What books are similar to The Hate U Give?

The 10 closest matches to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas on ReadingList include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Fault in Our Stars, The Poet X, Divergent, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes (police violence, race, and code-switching), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Hate U Give reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Hate U Give

If you liked The Hate U Give, read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Fault in Our Stars, or The Poet X — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie — shares code-switching

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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 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, 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.

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Why each is a match

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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian600L: Shares themes of code-switching, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (600L vs 590L). Amazon → books like this →
The Fault in Our Stars850L: Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+6 more shared lists), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Poet X800L: Shares themes of family, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (800L vs 590L). Amazon → books like this →
Divergentgrades 8–12: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+3 more shared lists), overlapping grades (8–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
I'll Give You the Sungrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Scythegrades 7–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+2 more shared lists), overlapping grades (7–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Darius the Great Is Not Okaygrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Dear Martingrades 9–12: Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
Saints and Misfitsgrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →
The Field Guide to the North American Teenagergrades 9–12: Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Hate U Give for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Both on the Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award list (+1 more shared list) and a close reading level (720L vs 590L).
The Monkey Goes Bananas by C. P. Bloom · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates! by Ryan T. Higgins · grades K–3 — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2010s).
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis · 590L — Shares themes of family and a close reading level (590L vs 590L).
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey · 390L — Both on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award list (+1 more shared list), a close reading level (390L vs 590L), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Hate U Give for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and a close reading level (640L vs 590L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 590L).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of code-switching and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+2 more shared lists).
Blended by Sharon M. Draper · 610L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (610L vs 590L).
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis · 950L — Shares themes of race and family and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+2 more shared lists).

Books like The Hate U Give for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Front Desk by Kelly Yang · 640L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list, and a close reading level (640L vs 590L).
The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson · 610L — Shares themes of race, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (610L vs 590L).
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli · 820L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), and a close reading level (820L vs 590L).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of code-switching and both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+2 more shared lists).
Blended by Sharon M. Draper · 610L — Shares themes of race and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (610L vs 590L).

Books like The Hate U Give for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds · 720L — Shares themes of family, both on the Odyssey Award (Best Audiobook) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (720L vs 590L).
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) by Bryan Stevenson · 1130L — Shares themes of race, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (9–12).
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley · grades 9–12 — Both on the Battle of the Books (state reading programs) list (+4 more shared lists) and overlapping grades (9–12).
Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson · grades 9–12 — Both on the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (9–12), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Hate U Give?: The 10 closest matches to The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas on ReadingList include The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, The Fault in Our Stars, The Poet X, Divergent, and I'll Give You the Sun. Each is scored on shared themes (police violence, race, and code-switching), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 9–12), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Hate U Give reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 9–12), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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