The OutsidersThe Outsiders
Score Classic
What it's about
Ponyboy Curtis is fourteen and lives in a small Oklahoma city with his two older brothers. They're greasers, poor kids with long, oiled hair, always at war with the Socs, the rich kids from the other side of town. One night a fight goes terribly wrong, and Ponyboy and his friend Johnny have to run.
Why it's worth reading
It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read and is one of the most-read young-adult novels ever. Hinton wrote it as a teenager, and its story of loyalty and class still hits teens hard.
You'll love it if you liked
The Catcher in the Rye
To Kill a Mockingbird
The GiverGood to know
It's short. There is gang violence and death. Coppola's 1983 film has a famous young cast.
By the numbers
- Readers71 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #56 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #285 of the 762 classics we rank
- #925 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous
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Quick answers
Is The Outsiders worth reading?
Yes. It was voted onto PBS's Great American Read and is one of the most-read young-adult novels ever. It ranks #925 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Outsiders about?
Ponyboy Curtis is fourteen and lives in a small Oklahoma city with his two older brothers. They're greasers, poor kids with long, oiled hair, always at war with the Socs, the rich kids from the other side of town. One night a fight goes terribly wrong, and Ponyboy and his friend Johnny have to run.
How long does it take to read The Outsiders?
About 6 hours (229 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Outsiders?
If you liked it, try The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or The Giver by Lois Lowry.