Publisher Description
A distinctive new voice: Rex Ogle's story of starting middle school on the free lunch program is timely, heartbreaking, and true. Free Lunch is the story of Rex Ogle's first semester in sixth grade. Rex and his baby brother often went hungry, wore secondhand clothes, and were short of school supplies, and Rex was on his school's free lunch program. Grounded in the immediacy of physical hunger and the humiliation of having to announce it every day in the school lunch line, Rex's is a compelling story of a more profound hunger?that of a child for his parents' love and care. Compulsively readable, beautifully crafted, and authentically told with the voice and point of view of a 6th-grade kid, Free Lunch is a remarkable debut by a gifted storyteller.
Download and start listening now!
“Narrator Ramón de Ocampo’s use of accents and emotions adds much to Rex Ogle’s middle school memoir…De Ocampo excels at reflecting Rex’s wide range of feelings…[and] at portraying Rex’s growing trust in his developing friendship with Ethan. Listener warning: The abuse and ugliness in this memoir are poignantly and beautifully depicted—but may be disturbing. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
—
AudioFile
About Rex Ogle
Rex Ogle is a full-time writer and the author behind Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction. He has written three books in the Supernatural Society series for middle graders.
About Ramón de Ocampo
Ramón de Ocampo, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, was a cowinner in 2018 of the Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. A graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he has been seen on television, film, and stages all over the world, including recurring roles on such television shows as The West Wing, 12 Monkeys, Sons of Anarchy, and Medium. He is the winner of a prestigious Obie Award for his stage work.