California Young Reader Medal
2020 · Young Adult · Nominee
About This Book
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.
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.
Awards
Coretta Scott King Award
2018 · Author · Honor Book
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
2018 · Audiobook · Winner
William C. Morris YA Debut Award
2018 · Young Adult Literature · Winner
Carnegie Medal
2018 · Children's · Nominee
Goodreads Choice Award
2018 · Best of the Best · Winner
Edgar Allan Poe Award
2018 · Young Adult · Nominee
Michael L. Printz Award
2018 · Young Adult · Honor Book
National Book Award
2017 · Young People's Literature · Longlist
RT Book Reviews
2017 · Top Pick
Barnes & Noble Booksellers' Favorites
2017 · Young Adult Books
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
2017 · Fiction & Poetry · Winner
Goodreads Choice Award
2017 · Debut Author · Winner
Goodreads Choice Award
2017 · Young Adult Fiction · Winner
Junior Library Guild
2017 · Selection
L.A. Times Book Prize
2017 · Young Adult Literature · Finalist
RT Reviewers Choice Award
2017 · Young Adult Contemporary · Winner
Kirkus Prize
2017 · Young Readers · Finalist
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