To be honest, I posted this review during the summer but took it down because I was not sure about reviewing YA (even AWESOME YA!) that I wouldn’t add to my middle grade collection. I’ve read some great YA recently, however, that is causing me to rethink my posting decision, so I am putting this review back up on this blog.
Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. Read by Bahni Turpin. Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2017. 444 pages/11 hours and 40 minutes. Hardcover $15.44, ISBN 978-0-06-249853-3; Digital audiobook $29.65, ASIN: B01N6DZ5W9
TL;DR: Do I recommend this book? Yes, for older readers.
Genre: Realistic Fiction (YA)
Part of a series? No.
Book Summary:
Starr Carter finds herself never quite feeling herself. Going to a school in a very affluent community while living in a poor neighborhood means that she constantly finds herself performing: at school, she’s Williamson Starr — no slang, no attitude. With her neighborhood friends, she’s Garden Heights Starr. Starr must find a way to balance these identities when after a party, her childhood friend Khalil is shot and killed by a police officer after being pulled over. Khalil was unarmed, but as a young black man who also dealt drugs, his portrait is painted as a thug by the police and the media. Can Starr, the sole witness, speak up and testify before the grand jury?
Grade Level: YA
Awards and Starred Reviews:
Booklist starred (December 15, 2016 (Vol. 113, No. 8))
Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2016)
The National Book Award 2017 Young Adult Literature Long List
Ms. Esling's Bookshelf 