FREE LUNCH

Narrator Ramón de Ocampo’s use of accents and emotions adds much to Rex Ogle’s middle school memoir. De Ocampo defines Rex’s Latinx mother and her stuttering boyfriend with characteristic accents, but even more by their anger, which goes from mean to menacing. His little brother’s innocent comments offer relief from the frequent tension in the story. De Ocampo excels at reflecting Rex’s wide range of feelings—his shame of his family’s poverty, fear of his mother’s growing anger, and frustration with the prejudice of a teacher and the lack of empathy from the lunch lady, who consistently announces his free-lunch status. De Ocampo excels 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 and may be disturbing. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2019]