Children's Books: The Outsiders Review
  Home >> Book Reviews >> The Outsiders

The Outsiders Review


The Outsiders  Manufacturer: Puffin
Author(s): S. E. Hinton

ISBN: 014038572X    EAN: 9780140385724
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 192
Reading Level: Young Adult

Average Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Retail Price: $9.99
Online Sale Price: $9.99
This item qualifies for
Free Super Saver Shipping!
Written over forty years ago, S. E. Hinton’s classic story of the struggle between the Socs and the Greasers remains as powerful today as it was the day it was written, and it is taught in schools nationwide. Now available in a great new package with an improved trim size, a stunning new cover, and bonus material. Designed with classroom use in mind, the new edition will maintain the same pagination as the previous edition.


User Submitted The Outsiders Reviews


November 25, 2008
i love this book
it was a great book, about a clash between "greasers" and "socs" and it follows what happens to the main character, Ponyboy. The book was impossible to put down and it even made me cry a little at times, but thats what a good book will do to you. I recommend this for teens because it has some violence and other things you may expect to find in a book about fights between gangs. This is a wonderful story of friendship and tragedy.

November 21, 2008
The Best Book Ever
I could not put the book down all day it never closed. It was interesting funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Its a classic and I would recommend it to anyone who can read!

October 8, 2008
Outsiders is the best
This book is a non-stop thriller. If you like action that never stops this is a book for you. The Outsiders has alot of turns and twists and it keeps you guesing about what it going to happen next. The ending of thid bok was kick in the face if you know what I mean, You don't expect alot of things to happen but yet they do. So if you like this kind of action then you should either buy,rent,or even if you can find it watch the movie.

September 29, 2008
A great book, but a little bit of a repetitive story
The Outsiders is a classic tale of the struggles between two gangs in Oklahoma. The gang known as the "Greasers" are characterized by their long, silky, and greasy hair. This group is the lower class, but yet much smarter than the upper class. The upper class gang is the "Socs" or Socials. This story shows the life and tensions between these two gangs. After Johnny, a member of the Greasers kills a member of the Socs even greater tensions rise. This leads Johnny and Ponyboy, whom the story revolves around, to hide out and try to stay away from the police. While in hiding something tragic happens to Johnny, leaving an unthinkable fate. As the gangs are furious with the losses, they declare a rumble. After this rumble, a miraculous thing occurs in the story. Something that is so thrilling you will have to read it to find out!
I really enjoyed this book, although it seemed to be almost an exact replica of West Side Story. That factor in a way took the fun out of reading parts of it, as you could almost guess what was going to happen next. Though for readers not familiar with West Side Story, this book is a fantastic tale of love, hate, and tension. Though I felt it was repetitive, it was very compelling and kept you turning the pages. It also left you wanting more at the end, though the ending was purely fabulous. I recommend this book to young adults and teens who enjoy enticing stories and stories with many genres. This book is a good purchase, and you will not be disappointed!

September 22, 2008
one of my favorite books of all time
For me, this is one of those books that you can read over and over and over, and even though you know the ending, you still can't put it down and you wish that maybe this time, there'll be a different ending.

I won't bother writing a detailed review about this book because I'd probably go on and on about it. I read it in my early teen years, and though it was never really relevant to my life (the setting, for one, is completely different from what I'm used to, and I was always somewhere in the middle of high school cliques - not on the outside, but not on the inside, either), but even then, I couldn't help but care deeply for each of the greasers. Ponyboy and his friends & family were flawed, but still likable, and they made me want the best for each of them.

Highly recommended. I can't say that enough.

August 9, 2008
Relevant Teenage Tale
Author S.E. Hinton writes with a keen sense of teenage fears, emotions, and alienation from the world of adults. The story concerns the divide between the richer Socs and the lower-income Greasers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The main character is Ponyboy Curtis, an orphan who is likeable, tough, fearful, and into his Greaser gang. Ponyboy and his peers must deal with a confusing mix of school, friends, the socs, the law, and problems at home. Ponyboy gets jumped by a group of Socs (increasing his coolness), and later finds himself mixed in when his friend Johnny kills a Soc in a confrontation. The two flee, but more trouble follows. This story has nearly all the elements; teenage alienation, machismo, broken homes, alcohol, violence and tragedy.

