Rex is hoping sixth grade will be a great year, or at least an improvement on the past. Unfortunately, he starts the first day with a black eye thanks to an not uncommon incident at home, and he discovers he's been enrolled in the Free Lunch Program. While all the other students hand over their cash, he must shout out his name and status to the hard of hearing lunch lady in the checkout line.
Rex's typical day includes leaving home without breakfast and making it through school while being taunted about his secondhand clothes, free lunch, and dilapidated backpack. Once he gets home, there's the empty refrigerator, a needy little brother, and an abusive mother and her even more abusive boyfriend. If it wasn't for the rare visits and phone calls from his grandmother, Rex would probably lose all hope.
Since this was the only life Rex ever knew, it is amazing he was able to soldier on and accomplish anything. His candid account of living in poverty and violence will open the eyes of readers and stay with them long after finishing the last page. Having worked as a children's book editor in New York, Rex now lives in California. This is his first book.
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