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Free Lunch

Rex Ogle author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:WW Norton & Co

Published:8th Nov '19

Should be back in stock very soon

This hardback is available in another edition too:

Free Lunch cover

Free Lunch is the story of Rex Ogle’s first term in Year 7. Rex and his baby brother often went hungry, wore second-hand clothes and were short of school supplies, and Ogle was on his school’s free lunch programme. Grounded in the immediacy of physical hunger and the humiliation of having to announce it every day in the school lunch line, Ogle’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 an eleven-year-old child, Free Lunch is a remarkable debut by a gifted storyteller.

"What an amazing book. I don't think I have been that affected by a book since I read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas..." -- Mary-Brigid Turner, Hodges Figgis Children's Department
"A memoir of Ogle's own childhood, this is a searing look at the lived experience of poverty in America, written with grace, humour and honesty. In 6th grade, Rex's mum signs him up for the free meal programme, much to his embarrassment. But his intelligence and love of learning help him survive his chaotic home life. Highly recommended. Age 13+" -- 50 best books of 2019 for children from babies to teens - The Irish Independent
"This book highlights the reality of being poor in the US." -- Natasha Harding - The Sun

  • Winner of ALA YALSA Award 2020

ISBN: 9781324003601

Dimensions: 218mm x 147mm x 20mm

Weight: 366g

208 pages