One of my favorite guest posters (well, one of only two guest posters so far!) is back! This is my 14 yo’s review of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Both my kids had to read the book as part of their middle school required reading, and both of them enjoyed the read. This is my daughter’s take on the book.

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support. For further information, you can see the full disclosure.

The Book Review

The Outsiders

Book Info

Description

“…the hand at the back of my neck was strong. I’m drowning, I thought…“

The Socs’ idea of having a good time of beating up Greasers like Ponyboy. Ponyboy knows what to expect and knows he can count on his brothers and friends – until the night someone takes things too far.

A ground-breaking, timeless story from a brilliant writer.

(Not) My Thoughts

Note: Today’s guest poster – my 14 yo.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton revolves around Ponyboy and his group of friends. They all live in the lower class areas and are called the greasers. Their rival gang who lives in the richer parts are called the Socs. The Socs constantly jump (attack) the greasers if they are alone.

The story starts off with Ponyboy walking alone from the movie theater, he sees a car approaching and realizes that the Socs were in the car. He starts to run but they catch up to him quickly. They start to violently attack him but before they could finish, Pony’s friends arrive to help him and scare away the Socs. This part of the story shows that the Socs didn’t really have any motive to attack him but did anyway just because of who he was and where he lived.

The story also perceives the Greasers as very violent and whenever they would try to report what the Socs have done 1. It isn’t as important to the police since they are lower class 2. They didn’t want to get jumped more by the Socs if any of them got arrested.

Pony lives with his two older brothers – Darry and Sodapop. Sodapop and Pony are legally allowed to live with Darry(who is 20) but if any of them get in trouble they can’t anymore; that is another reason why they can’t report anything that the Socs did.

The book did make me cry at some points but overall I liked the ending and all of the characters. 

(Now) My Thoughts

I am yet to read this one, though I have read parts of it when the kids needed me to quiz them about the book. And based on the bits and pieces I have read, I recall that I enjoyed the book and my own review of the book would definitely have been a positive one.

Learning that this book was written by Hinton when she was a teenager (which of course my teens already knew!) added to my admiration for this book, and I am planning to read it properly- soon (and then watch the movie too, which I have not – yet)

In Summary

My guest reviewer rates it a 9/10! A classic read that has withstood the test of time, and rightfully so. It is already in most school libraries and definitely belongs on the bookshelf at homes too!

(As for our copy, looks like it is stuck in quarantine mode in the classroom!)

Get It Here

 Book Depository || Target || Barnes and Noble || IndieBound

Pin Me

Would You Rather

Today’s WYR

Would you rather read the last chapter in a book first or watch the movie before reading the book?

If I had to choose between these two, I would rather watch the movie than reading the last chapter. I know I have not felt good when I look at those last few lines or pages of a book even accidentally, and I have not tended to read a book for a long time(or sometimes at all) once I watch the movie.

For instance, we just finished watching the Michael B.Jordan and Jamie Foxx starrer movie Just Mercy last night – a truly brilliant movie based on a true story of the same title by Bryan Stevenson (portrayed by Jordan in the movie). I will hold off on reading this book (though I do want to read it now) as it is bound to be a heavy read, and I know I will find myself in tears at many points of the book.

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, have you read this book? If yes, your thoughts on the book and any similar recommendations?

Linking up to the Ultimate Blog Challenge 

For previous posts, click on the links below:

Day_1 Day_2 Day_3 Day_4 Day_5 Day_6 Day_7 Day_8 Day_9 Day_10 Day_11 Day_12 Day_13 Day_14 Day_15