On the Come Up (by Angie Thomas)

Angie Thomas's book should be required reading in schools; she does so much to create empathetic, three-dimensional characters that challenge racial stereotypes, but at the same time her books are entertaining and her heroines are charming!

This heroine is Brianna Jackson, who loves hip-hop and dreams of being a rapper. Her dreams become more urgent when her family, already living on the poverty line, starts slipping beneath it. She has to make some difficult, and incredibly complicated, choices.

The hip hop that Thomas writes -- and her portrayal of Bri's creative mind -- are both incredibly convincing too. I think she is such an important voice in YA lit today.  I personally resonated more with The Hate U Give so I would start there first, but this is still a great novel.