Published: 2019
Series: Free Lunch
Author: Rex Ogle
Genres: Middle Grade, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poverty, Biography, Abuse, Family, Realistic Fiction, Biography Memoir
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 6-12
Number of Stars: 5-Stars
Goodreads Link: Free Lunch
Triggers: Poverty, domestic violence, child abuse, neglect, hunger
Review By: Nicole Nicosia & Heather Turner
Publisher’s Summary
Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals. As a poor kid in a wealthy school district, better-off kids crowd impatiently behind him as he tries to explain to the cashier that he’s on the free meal program. The lunch lady is hard of hearing, so Rex has to shout.
Free Lunch is the story of Rex’s efforts to navigate his first semester of sixth grade―who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, Halloween in a handmade costume, classmates and a teacher who take one look at him and decide he’s trouble―all while wearing secondhand clothes and being hungry. His mom and her boyfriend are out of work, and life at home is punctuated by outbursts of violence. Halfway through the semester, his family is evicted and ends up in government-subsidized housing in view of the school. Rex lingers at the end of last period every day until the buses have left, so no one will see where he lives.
Unsparing and realistic, Free Lunch is a story of hardship threaded with hope and moments of grace. Rex’s voice is compelling and authentic, and Free Lunch is a true, timely, and essential work that illuminates the lived experience of poverty in America.
Review
I cannot think of another book that has had a greater impact on my empathy and understanding of students. Honestly, I believe this should be required reading for every educator.
The hidden and often invisible struggles that many students carry with them every day are front and center in this powerful memoir. Something as seemingly small as having to announce that you receive free lunch can be humiliating for any child, but especially for a middle schooler. Rex Ogle draws from his own experiences, and the lack of empathy shown by many of the adults around him is both heartbreaking and infuriating.
His school experiences are difficult enough, but his home life is even more devastating. Through Rex’s story, we get a glimpse into the realities that many students return to when they leave our classrooms each day. It is a powerful reminder that we rarely know the full story of what our students are carrying.
This would make an outstanding One Book, One School selection. I consider it a must-read for anyone who works with young people. Rex’s experiences with the free and reduced lunch program will resonate with many readers who remember the days before student PIN numbers, when children had to publicly identify themselves to receive lunch. He captures the embarrassment and shame of simply having to say his name in front of classmates each day. Beyond that, he writes honestly about the abuse, neglect, and hunger he endured while his mother remained unemployed for an extended period.
Despite everything he faces, Rex approaches middle school life with remarkable grace, intelligence, resilience, and even humor. He often has to solve his own problems, and his determination shines throughout the memoir. By the end of the book, his mother finds steady employment, offering a small but meaningful sense of hope without minimizing everything that came before.
The sequel, Punching Bag, was published in 2021 and continues Rex’s story. 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend this book without hesitation. It belongs in every middle and high school library collection, and I truly believe it is essential reading for educators, counselors, and anyone who works with kids. I would also love to see Rex Ogle visit our high school someday.
Classroom & Curricular Connections
- Social Studies / Modern American History: This memoir serves as a powerful resource for exploring socio-economic stratification, systemic poverty in contemporary America, the history of public school assistance programs, and the reality of housing insecurity and eviction.
- ELA / Memoir Writing & Voice: Rex Ogle’s unsparing, authentic narrative voice provides a superb mentor text for students learning to draft personal memoirs, construct authentic dialogue, and use humor and grace to write about lived hardships.
- Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) / Empathy: The book connects deeply to conversations around social shame, building emotional resilience in the face of domestic adversity, navigating peer dynamics across class lines, and finding agency and problem-solving skills as a middle schooler.
- One Book, One School: This text is a perfect candidate for a “One Book, One School” school-wide read or community book club. School librarians can host empathy-building discussions around the social dynamics of school lunchrooms. Additionally, students can research modern local assistance programs or organize a community resource or food pantry drive, raising awareness about regional food and housing insecurity.
Diversity & Representation
Free Lunch offers vital, underrepresented class diversity by bringing a raw, realistic perspective to the lived experience of childhood poverty and economic isolation within wealthy school districts. It also handles the intersections of single-parent struggles, domestic violence, and systemic neglect with tremendous dignity, giving voice to students who carry these invisible weights.
Readalikes
- Punching Bag by Rex Ogle
- Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- The Benefit of Doubt by Rex Ogle
