The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

• Starr Carter struggles to be two different people every day: the Starr who  goes to Williamson prep school, who doesn't use slang, who doesn't want to look "ghetto," who is the only African-American girl in her grade, and the Starr who tries to stay true to the community of Garden Heights, a neighborhood riddled with drugs and gangs, but the place that she calls home nonetheless.
• When she witnesses her friend Kahlil die after he's shot by the police during a routine traffic stop, Starr must decide if she can can continue living two very different lives -- and also if she can find the strength to find her voice and stand up for Khalil and her neighborhood.

Not only is The Hate U Give an excellent book, but it's also an important and timely one.  A must read!

Grades 8-12