I don't usually read, and the only reason I started reading this book is because it was a mandatory part of my 7-going-to-8th grade summer reading, and I have got to say, THIS BOOK IS STUNNING. As a teenager I find this book very entertaining with multiple twists and turns that never let you put the book down! From start to end, author S.E. Hinton has outdone herself by trapping you in an alternate world, to the point where you start feeling the character's emotions as if they were yours. I thank the New Jersey BOE for implementing this as a mandate so that more and more people are aware about "The Outsiders" aka the best book I have ever read.