A couple friends and I read this book in 7th grade in the 1970's, and despite our stable, gang-free existence, we identified strongly with Ponyboy and his Greasers. Readers today may develop a similiar identification, although the story seems a bit tame by today's gang realities of drug dealing and violence.



July 31, 2008
Really bad book, a total waste of time writing or reading it.
S E Hinton wrote this 128 pages book when she was 17. I thought she would have written something interesting or truthful of the life of teens in the US. How wrong it turned out to be! There is no plot, no interesting thing happening, just meaningless street fights and crazy violence. And throughout book, it shows how badly the writer is equipped with writing skills, if any skills at all. It told so many things which are unbelievable and unreal. How often do you see two skinny teenage girls, when one 6.2 foot bad boy offered them Coke, one of the girls would throw the Coke on the bully's face in return for his hospitality? Probably the this poor writer did and resulted in her forever brain damage which resulted in this crazy improbable tale. The main character's first name is Ponyboy and his brother Sodapop. I don't think there are many people in this world can find more stupid names. The names also made the whole crazy story unbelievable. What a waste of time in writing this thing called novel! An insult to anyone with any degree of intelligence. Strongly advise anyone not to waste his or her time and money.




May 2, 2008
Pony will always be gold.
I have no idea why this book resonated so deeply with me. I was not raised in Oklahoma, I was not a teenage boy when I read it. My parents were alive and well and I didn't run with a gang...I liked the Beatles, and didn't care about Elvis, but I identified so much with Ponyboy that it might have been me telling the story. I've read this book at least a dozen times, and enjoyed it just as much each time as I did the first time. Maybe it's because this book taps into the angst of our teenage years. Even if you aren't in a gang, aren't a greaser or a soc, most teenagers go through a period where they feel like they just don't belong. Like they are on the outside looking in. Like they are different from the crowd. I think the book appeals to the masses for that reason alone. Although Ponyboy is unique, he's sensitive, he's smart, he is acutely aware of his differences...he is still the 'everyteen', easy to relate to. I recommend it to young readers, ages 12-17.

- C.A.Wulff, author of Born Without a Tail

April 8, 2008
THE BEST BOOK EVER!!!
I LUV THE OUTSIDERS I MEAN WHO COULDNT?! PONYBOY IS AWESOME BUT NO-ONE BEATS MY DARRY. DARRY RUNS THE FAMILY AND IS TOTALLY AWESOME! SODAPOP IS THE BOMB ALONG WITH STEVE! THERE ALL AMAZING I MEAN IT! TIM SHEPARD AND CO. ROCK THEY CAN FIGHT AND SO CAN BUMBLY BOYS! WHEN THEY WON THE RUMBLE I NEARLY FELL OUT MY SEAT! AND POOR JOHNNY AND DALLY TWO OF THE BEST PEOPLE TO WALK THE DARK STREETS. MAN IF I WAS IN THAT STORY ID BE LIKE WORD AND GO DARRY ITS YA B-DAY WE GONNA PARTY LIKE ITS YA B-DAY GET SHAWTY OH OH! BUT SERIOUSLY IF YOUR LOOKIN FOR SOMETHIN TO PUMP YA UP THIS IS IT! SADNESS HAPPINESS AND A GANG OF COOL GOOD LOOKIN TUFF FIGHTIN BAD TO THE BONE HOODS WHO ARE LOOKIN FOR A WAY OUT HEAR YA GO! AND I ALMOST FORGOT- GO STEVE ROCK ON TWO-BIT AND RANDY DONT SWEAT IT! BOB IS FINE! STAY GOLD YALL STAY GOLD!

April 5, 2008
The Outsiders
This was an awesome book.....my son read it for school, and my two beagle's really enjoyed the school's copy, so I had to buy another one! :)


For more The Outsiders reviews click here.

 


 
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Advertising | Contact Us