Rex Ogle

A humorous and heartwarming middle-grade graphic memoir about fitting in, facing bullies, and finding the right pair of glasses.

Sixth grade isn't as great as Rex thought it would be. He's the only kid who hasn't had a growth spurt, and the bullies won't let him forget it. His closest friend is unreliable, at best. And there's a cute girl in his class, who may or may not like him back. With so much going on, everything is a blur —

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"Things are starting to look up for Will Hunter in East Emerson. He's pretty much used to seeing monsters all over the place. He's become best friends with neighbors Ivy and Linus (the only peo[ple who can see what he sees). Together, they saved the town from a pet-napping vampire. But Will's problems are far from over. Because there's a werewolf on the loose in East Emerson, turning people into dangerous, mind-controlled animals left and right. And...

"Punching Bag is the compelling true story of a high school career defined by poverty and punctuated by outbreaks of domestic abuse. Rex Ogle, who brilliantly mapped his experience of hunger in Free Lunch, here describes his struggle to survive; reflects on his complex, often paradoxical relationship with his passionate, fierce mother; and charts the trajectory of his stepdad's anger. Hovering over Rex's story is the talismanic presence of his unborn...

This final, essential chapter in Rex Ogle's memoir trilogy recounts being forced from his home and living on the streets after his father discovered he was gay.