In her debut novel, author and activist Angie Thomas brings forth a compelling look into the life of a black teenage girl named Starr, who witnesses the murder of her friend at the hands of a white police officer. Starr’s life is one filled with challenges and loss as she learns to find her voice and stand up for herself, her friend, and her community. Angie Thomas has created a compelling story that is both honest and deeply moving, and Starr’s character comes through powerfully and shines a light on the challenges of being black.
Jacket Description:
“Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
“Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
“But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.”
Reading Level: 14+
Age Range: 14+
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Length: 444 pages
Awards:
- Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fiction
- Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut Goodreads Author
- National Book Awards Longlist
- William C. Morris Award
- Michael L. Printz Honor Book
- Coretta Scott King Honor Book
- British Book Awards Children’s Book of the Year Shortlist
- Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best
- Carnegie Medal Shortlist
- Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult
- Indies Choice Award for Young Adult Book of the Year
- Boston Globe Horn Book Award
About the Author: Angie Thomas
From her website:
“Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi, as indicated by her accent. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right-On Magazine. She holds a BFA in Creative Writing from Belhaven University and an unofficial degree in Hip Hop. She can also still rap if needed.
“Angie is an inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant 2015, awarded by We Need Diverse Books. Her debut novel, THE HATE U GIVE, started as a senior project in college. It was later acquired by the Balzer+Bray imprint of HarperCollins Publishers in a 13-publisher auction and debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, winning the ALA’s William C. Morris Debut Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (USA), the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize (UK), and the Deutscher Jugendliterapreis (Germany). THE HATE U GIVE was adapted into a critically acclaimed film from Fox 2000, starring Amandla Stenberg and directed by George Tillman, Jr.
“Angie’s second novel, ON THE COME UP, is a #1 New York Times bestseller as well, and a film is in development with Paramount Pictures with Angie acting as a producer. In 2020, Angie released FIND YOUR VOICE: A Guided Journal to Writing Your Truth as a tool to help aspiring writers tell their stories. In 2021, Angie returned to the world of Garden Heights with CONCRETE ROSE, a prequel to THE HATE U GIVE focused on seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter that debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.”
Find out more about Angie on her website at angiethomas.com and her Instagram @angiethomas
The Lighthouse 