The Outsiders
Editor reviews
It's What's on the Inside that Counts
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a great book about friendship and not judging people before getting to know them. I really liked this book because it seemed so realistic. Even though the author wrote it more than forty years ago, the problems in the book are problems we still face today. No matter where we go, it seems like people will always be broken into groups based on what we wear, where we come from, or what we like to do. This book taught me that all people are basically the same, no matter where we come from. We can find similarities in each other just as easily as we can find differences.
The main characters in this book struggle because all their lives they've been taught to hate other people that are not like them. They also have a problem with judging other people, even though they dont want to be judged themselves. After awhile, the characters begin to wonder what is truly right and wrong.
The Outsiders also includes a poem by Robert Frost called Nothing Gold Can Stay. I love this poem because it is about savoring each moment of life and not forgetting that things always change - sometimes for the better and sometimes not. As the characters begin to grow up and change, they experience many sad things, but the final message is about hope.
The Outsiders made me think about things that I sometimes take for granted and it taught me that everyone deserves a chance. The book was inspiring because S.E. Hinton wrote it when she was only sixteen years old. It showed me that regardless of how old we are, what we look like, or where we come from, we are all capable of so much.
User reviews
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BEST BOOK EVER
it made my cry! is supper good :D
you really wanna read this!!
An Awesome Book
Reader reviewed by Kyla
I loved this book.
I go to an online homeschool and I am given a list of books I have to read for that year. I hadn't looked over it since the start of the year and the middle of the year is upon me. I have another kid in the same online homeschool over at my house doing school with me. He has to read a book called `The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton' I had never heard of it.
One day, he is lying on the floor reading it, my sister is sitting on the floor next to him doing history, and I am on the computer trying to figure out what subject to do next. I decide to look at my reading list. One of the books on there is `The Outsiders'. I turn to my friend and say, "Hey, Geoff. What book are you reading?"
He looks at me and say, "`The Ousiders by S. E. Hinton, why?"
I ask him if I could read it for school, too, and he agrees and says he will leave it with me tonight, trusting I will keep the library book safe.
I begin reading it, not thinking it would be that good. I end up reading the whole book that night.
Geoff gets there the next morning and I hand him the book. He says he will take it tonight and leave it here the next.
I tell him, "Thanks but I read the whole book last night."
He stares at me wide-eyed for a minute.
"It was really good," I tell him shrugging.
"Yeah, it is," he agrees, shrugging.
Then we all walk upstairs and begin school.
Thanks to that 11 year old boy, I read The Outsiders.
I hope anyone that reads it, likes it as much as I have.
~Kyla : )
The Outsiders S.E Hinton GREAT BOOK !!!!
Reader reviewed by Ashley
The Outsiders By S.E Hinton is a spectacular novel. It deals with challenges in life and how to over come them. Who's a good friend and who's not. The main character is a boy named ' PonyBoy Curtis. He lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Their parents died in an accident. The boys are barely making it by, but they have friends to help them through it. Their friends are like a gang. Always stick by them even when trouble comes. The boys are called "greasers"; they are poor and come from broken homes. And socs are the rich, "upper class' kids. They drive nice cars, dress nice, and they think their better then everyone else. My favourite character from the Outsiders would have to be Dallas Winston. He is the toughest greaser in their gang. Dallas has blond hair, blue eyes, and doesn't put grease in his hair. Dally takes pride in his criminal record. And wouldn't let anything happen to Johnny or Pony boy. I like his character because he is the bad boy. All the girls want him. He's mysterious, and tough. Acts like a jerk but deep down isn't. I would recommended this book to everyone who hasn't read it before. S.E Hinton is a great author who writes awesome books. Its interesting how she uses her intials instead of her full name. So no one knows if she is a boy or girl and would read the book.
The Outsiders S.E Hinton GREAT BOOK !!!!
Reader reviewed by Ashley
The Outsiders By S.E Hinton is a spectacular novel. It deals with challenges in life and how to over come them. Who's a good friend and who's not. The main character is a boy named ' PonyBoy Curtis. He lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Their parents died in an accident. The boys are barely making it by, but they have friends to help them through it. Their friends are like a gang. Always stick by them even when trouble comes. The boys are called "greasers"; they are poor and come from broken homes. And socs are the rich, "upper class' kids. They drive nice cars, dress nice, and they think their better then everyone else. My favourite character from the Outsiders would have to be Dallas Winston. He is the toughest greaser in their gang. Dallas has blond hair, blue eyes, and doesn't put grease in his hair. Dally takes pride in his criminal record. And wouldn't let anything happen to Johnny or Pony boy. I like his character because he is the bad boy. All the girls want him. He's mysterious, and tough. Acts like a jerk but deep down isn't. I would recommended this book to everyone who hasn't read it before. S.E Hinton is a great author who writes awesome books. Its interesting how she uses her intials instead of her full name. So no one knows if she is a boy or girl and would read the book.
To love a book is to be hooked
Reader reviewed by DQ!:D
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a book the author wrote while she was still in high school in the south and it is roughly accumulated on her own life. The story takes place in a minor, rural town in the 1960s. The two chief groups in this story are the Greasers, like Ponyboy, and the Socs. The Greasers are deprived, humble, less educated and hard-hitting. They wear grease in their hair -- hence the name Greasers. The Socs are prosperous, know-it-all high school students that do corrupt things and still miraculously get away with them.
Ponyboy and his friend Johnny are the main characters; both of them are Greasers. They went out one night to sit in the park. During this time, the Socs came over and stared to fight with them. While they were fighting, one of the Socs began to drown Ponyboy in the nearby fountain. To save Ponyboy's life, Johnny kills the Soc with a switchblade. After fleeing the scene to a friend for help, they leave their town in arrears to go to an abandoned church far out of the way from what might become of them.
