# 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

### 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)

## Banned / challenged record

Documented removals or formal challenges in at least one school district in 7 states: TX, MO, FL, PA, SC, TN, UT. Source: [PEN America's Index of School Book Bans](https://pen.org/banned-book-list/) 2022-2024.

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