - not a lot of action or suspense
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Simon needs to release his inner voice, and become the Notorious D.O.G. he was meant to be. There are time when Simon's rhyming feels a bit corny, but the book is overflowing with strong characters and heart. Simon's family equally supports him and gives him a hard time, as only 3 brothers can. His friendships teach him something new on the regular, and his sudden assignment of an oral report in the first week of 5th grade take him to places he'd never imagined he'd go.

I particularly like that while there is a strong implication that the kid who bullies Simon is homeless, they don't have the typical confrontation and hug it out scenario -- it's all just kind of going on in the background, and Simon doesn't need to call the kid out.… (more)