# The Hate U Give

**Author:** Angie Thomas
**Lexile:** 590L
**Grade range:** Grades 9–12
**Age range:** 14–18
**First published:** 2017
**Page count:** 444
**Genre:** YA Contemporary
**ISBN-13:** `9780062498533`
**ISBN-10:** `0062498533`
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/book/the-hate-u-give
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.

## 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.

## Themes

- police violence
- race
- code-switching
- activism
- family

## Content notes

- police shooting
- profanity
- sexual references
- drug references

Common Sense Media age recommendation: 14+

## Where this book is assigned

### Boston Globe–Horn Book Award

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2017 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2017 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2017 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, via Wikipedia — 2017 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Globe%E2%80%93Horn_Book_Award)

### Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award

- **recommended** · 9th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)
- **recommended** · 10th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)
- **recommended** · 11th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)
- **recommended** · 12th grade · Ohio — [source: Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award — official winners list (Ohio, K-12 grade bands, voted biennially/annually since 1982)](https://bcbookaward.info/childrens-previous-nominees/)

### Common Core State Standards (ELA)

- **recommended** · 10th grade · California — [source: CA CCSS ELA grade 10 contemporary-literature selection](https://www.cde.ca.gov/)
- **recommended** · 10th grade · New York — [source: NYC DOE Summer Reading — high school contemporary selection](https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/learn-at-home/summer-reading)

### Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania)

- **recommended** · 9th grade · Pennsylvania — [source: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index](https://pyrcapsla.wixsite.com/pyrca/past-titles-and-winners)
- **recommended** · 10th grade · Pennsylvania — [source: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index](https://pyrcapsla.wixsite.com/pyrca/past-titles-and-winners)
- **recommended** · 11th grade · Pennsylvania — [source: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index](https://pyrcapsla.wixsite.com/pyrca/past-titles-and-winners)
- **recommended** · 12th grade · Pennsylvania — [source: Mountain Laurel Book Award / Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award — PSLA official winners list (K-12 divisions), winners cross-verified via Goodreads award index](https://pyrcapsla.wixsite.com/pyrca/past-titles-and-winners)

### Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook)

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: Odyssey Award (best audiobook) winners + honors, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey_Award)

### William C. Morris YA Debut Award

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: William C. Morris YA Debut Award winners + finalists, via Wikipedia — 2018 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_C._Morris_Award)

### Young Reader's Choice Award (PNLA)

- **recommended** · 9th grade — [source: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Reader%27s_Choice_Award)
- **recommended** · 10th grade — [source: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Reader%27s_Choice_Award)
- **recommended** · 11th grade — [source: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Reader%27s_Choice_Award)
- **recommended** · 12th grade — [source: Pacific Northwest Library Association — Young Reader's Choice Award winners (1940-2022), via Wikipedia — 2020 Winner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Reader%27s_Choice_Award)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 10 states: CO, FL, IA, KS, MO, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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