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.