Dara Roberts

I first read this book in 9th grade for English in high school and wrote an essay on it. My mom also read the book with me and she loved it as well. I love the movie too. It introduced me to my favorite actor and movie crush, Patrick Swayze. After I graduated high school, I took that book and movie and the characters with me out of the classroom and now it is my favorite novel of S. E. Hinton. I love the message of the book that it's okay to be different from everybody else in this world,and you need to stick together in tough situations with your family and friends, and otheimportant lessons such as looking at things from different viewpoints. Years later, in my thirties, which is where I'm at now, I came back to the novel and reread it for the first time as an adult. I have a deeper understanding of it now. I was 14, (the same age that Ponyboy was in the story), when I first read it. These were characters I could relate to, and I still do to this day. Ponyboy Curtis and Cherry Valance are two of my favorite characters in the story. And then around Christmas 2 years ago, my parents got me The Complete Novel edition of The Outsiders movie. Now I'm looking forward to seeing the musical version of the story that just came out on Broadway. I am not letting go of this novel or the characters. I will continue to reread it throughout my adult years. Ponyboy, The Greasers, and The Socs have a permanent place in my household now. This novel will be passed down to my kids if I have any in the future. I'm an Outsiders fan for life! "Stay gold." This book is a must read for everybody whether you're in middle school, high school, in college, or as an adult! And I'm an even bigger fan of S. E. Hinton herself! I'm looking forward to reading some of her other novels.