TEENS: Spotlight on author Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas

Teen author Angie Thomas was born in Jackson, Mississippi. She is an American author, best known for writing the young adult novel The Hate U Give. This book was made into a feature film released in 2018, which made $34.9 million at the box office. Her second young adult novel, On the Come Up, was released in February 2019. Read more about Ms. Thomas on her website.

Find Angie Thomas’ books in our Teen Den or check here for information on accessing ebooks.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give 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. 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.

Available on Overdrive/Libby

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas

On the come UP Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri's got massive shoes to fill. But it's hard to get your come up when you're labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral . . . for all the wrong reasons. Bri soon finds herself at the center of a controversy, portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. But with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri doesn't just want to make it—she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be.