Books like The Hate U Give

Looking for books like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (YA Contemporary · 590L · grades 9–12)? It’s most often read for its themes of police violence, race, and code-switching. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 9–12 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Hate U Give

Why each is a match

The Secret Life of Bees840L
Shares themes of race and family and a close reading level (840L vs 590L).
Fencesgrades 9–12
Shares themes of race and family and overlapping grades (9–12).
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian600L
Shares themes of code-switching and a close reading level (600L vs 590L).
Long Way Down720L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (720L vs 590L).
The Color Purple670L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (670L vs 590L).
The Grapes of Wrath680L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (680L vs 590L).
Refugee800L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (800L vs 590L).
The Poet X800L
Shares themes of family and a close reading level (800L vs 590L).
I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition)830L
Shares themes of activism and a close reading level (830L vs 590L).
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults)1130L
Shares themes of race and overlapping grades (9–12).

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