The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 590L. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where The Hate U Give is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 590L
- Grade range
- Grades 9–12
- Difficulty for grade
- Below the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
- Age range
- Ages 14–18
- Pages
- 444
- Reading time
- about 8h 10m (est.)
- First published
- 2017
- Genre
- YA Contemporary
- ISBN-13
- 9780062498533
Reading difficulty: At 590L, The Hate U Give reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Starr Carter, a 16-year-old Black girl, is the sole witness when her unarmed childhood friend is shot and killed by a white police officer. Thomas's debut novel has been adopted into 9th-12th grade contemporary-literature units in multiple state curricula since 2018 and is among the most-frequently challenged books in US public schools.
Why widely assigned
This YA Contemporary title, reads at early-reader complexity, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on police violence and race; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Themes
police violence · race · code-switching · activism · family
Content notes
police shooting · profanity · sexual references · drug references
Common Sense Media recommends age 14+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
Similar grade-level books
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
Lord of the FliesWilliam Golding · 770L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
See all books like The Hate U Give→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is The Hate U Give?
- The Hate U Give is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 590L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of The Hate U Give?
- The Hate U Give has a Lexile measure of 590L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read The Hate U Give?
- It takes about 8h 10m to read The Hate U Give (444 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 490 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is The Hate U Give hard to read for 9th grade?
- At 590L, The Hate U Give reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign The Hate U Give?
- The Hate U Give appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 590L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 7 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: in-class, summer.