Cover of The Hate U Give

The Hate U Give

by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is assigned in US schools at grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 590L. It appears across 3 curriculum references and 4 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where The Hate U Give is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Lexile
590L
Grade range
Grades 9–12
Difficulty for grade
Below the grade 9–10 band (1050–1335L)
Age range
Ages 14–18
Pages
444
Reading time
about 8h 10m (est.)
First published
2017
Genre
YA Contemporary
ISBN-13
9780062498533

Reading difficulty: At 590L, The Hate U Give reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.

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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.

Why widely assigned

This YA Contemporary title, reads at early-reader complexity, typically at grades 9–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on police violence and race; cited across 3 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

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

Content notes

police shooting · profanity · sexual references · drug references

Common Sense Media recommends age 14+.

Where this book is assigned

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See all books like The Hate U Give→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Common questions

What grade level is The Hate U Give?
The Hate U Give is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 9–12, with a Lexile measure of 590L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
What is the Lexile level of The Hate U Give?
The Hate U Give has a Lexile measure of 590L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
How long does it take to read The Hate U Give?
It takes about 8h 10m to read The Hate U Give (444 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 490 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
Is The Hate U Give hard to read for 9th grade?
At 590L, The Hate U Give reads below the typical 1050–1335L text-complexity range for 9th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
What curricula assign The Hate U Give?
The Hate U Give appears on reading lists for Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, Common Core State Standards (ELA), Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
590L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
Grade band
Grades 9–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 3 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 4 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 10 states per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: book-club, in-class, summer.