“Free Lunch” by Rex Ogle is a biography about Rex who is a poor kid living in a wealthy district. Instead of giving him lunch money, Rex’s mom has signed him up for free meals at school. The wealthier kids always crowd impatiently behind Rex as he tries to explain to the cashier that he is part of the free meal program. Unfortunately for Rex, the lunch lady is hard of hearing and so Rex has to shout. This story is about Rex’s efforts to find his way through his first semester of sixth grade – who to sit with, not being able to join the football team, dealing with classmates and teachers who look at his secondhand clothes and assume he’s all trouble. In addition, his mom and her boyfriend are out of work and Rex’s life at home is filled with outbursts of violence.
This book is definitely a favorite of mine! It moved at a fast pace without missing any necessary details. Just like in my last book review “Blended” the author, Sharon M. Draper, took the complexity of racism and packaged it down for younger kids. Ogle has done the same thing in his book. He shared his experiences from living in poverty in America, but simplified it down into a simple, emotional story that young adults can relate to. It was inspirational because it makes you think about the poor kids and the hardships that they have to face in some parts of America.
In my opinion, one of the things that I would have liked to see done differently, would be the way in which Rex described his mother. It was a little repetitive with the words that he used:
“She shrieked”
“She yelled”
“She screamed”
Overall, this book is by far one of the best books I’ve read. Have you read any other books by Rex Ogle, if so which ones?
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