Enjoy a range of talks from bestselling authors and thought leaders. This week, Rex Ogle will discuss his YALSA award-winning novel, Free Lunch. Recommended for Gr. 5-8.
Rex Ogle is the author of Free Lunch, winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; Punching Bag, a New York Public Library Best Book; Abuela Don’t Forget Me, finalist for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award; and Road Home, which received a Printz Honor and a Stonewall Book Award Honor.
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. Register now to join the conversation!
Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit libraryc.org/cphlibrary for an archive of past webinars and to view upcoming author events.
All programs are subject to change.
AGE GROUP: | Teens | Children | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Books and Reading |
TAGS: | Virtual Program |
The Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library provides a wide range of materials, programs, and services to the residents of Clifton Park and Halfmoon. We are a member of the Southern Adirondack Library System. Our mission is to nurture and foster community connections by providing the space and resources for patrons to be educated, entertained, and enriched. Our vision is to be at the heart of our community. The go-to place to meet, learn, and do.