S.E. Hinton. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group, 1967.
Awards:
Summary: There are two types in Ponyboy's world. The Socs had the good life. The Greasers, which he was, didn't have it so easy. Ponyboy and his two older brothers hung out with their gang and tried to stay out of trouble; until the Socs stepped on their turf. Everything was fine until the night a Greaser stabbed a Soc to save Ponyboy's life. Their adventure begins with staying hidden and then the two boys become heroes.
Audience: I would recommend reading this book with high school grades. Possibly 8th grade, depending on maturity levels.
Themes: A major theme in this book is the society and classes. The Socs and the Greasers were battling with each other throughout the entire book. The Socs were the ones with the money and easier lives. The Greasers despised them for those reasons. They realized that they actually had a lot in common. They both had their own struggles on opposite sides of town. Another important theme in this book was violence. There was a lot of violence between the two gangs. It will be important to talk about this in future classrooms because violence doesn't solve problems.
Evidence:
“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.” (page 157
Ponyboy explains earlier in the book that nothing remains golden; all good things come to an end. Gold can also mean innocent. Johny's last words were one of the most famous words in the book.
“It seemed funny that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.”
This quote is significant because this is Ponyboy's epiphany where he realizes that maybe the Socs and the Greasers aren't as different from each other as he and everyone else thinks.
Reactions: Personally, this is one of my favorite books. I think it's amazing that it was written by Hinton when she was 17 years old. Although this book was written many years ago, every generation is able to relate to the characters and feelings in this book. It is written very well and I can never put it down when I start reading it!
Reception:
"'Iffy' for age 13? Off for under that? You've got to be kidding me. Annoying Overprotective Parent (AOP): Isn't Ponyboy in a gang? I don't want my darling little -insert name here- reading that. Me: Yes, he's part of a gang, but it even says in the book that it's not an organized gang. The only fighting they do is self defense against the Socs, a group of vicious rich kids who jump Greasers for fun."
-12 year old from Common Sense Media
"This was a phenomenal book hands down. 'Nothing gold stays' was the theme. It gives you a great message but a sad ending."
-14 year old from Common Sense Media
Hyperlinks:
S.E. Hinton
Common Sense Media
Scholastic
Book:
Awards:
- New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967
- Chicago Tribune Book World Spring BookFestival Honor Book, 1967
- Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975
- ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975
- Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, 1979
Summary: There are two types in Ponyboy's world. The Socs had the good life. The Greasers, which he was, didn't have it so easy. Ponyboy and his two older brothers hung out with their gang and tried to stay out of trouble; until the Socs stepped on their turf. Everything was fine until the night a Greaser stabbed a Soc to save Ponyboy's life. Their adventure begins with staying hidden and then the two boys become heroes.
Audience: I would recommend reading this book with high school grades. Possibly 8th grade, depending on maturity levels.
Themes: A major theme in this book is the society and classes. The Socs and the Greasers were battling with each other throughout the entire book. The Socs were the ones with the money and easier lives. The Greasers despised them for those reasons. They realized that they actually had a lot in common. They both had their own struggles on opposite sides of town. Another important theme in this book was violence. There was a lot of violence between the two gangs. It will be important to talk about this in future classrooms because violence doesn't solve problems.
Evidence:
“Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.” (page 157
Ponyboy explains earlier in the book that nothing remains golden; all good things come to an end. Gold can also mean innocent. Johny's last words were one of the most famous words in the book.
“It seemed funny that the sunset she saw from her patio and the one I saw from the back steps was the same one. Maybe the two worlds we lived in weren’t so different. We saw the same sunset.”
This quote is significant because this is Ponyboy's epiphany where he realizes that maybe the Socs and the Greasers aren't as different from each other as he and everyone else thinks.
Reactions: Personally, this is one of my favorite books. I think it's amazing that it was written by Hinton when she was 17 years old. Although this book was written many years ago, every generation is able to relate to the characters and feelings in this book. It is written very well and I can never put it down when I start reading it!
Reception:
"'Iffy' for age 13? Off for under that? You've got to be kidding me. Annoying Overprotective Parent (AOP): Isn't Ponyboy in a gang? I don't want my darling little -insert name here- reading that. Me: Yes, he's part of a gang, but it even says in the book that it's not an organized gang. The only fighting they do is self defense against the Socs, a group of vicious rich kids who jump Greasers for fun."
-12 year old from Common Sense Media
"This was a phenomenal book hands down. 'Nothing gold stays' was the theme. It gives you a great message but a sad ending."
-14 year old from Common Sense Media
Hyperlinks:
S.E. Hinton
Common Sense Media
Scholastic