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One night, when they were heading back towards the church, they noticed that it was aflame. In attempt to go in and then back out of the now burning church, both get injured so severely that they have to go to the hospital. Later that night, Dally, a Greaser who is Johnnys role model in so many ways, robs a convenience store and gets in a misfortune. To find out the fate of these three, read The Outsiders.
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This book appealed to me because it kept me locked in interest. I hated putting it down and only did so when totally necessary. I would recommend it to everyone that is looking for a good read because the book is so tantalizing. Its truly a wonder how a sixteen year old girl could write such a fantastic novel. But S.E. Hinton did so and I am glad that I got to read her work. I give it five stars and a wish to read more novels by this author.
a book like no other
Reader reviewed by Witty
The Outsiders was the book I had to read for my 8th grade L.A. class, and I couldn't help but not be exited because we have a tendency to read books that I dont find interesting. As soon as I was handed this book though I had a feeling it was going to be different, and it was. This book has all of the qaulitys that makes it a great read, action, adventure, witt, comedy, heroicness, and much more. You really get to know the characters and you can sense a strong bond between the friends. This book has alot of forshadowing, and when you think somethings going to happen the story veers off into another direction usually adding another problem to the story. Because of this book I now have high exspectations for my class reading for the rest of the year, exspectations I know no other book will meet.
The Outsiders
Reader reviewed by Derek Williams
The Outsiders. Hinton, S.E. New York: Penguin Group, 1967. 180 pages.
Looking for a breathtaking book? If so, The Outsiders is a fiction novel by S.E. Hinton that is just for you!
The book is written in first person point of view and is told by the main character Ponyboy, so you are able to hear things through his thoughts, and you get to know how he feels about the rest of the gang and the situations that are happening. Ponyboy is a 14-year old boy who lives with his two brothers because their parents died. They are always trying to make sure that Ponyboy and one of his brothers named Soda do not have to go to a foster home due to getting in trouble or doing something wrong. The three brothers and their gang all protect each other from their rival gang known as the Socs. The Socs often times jump Ponyboy and his gang, who are known as greasers because they heavily put on a lot of grease in their hair all the time.
The purpose and theme of the book is to show kids how when times are tough you have to find people who will accept you for who you are and who you can trust. Once you find those people you must stay close to them. The author shows that not all things in life will turn out the way that you want them to be. The intended audience is people who take what they have for granted or people who want to know more about what life is like for people in a gang or with troubled pasts. S.E. Hinton did a great job of showing that we shouldnt take the things and family members that we have for granted because some people do not have family members or have lost many people close to them. She also showed that the necessities that some people have, others do not have, so we should be thankful for everything we have. We need to realize when we dont think life is fair, that there are many others who would love to have our lives so we should be thankful for the life that we have now.
The book really made me appreciate how great my family is, and all of the things that I have and the resources that I have in life. I think that all people from the age group of mature middle school kids and older should read this book. There is a little bit of profanity in the book which is why I recommended this age group. There are too many exciting events to count! You are left on the edge of your seat for every scene, and after one great scene you sped right on to the next one. The adventures never end in this book! The book is truly amazing. You have to read it for yourself to find out if Ponyboy and his brother, Soda, do get sent away from their other brother Darrel, (known as Darry) to a foster home. Youll also want to find out if they ever end up getting rid of their arch rival the Socs. The book is fantastic and everybody should read it!
More like the Insiders
Reader reviewed by marsandneptune5
This is the story of Ponyboy Curtis who faces a
daily battle with the gangster related culture of 1950's America.
Ponyboy is a greaser and he and his gang have battles with the soc's.Put it together and its just a remake of Westside Story... but with a twist.One day, Ponyboy is involved in a fight with the soc's and
this results in he and his friend Johnny running away to evade capture
and further injury.As the two boys run to an old abandoned church to stay and hide. The boys change their appearances by bleaching their hair. When their friend Dallas, or Dally, finally came to get them, they filled up
on food, and Johnny decided to turn himself in.But he doesn't.
to find him and hide him, but the police are chasing him. He pulls out a
gun. Ponyboy knows it isn't loaded, but he knows that Dally knows the
police think it is. The police shoot Dally, and Pony knows Dally wanted
to die. Pony faints and stays sick for nearly a week. Ponyboy is so
upset by Johnny's death that for weeks he pretends to himself (and
everyone else) that he himself killed Bob, and that Johnny is still
alive. After the trial, however, when the judge decides that Ponyboy did
nothing wrong, Pony begins to admit to himself that Dally and
Johnny are both dead.
This story is about true friendship, and moments of stupidity among the troubled teenage boys in a town full of anger. as you read it will probably make you cry, laugh, and everything in between. S.E. Hinton truly does take you into the life of a boy with some serious issues.
NICEE
Reader reviewed by f00lishchick
this was a very good book. i liked the idea of socs and greasers because it made me think A LOT of the greasers in grease. i think that the book was well read because everything seemed to connect back to the beginning when ponyboy was writing his paper for his english class. i think that even though some characters died, it brang out the inner personality of other characters, such as Dally. i recommend this book for all people to read, but mostly from preteens to how ever old because i dont think kids under the age of 10 will understand the book.
very sad and yet so inspiring :(
Reader reviewed by peacechik
i had to read this book over the summer for school. i was reluctant to read it at first because no offence, but, i thought it was just about a whole lot of white people doing something. but after i was forced to read it, i found out how wrong i was. ponyboy, the main character's story was really inspiring. some of the parts made me want to cry and others were just heartthrobing. one of the best books ive read. only reason it gets a 4 instead of a 5 is because the ending is so sad. if u want to kno more watch the movie...or better yet read the book:)





























