On the Come Up

Author(s): Angie Thomas

Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But when her first song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, Bri finds herself at the centre of controversy and portrayed by the media as more menace than MC. And with an eviction notice staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it – she has to. Even if it means becoming the very thing the public has made her out to be. Inspired by Angie’s mom losing her job when Angie was a teenager.


On the Come Up sheds light on child poverty in the US. Angie says: “Kids like Bri, who are facing homelessness and poverty, become statistics and numbers. Their stories are never told… I want to give those kids more books to see themselves in.” On the Come Up also draws on Angie’s experiences as a teen rapper. She says, “It takes us right back to Garden Heights post Khalil. Buildings are burned, and a struggling community is left in the ashes. Hip hop was birthed from similar conditions in the Bronx … [when] young people used their creativity to make themselves heard and so created one of the most influential cultures of modern history.”


The Hate U Give has been on the New York Times bestseller list since publication. It was also #1 on Amazon UK, and it has received numerous accolades, including winning the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year. It is shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was named a New York Times Editors' Choice and a Teen Vogue Book of the Year. It was also voted one of Time Magazine's books of the year. The movie adaptation released in January 2019.


Product Information

The highly anticipated second novel from one of the literary voices of a generation. The award-winning author of The Hate U Give returns with a powerful story about hip hop, freedom of speech and fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you.

Praise for 'The Hate U Give': "Stunning." --John Green "Absolutely riveting" --Jason Reynolds "This story is necessary. This story is important." --Kirkus (starred review) "Heartbreakingly topical." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A marvel of verisimilitude." --Booklist (starred review) "A powerful, in-your-face novel." --Horn Book (starred review) 

General Fields

  • : 9781406372168
  • : Walker Books Australia Pty, Limited
  • : Walker Books Australia
  • : 0.304
  • : September 2018
  • : 198mm X 129mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Angie Thomas
  • : Paperback
  • : 1902
  • : 813.6
  • : 9 YA
  • : 304
  • : YFB